WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce has announced two new matches for the October 26 edition of Monday Night Raw, headlined by a non-title showdown between WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Raquel Rodriguez and IYO SKY.
According to Fightful, Pearce confirmed the singles match and indicated that a win for SKY would earn her a future opportunity at Rodriguez’s Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Diva Dirt corroborated the stipulation, reporting that Pearce stated a victory for SKY in the non-title bout would secure her a title shot against Rodriguez. The match marks the third women’s bout confirmed for the broadcast, according to Diva Dirt’s preview of the card.
The addition continues a storyline in which SKY has been positioning herself closer to a championship opportunity in recent weeks, per Diva Dirt. A win over the reigning champion in a non-title setting would give WWE a clear narrative path toward a title match without immediately putting the belt on the line on this episode.
Pearce also added a tag team match pitting Chad Gable and Dragon Lee against Big Cass and Ethan Page. Both Fightful and 411Mania confirmed the bout was made official for the same show, joining the Rodriguez-SKY match as the two new additions to the October 26 Raw lineup.
The tag match brings together two pairings with differing dynamics on the Raw roster. Gable and Dragon Lee will look to find cohesion against the larger, more physical combination of Big Cass and Ethan Page, though the sources do not detail any broader storyline context connecting the four competitors beyond the match being scheduled.
With three women’s matches now confirmed for the card and a tag team bout added alongside the Rodriguez-SKY main event angle, Pearce has built out a significant portion of the October 26 Raw with stakes tied directly to the Women’s Intercontinental Championship picture. Should SKY defeat Rodriguez, WWE would be positioned to book a future title match between the two, giving the non-title contest direct consequences for the championship despite the belt not being on the line this time out.
