Lyra Valkyria

Lyra Valkyria
Valkyria in 2025
Personal information
BornAoife Marie Cusack
(1996-10-23) 23 October 1996
Dublin, Ireland
Life partner(s)LJ Cleary (2014–present; engaged)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Aoife Valkyrie
Lady Valkyrie
Lyra Valkyria[1]
Valkyrie
Billed height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Billed weight130 lb (59 kg)
Billed fromDublin, Ireland[1]
Trained byFight Factory Pro Wrestling
Katey Harvey[2]
Debut2 May 2015

Aoife Marie Cusack (born 23 October 1996) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Lyra Valkyria. She is a former one-time and the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion, a one-time NXT Women's Champion and a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion.

Prior to joining WWE, Cusack wrestled for several promotions on the European independent circuit as Valkyrie, including Fight Factory Pro Wrestling (FFPW), Over the Top Wrestling (OTT), Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) and Pro-Wrestling: EVE. She is a one-time Irish Junior Heavyweight Champion, a one-time OTT Women's Champion, and a one-time Pro-Wrestling: EVE Tag Team Champion with Debbie Keitel as The Woke Queens.

Early life

Aoife Marie Cusack[3] was born on 23 October 1996 in Dublin,[4][5] and grew up in the Clarehall neighbourhood.[6] She is the oldest of three children.[2] Her father works at the Dublin Airport, and her mother teaches French and Irish at a secondary school.[2] Cusack graduated from Dublin City University, where she studied journalism.[2][7] She also worked at a video game store.[5]

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2015–2020)

Valkyrie in January 2018

Cusack began training for a professional wrestling career in Bray in 2014, before travelling to England to attend more wrestling schools.[3] She eventually settled at the Fight Factory Pro Wrestling (FFPW) gym in her native Dublin.[7] She made her in-ring debut for Celtic Cross Wrestling (CCW) on 2 May 2015 under the ring name Valkyrie, named after the protagonist of the Skulduggery Pleasant book series by Derek Landy.[8][9] Valkyrie made her debut for Over the Top Wrestling (OTT) at WrestleRama on 6 August 2017, teaming with Justin Shape and Katey Harvey in a loss to Martina, Candice LeRae and Joey Ryan.[10] On 10 August 2018, she defeated Jordan Devlin to win FFPW's Irish Junior Heavyweight Championship.[11] Under the name Lady Valkyrie, she defeated La Roux on 2 September for the Pro Wrestling Ulster (PWU) Women's Championship, which she held until PWU closed in February 2019.[12]

On 3 May 2019, Valkyrie made her Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) debut during the "Road to True Colors" tour in Bielefeld, defeating Amale Winchester and Killer Kelly in a Three-Way Dance.[13] On 26 May, she defeated Raven Creed to win the OTT Women's Championship.[14] She unsuccessfully challenged for the wXw Women's Championship twice in June.[15][16] Valkyrie also wrestled for the women's professional wrestling promotion Pro-Wrestling: EVE, where she was part of a heel tag team with Debbie Keitel, known as the Woke Queens.[17] They defeated Laura Di Matteo and Mercedes Martinez in a tournament final to win the vacant Pro-Wrestling: EVE Tag Team Championship on 12 October.[18] Valkyrie lost the OTT Women's Championship to Harvey on 26 October, and the Irish Junior Heavyweight Championship to LJ Cleary on 3 November.[14][11] On 14 December, the Woke Queens lost the titles to Gisele Shaw and Sammii Jayne.[19] Valkyrie made her last independent circuit appearance for wXw on 8 March 2020, teaming with Baby Allison in a loss to Kelly and Stephanie Maze.[20]

WWE

NXT UK and NXT (2020–2024)

