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WWE Announces Sol Ruca's First Women's Intercontinental Championship Defense

Sol Ruca will defend her Women's Intercontinental Championship for the first time Monday afternoon on WWE Raw.
Rick Ucchino|
Sol Ruca
Sol Ruca | WWE

It is official. Sol Ruca will defend her Women's Intercontinental Championship for the first time when WWE Raw goes live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France on Monday, June 8.

Ruca captured the gold when she knocked off Becky Lynch at Clash in Italy last month, and now she'll be putting it on the line against another former Women's Intercontinental Champion in Lyra Valkyria.

Lyra warned Ruca last week that she had her sights set on becoming a two-time champion, and General Manager Adam Pearce decided that now was as good a time as any to see if she can get the job done. He announced the match during his weekly Raw rundown Sunday morning on social media.

It won't just be the Women's Intercontinental Championship that will be on the line Monday. Penta announced on his Instagram account Saturday that he will also be at the Accor Arena to defend his Men's IC Title against WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio.

The King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments are also set to continue. After her "Daddy Dom" was able to win his opening round match-up Friday night on WWE SmackDown, Women's World Champion Liv Morgan will look to do the same when she takes on Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and Chelsea Green in a Fatal 4-Way Match.

The men's bracket will feature Seth Rollins, Je'Von Evans, Ricky Saints and Talla Tonga battling it out to join Dominik Mysterio and Oba Femi in the semifinals. The stakes could not be higher as the winners of the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments will earn World Title opportunities this August at SummerSlam.

Oba Femi is also being advertised for the show tomorrow afternoon in Paris, as are Jey and Jimmy Uso, and the World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Bron Breakker.

We'll have more information on tomorrow's show in our WWE Raw preview, which is scheduled to publish at 2 a.m. ET Monday morning due to the Red Brand's earlier start time this week.

Current WWE Raw card for June 8 (announced):

Penta
Penta | Netflix
  • Penta (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the Men's Intercontinental Championship
  • Sol Ruca (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria for the Women's Intercontinental Championship
  • King of the Ring Opening Round Fatal 4-Way Match: Seth Rollins vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Ricky Saints vs. Talla Tonga
  • Queen of the Ring Opening Round Fatal 4-Way Match: Women's World Champion Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green
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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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