WWE champ Iyo Sky 'thrives being underdog,' longtime friend says ahead of WrestleMania 41 title match

LAS VEGAS – Iyo Sky volition locomotion into WrestleMania arsenic a women’s champion for the 2nd consecutive year, but the lucifer connected Sunday nighttime volition beryllium adjacent much challenging than it was successful Philadelphia.

Sky defeated Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship weeks earlier WrestleMania 41, and it was thought she would lone beryllium defending it against Bianca Belair. However, Ripley inserted herself into the match, making it a triple menace for the title.

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Iyo Sky during the Women’s Royal Rumble during the WWE Royal Rumble astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis, Feb. 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)

Since then, Ripley and Belair person taken turns pushing Sky retired of the mode arsenic they talked trash with each other. Sky, though shorter than them, made wide she wasn’t going to instrumentality immoderate much disrespect from the 2 erstwhile champions.

Dakota Kai, a longtime person of Sky’s and erstwhile Damage CTRL stablemate, told Fox News Digital she didn’t recognize wherever the disrespect came from.

"She’s champion close now, you cognize what I mean? But I deliberation with Rhea and Bianca, they’re truthful caught up successful the issues that they have, they’re not adjacent considering her a threat, but she’s champion for a reason," Kai said up of WrestleMania 41 Night 2. "She’s been my favourite for years adjacent earlier she was connected the Stardom scene.

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Iyo Sky wins the SmackDown Women's Championship successful 2023. (WWE)

"I besides deliberation Iyo thrives being the underdog though. I deliberation she’s going to propulsion retired a batch of stops connected Sunday to amusement them like, ‘Hey, you’ve been overlooking maine these past fewer weeks, I’m champion for a reason.'"

Sky mislaid to Bayley successful a women’s rubric lucifer astatine WrestleMania 40. Bayley was formed retired of Damage CTRL successful the weeks aft she won the 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match.

Kai suggested that Bayley’s triumph was a driving unit for Sky.

"She’s coming into WrestleMania again arsenic champion, and she decidedly wants to clasp it evidently – who wouldn’t? I think, for her, she decidedly has thing to beryllium to travel retired of the lucifer connected top, which she is," she said.

Bianca Belair makes her entranceway to the ringing for a Money successful the Bank qualifying triple menace lucifer during WWE SmackDown astatine Allstate Arena connected June 21, 2024, successful Rosemont, Illinois. (Getty Images)

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Sky volition look to locomotion retired of Allegiant Stadium arsenic champion.

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