IYO SKY and Asuka went one-on-one at WWE Backlash 2026 in Tampa, Florida, and SKY came out on top.
The match itself had an extra layer to it before the first bell even rang. Kairi Sane had been woven into the build for this feud, but she departed WWE in late April 2026, which meant she wasn’t there in Tampa when it all came to a head.
The Tampa crowd didn’t forget about her either. During the match, fans started chanting for Kairi Sane. That’s a crowd that was clearly invested in this whole situation and wasn’t going to let Sane’s absence go unacknowledged.
After IYO picked up the win, she and Asuka embraced. Two women who built their legacies in Japan, who know each other better than most people in that locker room ever could, sharing a moment after a hard-fought match. That image alone tells you everything about how deep the respect runs between these two.
IYO SKY has been one of the most quietly consistent performers in WWE over the last few years. She had her run with the Women’s Championship, she’s been part of Damage CTRL, and she’s put on match after match that people remember long after the show ends. A win over Asuka at a Premium Live Event is exactly the kind of result that keeps her positioned as a top-level name in the women’s division.
Asuka, meanwhile, is one of the most decorated women in WWE history. Her undefeated streak, multiple championship reigns, and the way she carries herself in matches of this magnitude make her one of the toughest opponents anyone can draw. A loss to IYO SKY doesn’t hurt her. If anything, it confirms SKY belongs in that same conversation.
The Kairi Sane situation is the thread everyone’s going to be pulling on coming out of this. She was part of the story going into Backlash, and her WWE exit in April was unexpected. Whether she left on good terms or not, whether there’s a door open for a return, that’s the question sitting in the back of every fan’s head right now.
WWE ran Backlash in Tampa and got a crowd that cared about the history these women carry with them. The chants for Sane proved that. The embrace after the match proved the respect between IYO and Asuka is real.
IYO SKY picks up a big win and the women’s division keeps delivering. Watch what happens next for both of them on RAW.