Prior to signing with the company, Cusack participated in a WWE tryout in London in June 2019.[3] Cusack was reported to have signed with WWE on 20 January 2020, and was assigned to the NXT UK brand.[21] She competed in her first match on 13 February episode of NXT UK under the ring name Aoife Valkyrie, defeating Amale.[22] In February, Valkyrie toured with NXT for the first time, wrestling on two house shows in Florida. Valkyrie defeated Aliyah on 14 February in Tampa,[23] followed by teaming with Mia Yim and Rita Reis (later known as Valentina Feroz) to defeat Jessi Kamea, MJ Jenkins and Taynara in a six-woman tag team match on 15 February in Fort Pierce.[24] She made her return to television on 17 September episode of NXT UK in a winning effort against Isla Dawn.[25] She remained undefeated until losing to Meiko Satomura on 29 April 2021 episode.[26] Later that year, Valkyrie suffered a torn ACL and was sidelined for a year.[6]

After NXT UK closed in late 2022, she moved to NXT under the new ring name Lyra Valkyria,[27] defeating Amari Miller in her debut match on 13 December episode of NXT.[28] At the NXT Stand & Deliver pay-per-view on 1 April 2023, Valkyria competed in a ladder match for the NXT Women's Championship, which was won by Indi Hartwell.[29] She took part in an eight-woman single-elimination tournament for the vacated title, losing to Tiffany Stratton in the finals on 28 May at NXT Battleground.[30] After defeating Hartwell and Roxanne Perez in a triple threat match proposed by champion Becky Lynch,[31] Valkyria bested Lynch at Night 1 of NXT: Halloween Havoc on 24 October to win the NXT Women's Championship.[32] She made her first successful title defense against Xia Li on 21 November episode.[33] At NXT: New Year's Evil on 2 January 2024, she retained the title against Blair Davenport. After the match, Tatum Paxley, who had been obsessed with Valkyria since December,[34] stopped Lola Vice from cashing in her Breakout Tournament contract.[35] At NXT Vengeance Day on 4 February, Valkyria retained the title against Perez and Vice, who cashed in while the match was in progress to make it a triple threat.[36] On 5 March at NXT: Roadblock, Valkyria and Paxley failed to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship from The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) after Valkyria inadvertently kicked Paxley. After the match, Perez attacked Valkyria and injured her arm.[37] At NXT Stand & Deliver on 6 April, Valkyria lost the NXT Women's Championship to Perez by submission, ending her reign at 165 days.[38] Paxley turned on Valkyria the following week and subsequently revealed that her obsession with Valkyria was only because she had the NXT Women's Championship.[39][40] Valkyria wrestled her final NXT match at Week 1 of Spring Breakin' on 23 April, where she failed to regain the title from Perez in a triple threat match also involving Paxley.[41]

Raw (2024–present)

On Night 2 of the 2024 WWE Draft, Valkyria was promoted to the Raw brand.[42] On 6 May episode of Raw, Valkyria made her on-screen debut, saving then-Women's World Champion Becky Lynch from a beatdown by Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane, before defeating Kai in the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament in her main roster in-ring debut.[43][44] She then defeated Zoey Stark and Sky en route to the finals,[45][46] where she lost to Nia Jax at King and Queen of the Ring on 25 May, marking her first loss on the main roster.[47] Valkyria competed in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank on 6 July, which was won by Tiffany Stratton.[48] In December, Valkyria entered the tournament for the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Championship,[49] defeating Kai in the finals on 13 January 2025 episode of Raw to become the inaugural champion.[50] At Royal Rumble on 1 February, she entered her first women's Royal Rumble match at number 4, but was eliminated by Ivy Nile.[51] Over the following months, Valkyria successfully defended her title against Kai in a rematch,[52] Nile,[53] Raquel Rodriguez,[54] and Bayley.[55]

