15 Exact Moments Failed WWE Gimmicks Actually Got Over

6. IYO Sky

Iyo Sky Lyra Valkyria
WWE

Damage CTRL - incorporating Bayley, IYO Sky, and Dakota Kai - was a failure of an act. 

Forming at SummerSlam 2022, it felt like Triple H wanted to summon some goodwill by re-signing Kai and promoting SKY to the main roster. He would worry about the storytelling later, except he didn’t. The basic gist is that Bayley said she wanted to help women’s wrestling, but she was a heel, so this was a front. She’d basically hired two women to help her cheat. Bayley ended up as the babyface in the eventual split; work that one out. 

IYO was always stupidly talented, and was able to orchestrate a reaction by the closing stages of her better matches, but she didn’t really connect as a personality until late 2024. Her match against Bayley at WrestleMania 40 was borderline sensational - IYO’s elastic athletic prowess at the finish was jaw-dropping - but she really started to get over in the autumn of 2024 amid a gradual babyface turn. She was one half of a WWE TV Match of the Year candidate against Bianca Belair on September 16. This was a PLE giveaway of a match, a free hit, so you can probably trace the origins of IYO Sky: bonafide superstar to December 30, when she brought the house down with Lyra Valkyria on Raw. 

Sky was so awesome that she got over by being the best wrestler in front of fans who don’t care all that much about wrestling - but when she turned her “I’m mad, me!” bobblehead taunt up to 11, she grasped the mandatory sports entertainment bit, too. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!