4 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (29 Jun - Results & Review)

DOWNS…

6. Another ‘Crazy Chick’ Gimmick?

It might be a bit too soon to pass judgment on Lyra Valkyria’s new persona after turning on Bayley last week, but her video package Monday night felt like they had taken this dynamic performer and just saddled her with a “crazy chick” persona.

Valkyria appeared without makeup, with bags under her eyes and frazzled hair, talking about how she had been the bigger person for more than a year, and yet she was the one being ostracized by fans after one misstep. She then admitted that while she wasn’t proud of what she did, she wasn’t losing any sleep over it.

The wild hair and wild eyes seemed to point to a character with a psychotic break, which would be an incredibly ridiculous move after firing Nikki Cross, and with talk of calling up Tatum Paxley. Also, it feels like an all-too-easy character that WWE regularly bestows on their women wrestlers when they turn heel. Saddling Lyra with a bog-standard “crazy chick” gimmick is not a bright idea.

Perhaps this is an overreaction, but there’s a decent bit at work here, and a lot could go awry.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.