On 11 April episode of SmackDown, Valkyria and Bayley won a gauntlet match to face Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 on 20 April.[56] Prior to Night 1, Bayley was taken out backstage and was unable to compete.[57] The following night, Becky Lynch returned from an eleven-month hiatus as Valkyria's new tag team partner, defeating Morgan and Rodriguez to win the titles, making Valkyria a double champion.[58] They lost the titles in a rematch the next night on Raw, ending their reign at only one day, marking the shortest reign in the title's history.[59] Immediately after, Lynch turned on Valkyria.[60] On 10 May at Backlash, Valkyria defeated Lynch to retain the Women's Intercontinental Championship but was subjected to a post-match assault by Lynch.[61] She lost the title to Lynch in a Last Chance match on 7 June at Money in the Bank, ending her reign at 145 days. After the match, per stipulation, Valkyria acknowledged Lynch as the better woman and raised her hand, but attacked her afterwards.[62] At Evolution on 13 July, she failed to regain the title from Lynch in a triple threat match also involving Bayley.[63] The next night on Raw, Valkyria defeated Bayley in a two-out-of-three falls match to earn a rematch against Lynch for the title at SummerSlam.[64] At Night 2 of the event on 3 August, Valkyria failed to win the title in a no disqualification Last Chance match, therefore being unable to challenge for the title as long as Lynch is champion and ending their feud.[65]

Following the event, Valkyria teamed up with Bayley again, who was undergoing a personality change persona.[66]

Other media

Cusack made her video game debut as Lyra Valkyria in WWE 2K24 as downloadable content and has since appeared in WWE 2K25.[67][68]

Personal life

Since 2014, Cusack has been in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler LJ Cleary.[2] They announced their engagement on 14 September 2024.[69]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b "Lyra Valkyria". WWE. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Friel, Jenny (6 April 2024). "I was a shy teen and now I'm a WWE champion, says Irish star Lyra Valkyria". EVOKE.ie. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "U.K. and Europe's top female wrestlers attend WWE tryout in London". WWE. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  4. ^ Currier, Joseph (23 October 2024). "Daily Update: Carmella, AEW Continental Classic, Adam Cole". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b Middler, Jordan (23 September 2024). "Interview: WWE's Lyra Valkyria on her journey from selling WWE games to appearing in them". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b Bowers, Shauna (17 December 2023). "Lyra Valkyria: The wrestler from Clarehall taking the WWE world by storm". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b Meagher, John (12 April 2019). "Fight Factory: Inside Ireland's pro-wrestling school". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  8. ^ Duarte, Jon (2 May 2025). "Hoy en la historia: 2 de mayo en la lucha libre" [Today in history: May 2nd in wrestling]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  9. ^ Brennan, Corey (27 January 2026). "Lyra Valkyria Reveals Where She Originally Got Her 'Valkyrie' Ring Name From". Fightful. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  10. ^ Radican, Sean (18 November 2017). "Radican's OTT WrestleRama: Belfast report – Ricochet vs. Cobb, Devlin vs. Havoc, Kings of the North vs. British Strong Style main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Irish Junior Heavyweight Title". Fight Factory Pro Wrestling. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b "PWU Women's Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  13. ^ "wXw Road to True Colors: Bielefeld" (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  14. ^ a b c "OTT Women's Championship >> 26.05.2019 - 26.10.2019: Valkyrie". CageMatch. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  15. ^ "wXw Superstars of Wrestling 2019" (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 1 June 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  16. ^ "wXw Drive of Champions: Hamburg" (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  17. ^ Brennan, Corey (16 February 2024). "Debbie Keitel: It's Incredible To See And Support Irish Women On Wrestling Television". Fightful. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Meltzer, Dave (13 October 2019). "Daily Update: UFC fallout, Typhoon Hagibis, Bray Wyatt". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  19. ^ Meltzer, Dave (15 December 2019). "Daily Update: Weekend fallout, Moondog Rex, Sin Cara". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  20. ^ "wXw We Love Wrestling 1" (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  21. ^ Duarte, Jon (20 January 2020). "WWE firma a la joven y prometedora luchadora Valkyrie" [WWE signs young and promising wrestler Valkyrie]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Aoife Valkyrie def. Amale". WWE. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  23. ^ Williams, JJ (14 February 2020). "NXT Tampa live results: JD Drake appears, Tino Sabbatelli returns". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  24. ^ Williams, JJ (15 February 2020). "NXT Ft. Pierce, FL, live results: Taynara returns, Jorge Bolly debuts". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  25. ^ Gronemann, Markus (17 September 2020). "NXT UK results: The relaunch begins". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  26. ^ Gronemann, Markus (29 April 2021). "NXT UK results: Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 25 July 2021. This week's show featured Aoife Valkyrie and Meiko Satomura in a fantastic match with the "Final Boss" ending Valkyrie's 14-month winning streak.
  27. ^ DeFelice, Robert (30 November 2022). "Lyra Valkyria (Aoife Valkyrie) Coming Soon To WWE NXT". Fightful. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  28. ^ Tessier, Colin (14 December 2022). "Lyra Valkyria Debuts, Duke Hudson Teaches Damon Kemp A Lesson, Scrypts Strikes | NXT Fight Size". Fightful. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  29. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (1 April 2023). "Indi Hartwell, With An Assist From Dexter Lumis, Wins NXT Women's Title At NXT Stand & Deliver". Fightful. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Tiffany Stratton def. Lyra Valkyria – NXT Women's Championship". WWE. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  31. ^ DeFelice, Robert (4 October 2023). "Lyra Valkyria To Challenge Becky Lynch For NXT Women's Title On Night 1 Of NXT Halloween Havoc 2023". Fightful. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  32. ^ Russell, Skylar (25 October 2023). "Lyra Valkyria Defeats Becky Lynch, Wins NXT Women's Championship At Halloween Havoc Night One". Fightful. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  33. ^ Aiken, Chris (21 November 2023). "WWE NXT live results: Two championship matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  34. ^ Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (12 December 2023). "NXT TV Results (12/12): Hazelwood's live report on Davenport/Williams ISC wins follow-up, Meta-Four vs. Briggs/Jensen/Henley, Thorpe vs. Dijak, (Cora) Jade's return, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 24 January 2024. Valkyria opened her locker door to see that Tatum Paxley had put her face over Becky Lynch's in the photo of the two.
