The rise of the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship on Raw
In short: For decades, WWE's women's division lacked secondary titles on the main roster. That changed in late 2024 with the introduction of the Women's Intercontinental Championship, a title designed to mirror the men's version but tailored specifically for the Raw brand's female superstars.
The championship was unveiled by General Manager Adam Pearce in November 2024, serving as a counterpart to the men's Intercontinental Championship. To crown the first champion, WWE organized a tournament starting on December 2, 2024. This bracket featured 12 competitors from the Raw roster, including stars like Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane, competing in a series of triple threat and singles matches. This new title exists alongside the Women's United States Championship on SmackDown. It serves as one of two secondary championships for the company's main roster.
Lyra Valkyria emerged as the inaugural champion after defeating Kai in the tournament final on January 13, 2025. While the belt's design is identical to the men's version, it is smaller and features a white strap. The word "Heavyweight" is replaced with "Women's," though the side plates retain the standard WWE logo over a blue globe.
As of October 10, 2026, the title has seen eight reigns shared among six different champions. Becky Lynch holds several significant records, including the most reigns at three, the longest reign at 163 days, and the shortest reign at 43 days. At age 39, Lynch became the eldest champion during her third victory, whereas 26-year-old Sol Ruca remains the youngest.
The title has also been a canvas for individual expression. During her first reign, Raquel Rodriguez briefly introduced a custom version of the belt wrapped in barbed wire on the August 3, 2026, episode of Raw, before the standard design was reinstated the following week.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/culture-wwe-women-s-intercontinental-championship.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics
