Iyo Sky has wrestled on big stages in Japan, NXT, and the main roster. She has held major titles and shared the ring with elite names around the world. Still, when she looks back on 2025 there is one match that shines brighter than the rest. Iyo calls her WrestleMania 41 title defense her favorite match and the greatest moment of her life. She has given a few reasons why it means so much to her, and the story around that night in Las Vegas helps explain the emotion you can hear in her voice when she talks about it.
Before the bell in Las Vegas
The build to WrestleMania 41 set the stage for a dream style clash. Iyo walked into the weekend as Women’s World Champion. Her challengers were Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. Bianca had a perfect record on the grand stage and had won the Elimination Chamber to earn her way in. Rhea was the woman Iyo had taken the title from and remained one of the most dominant forces in the company. The triangle gave creative the chance to blend speed, power, and technique in one match with a championship on the line. The setting was Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the bout scheduled for night two on Sunday April twenty.
Iyo has said that part of the pressure she felt came from what the moment meant to fans in Japan. In interviews this autumn she explained that Japanese wrestlers have not had many happy endings at WrestleMania and that she wanted to carry that weight with pride. She called the match not only her personal favorite but also a special moment for Japanese viewers who grew up like she did, dreaming of performing on the biggest stage and actually winning there. She described it as the greatest moment of her life.
There was also the simple competitive fire. Bianca is one of the best athletes in the world and had never lost on the big stage. Rhea is a juggernaut who can impose a pace and a power game that few can match. Iyo needed to be perfect with her timing and position if she wanted to leave with the title. That challenge, and the chance to win in front of a massive crowd and a global audience, pushed her to make daring choices with her offense from the opening bell. WWE billed the match as a showcase of three very different wrestlers meeting at the peak of their talents.
During the match that made history
The opening minutes were a scramble with quick pins and momentum swings. Bianca and Rhea tried to isolate Iyo early, even working together in spots to knock the champion out of the ring and turn the fight into a series of one on one bursts. Iyo kept cutting in with springboards and counters that shifted the angles and forced both challengers to change plans. The match moved at high speed, yet never felt out of control. Reviewers praised it for smart timing and sequences that supported the story of three evenly matched stars searching for the one opening that would stick.
Several spots stood out. Bianca soared with a 450 splash that looked like it might end the night. Rhea answered with brute force, landing the Riptide and showing that she could change the flow in a second. Iyo threaded her offense through both of them, using aerial attacks to break up pins and turn heavy strikes into quick roll ups. The match kept the crowd guessing because every woman had stretches where she looked unbeatable. WWE’s official recap called it an instant classic, and that label felt right while you watched it live.
The finish protected everyone and cemented Iyo’s night. She retained the championship, breaking Bianca’s perfect streak on the big stage and fending off Rhea’s power game in the final surge. It was the kind of ending that gives the champion credibility for the rest of the year. Fans in the building delivered a loud reaction, and social media timelines filled with clips and praise within minutes of the three count. Independent reviewers loved it as well, calling it fantastic and highlighting how the three found ways to avoid dead space that often hurts triple threat matches.
Immediate reactions after the bell
Backstage emotions told their own story. In a behind the scenes video that made the rounds later that week, Bianca admitted that her WrestleMania streak was over and that she may have suffered a finger injury during the match. She still took time to praise Iyo, calling her one of the best wrestlers on the planet, which summed up the respect inside the locker room for what the champion had just done. Another clip that fans loved showed Steve Austin congratulating Iyo with the kind of over the top enthusiasm only he can deliver. The mix of respect and humor matched the mood of the night.
Iyo herself did not hide how deep the moment cut. In interviews since April she has called the match the best of her life and explained why she views it as a milestone for Japanese wrestlers on the world stage. She has pointed to the symbolism of walking in as champion, defending the title in a stadium setting, and doing it against two rivals who represent the strongest parts of modern WWE. She also talked about the joy on the faces of her friends and family who watched from Japan and from the United States. Hearing that from her makes the celebration feel even bigger than a simple title defense.
Media outlets captured the scope of the achievement. Some noted that Iyo became the first Japanese woman to win a match at WrestleMania, which added a place in the record books to an already special night. Others focused on the quality of the performance and how it helped set the tone for a busy card. Either way, the consensus among reporters and fans was that Iyo delivered on the promise she showed throughout her run with Damage CTRL and during her earlier years as Io Shirai. The story of that transformation from Io to Iyo, from NXT standout to main roster champion, found its perfect chapter in Las Vegas.
Why Iyo says this is her favorite
When Iyo explains her feelings, she returns to three pillars. The first is representation. She has said she wanted to make Japanese fans proud and to prove that wrestlers from her home country could not only steal the show, but also win the match that matters most. The second is the level of competition. Facing Bianca and Rhea on that stage is as hard as it gets. Beating both of them in one night makes the victory feel complete. The third is personal timing. She believes she was at her best this spring, both mentally and physically, and she left the stadium with the sense that she had finally shown everything she could do to the widest audience possible. That combination makes the match feel like the truest version of who she is as a wrestler.
There is also the journey inside WWE. Iyo has lived through faction drama, title changes, injuries around her, and constant pressure from a stacked roster. She reinvented herself from the darker Io Shirai presentation into the more confident Iyo Sky character, added layers to her promos, and found chemistry with a variety of partners and rivals. She has talked about that evolution in recent interviews while explaining why the match with Bianca and Rhea sits at the top of her list. It was a celebration of every risk she has taken since arriving in the company. It was also a reminder that she can lead a division as a big match champion.
Fan response and expert views
Fans gave the match high marks right away. Many praised the pacing and the balance between high risk offense and snug physical exchanges. Others celebrated the result because it broke Bianca’s unbeatable aura without dimming her star and kept Rhea strong for future programs. Reviewers who covered the weekend placed the match among the best of night two. Voices of Wrestling wrote that the three avoided the waiting game that hurts many multi person matches and instead kept the action tight and purposeful. That is the kind of review that holds up months later when people rewatch the show and still love what they see.
WWE’s own coverage used the word classic and leaned into the visuals. The camera caught Iyo cutting through space with her springboard offense, Rhea swinging momentum with power counters, and Bianca finding dramatic near falls from out of nowhere. The production team understood that this was a signature moment for the women’s division, and the edit that went out on social channels helped the match find even more viewers beyond the live stadium crowd. Those highlights became part of the case for why Iyo calls this her favorite. She can point to them and say you can feel the energy every time you hit play.
What came next for everyone involved
The aftermath created several stories. Bianca licked her wounds and promised to bounce back, which drew sympathy and respect from fans who have watched her rise over the past four years. Rhea remained a looming threat and kept her aura intact by laying out a simple promise to come for the title again. For Iyo, the victory became the anchor of her year. She used it as proof whenever critics questioned her placement on the card. It also gave her confidence when stepping into media settings to explain who she is and what she represents. A few weeks after the show she told interviewers that nothing would top what she felt in Las Vegas.
The win also brought Iyo new fans. Some of them had seen clips from NXT or from her days in Japan, but this was the first time they watched her in a long stadium match with two North American megastars and saw her hold the audience in the palm of her hand. She gained new respect from mainstream sports outlets that covered the weekend, and from international press that often looks for national pride angles in global events. Her quotes about representing Japan resonated with readers and gave the result extra weight outside the wrestling bubble.
Why it still matters today
Months later, the match remains a reference point any time WWE debates who should headline shows or anchor title programs. If you want proof that the women can carry night two level energy, point to Iyo Bianca and Rhea in Las Vegas. If you want an example of a champion validating a reign on the biggest stage, point to the same match. If you want a story about a wrestler turning a career of promise into a defining achievement, the champion from that night has you covered. That is why Iyo lights up when she talks about it, and why fans keep revisiting the broadcast to relive it.
What the future could hold
The division is crowded, so Iyo’s favorite match also functions as a target. Any challenger who wants to take the title in the future will be measured against the intensity and drama of that night. A rematch with Bianca carries the story of the broken streak and unfinished business. A renewed rivalry with Rhea would lean on the power versus precision contrast that made their exchanges pop in April. Depending on the calendar, WWE could circle back to either woman for a stadium show on the road to next spring. Iyo’s own words suggest she would welcome that pressure because it was the weight of expectation and the chance to inspire fans in Japan that pushed her to deliver her best work.
There is also the larger legacy play. If the company continues to expand its international footprint, Iyo’s WrestleMania victory can headline hype packages in Japan and across Asia. It is a storytellers dream to show a wrestler who crossed borders, learned a new language, rebuilt a character, and then won on the biggest night of the year. Her favorite match becomes a company showcase piece and a north star for prospects who want to follow the same path. That is bigger than one night in Las Vegas. It becomes part of how WWE presents itself to the world.
Final word
Iyo Sky’s choice makes perfect sense once you walk through the details. The build featured two of the most dangerous challengers possible. The match delivered drama and athletic highlights without losing the story. The finish protected everyone while making the champion feel definitive. The aftermath gave fans a heartfelt look at how much it meant to the wrestlers, and the interviews since then have framed the night as a milestone for Japanese performers as well as for Iyo herself. She calls it her favorite and the greatest moment of her life, and after reliving the path from the first bell to the last camera shot, it is easy to agree. WrestleMania 41 did not just give Iyo a title defense. It gave her a legacy moment that fans will replay for years.