  35. ^ Aiken, Chris (2 January 2024). "WWE NXT New Year's Evil live results: Two title matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  36. ^ Tessier, Colin (5 February 2024). "Lyra Valkyria Retains NXT Women's Title, Lola Vice Unsuccessfully Cashes In At NXT Vengeance Day". Fightful. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  37. ^ Aiken, Chris (5 March 2024). "WWE NXT Roadblock live results: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tony D'Angelo". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  38. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (6 April 2024). "Roxanne Perez Submits Lyra Valkyria To Win NXT Women's Title At NXT Stand & Deliver". Fightful. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  39. ^ DeFelice, Robert (10 April 2024). "Tatum Paxley Turns On Lyra Valkyria On 4/9 WWE NXT". Fightful. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  40. ^ Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (16 April 2024). "NXT TV Results (4/16): Hazelwood's live report on Williams-Hayes steel cage, AoP vs. Enofe & Blade, Vice vs. Ruca, Hail vs. Paxley, Dijak vs. Dar, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  41. ^ "NXT Spring Breakin' 2024 Week One results". WWE. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  42. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (30 April 2024). "Lyra Valkyria Drafted To WWE Raw During 2024 WWE Draft". Fightful. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  43. ^ Powell, Jason (6 May 2024). "WWE Raw results (5/6): Powell's live review of Gunther vs. Sheamus, Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov, Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka, Iyo Sky vs. Natalya, and more King and Queen of the Ring matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  44. ^ Russell, Skylar (7 May 2024). "IYO SKY, Zoey Stark, And Lyra Valkyria Advance In The Queen Of The Ring Tournament On 5/6 WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  45. ^ Russell, Skylar (14 May 2024). "IYO SKY To Face Lyra Valkyria In Queen Of The Ring Semi-Final Match On 5/20 WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  46. ^ Russell, Skylar (21 May 2024). "Lyra Valkyria Defeats IYO SKY On 5/20 WWE Raw, Advances To Queen Of The Ring Finals". Fightful. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  47. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (25 May 2024). "Nia Jax Wins 2024 WWE Queen Of The Ring". Fightful. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  48. ^ Currier, Joseph (6 July 2024). "Tiffany Stratton wins women's WWE Money in the Bank ladder match". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  49. ^ Thompson, Andrew (30 December 2024). "Dakota Kai & Lyra Valkyria to meet in finals of Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament on 1/13 WWE Raw". POST Wrestling. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  50. ^ a b Thompson, Andrew (13 January 2025). "Lyra Valkyria defeats Dakota Kai on WWE Raw to become first-ever Women's Intercontinental Champion". POST Wrestling. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  51. ^ "2025 Royal Rumble match stats". WWE. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  52. ^ Russell, Skylar (25 February 2025). "Ivy Nile Attacks Lyra Valkyria And Dakota Kai After Women's Intercontinental Title Match On WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  53. ^ Keller, Wade (3 March 2025). "WWE Raw Results (3/3): Keller's report on CM Punk responding to Seth Rollins's stomp, War Raiders vs. Creeds for World Tag Titles, Ripley vs. Sky for Women's Title, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  54. ^ Keller, Wade (24 March 2025). "WWE Raw Results (3/24): Keller's report on latest John Cena and Cody Rhodes promos, Valkyria vs. Rodriguez for IC Title, Breakker vs. Penta for IC Title". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  55. ^ Keller, Wade (7 April 2025). "WWE Raw Results (4/7): Keller's report on CM Punk, Paul Heyman, El Grande Americano appearing, plus War Raiders vs. New Day, Penta vs. Dom, Valkyria vs. Bayley". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  56. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (12 April 2025). "Bayley And Lyra Valkyria To Challenge For WWE Women's Tag Team Titles At WrestleMania 41". Fightful. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  57. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (19 April 2025). "Bayley Attacked Ahead Of WrestleMania 41 Saturday, Lyra Valkyria To Find New Partner". Fightful. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  58. ^ DeFelice, Robert (21 April 2025). "Becky Lynch And Lyra Valkyria Win WWE Women's Tag Titles At WrestleMania 41". Fightful. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  59. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (22 April 2025). "Liv Morgan And Raquel Rodriguez Regain WWE Women's Tag Team Titles On WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  60. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (22 April 2025). "Becky Lynch Attacks Lyra Valkyria On WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  61. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (11 May 2025). "Lyra Valkyria Retains WWE Women's Intercontinental Title Against Becky Lynch At WWE Backlash". Fightful. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  62. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (8 June 2025). "Becky Lynch Wins WWE Women's Intercontinental Title At WWE Money In The Bank". Fightful. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  63. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (13 July 2025). "Becky Lynch Retains WWE Women's Intercontinental Title At WWE Evolution". Fightful. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  64. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (14 July 2025). "Lyra Valkyria To Challenge Becky Lynch For WWE Women's IC Title At WWE SummerSlam". Fightful. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  65. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (3 August 2025). "Becky Lynch Retains WWE Women's Intercontinental Title At WWE SummerSlam". Fightful. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  66. ^ Brennan, Corey (13 October 2025). "Lyra Valkyria Slaps Bayley Into 'Role Model' Mode, Bayley Takes Out The Judgment Day By Herself On WWE RAW". Fightful. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  67. ^ "WWE 2K24 Season Pass". WWE 2K. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  68. ^ "WWE 2K25 Roster". WWE 2K. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  69. ^ Carey, Ian (14 September 2024). "Lyra Valkyria & LJ Cleary announce engagement". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  70. ^ "Women's Intercontinental Championship". WWE. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  71. ^ "NXT Women's Championship". WWE. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  72. ^ "WWE Women's Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.