About

Aoife Marie Cusack (born 23 October 1996) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Lyra Valkyria. She is a former one-time and the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion, a one-time NXT Women's Champion and a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. Aoife Marie Cusack 23 October 1996 (age 29)Aoife Valkyrie Lady Valkyrie Lyra Valkyria[1] Valkyrie Billed height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) Billed weight 130 lb (59 kg) Billed from Dublin, Ireland[1] Trained by Fight Factory Pro Wrestling Katey Harvey[2] Debut 2 May 2015On 3 May 2019, Valkyrie made her Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) debut during the "Road to True Colors" tour in Bielefeld, defeating Amale Winchester and Killer Kelly in a Three-Way Dance.[13] On 26 May, she defeated Raven Creed to win the OTT Women's Championship.[14] She unsuccessfully challenged for the wXw Women's Championship twice in June.[15][16] Valkyrie also wrestled for the women's professional wrestling promotion Pro-Wrestling: EVE, where she was part of a heel tag team with Debbie Keitel, known as the Woke QueensPrior to signing with the company, Cusack participated in a WWE tryout in London in June 2019.[3] Cusack was reported to have signed with WWE on 20 January 2020, and was assigned to the NXT UK brand.[21] She competed in her first match on 13 February episode of NXT UK under the ring name Aoife Valkyrie, defeating Amale.[22] In February, Valkyrie toured with NXT for the first time, wrestling on two house shows in Florida. Valkyrie defeated Aliyah on 14 February in Tampa,[23] followed by teaming with Mia Yim and Rita Reis (later known as Valentina Feroz) to defeat Jessi Kamea, MJ Jenkins and Taynara in a six-woman tag team match on 15 February in Fort Pierce.[24] She made her return to television on 17 September episode of NXT UK in a winning effort against Isla DawnOn Night 2 of the 2024 WWE Draft, Valkyria was promoted to the Raw brand.[42] On 6 May episode of Raw, Valkyria made her on-screen debut, saving then-Women's World Champion Becky Lynch from a beatdown by Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane, before defeating Kai in the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament in her main roster in-ring debut.[43][44] She then defeated Zoey Stark and Sky en route to the finals,[45][46] where she lost to Nia Jax at King and Queen of the Ring on 25 May, marking her first loss on the main roster.[47] Valkyria competed in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank on 6 July, which was won by Tiffany Stratton.[48] In December, Valkyria entered the tournament for the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Championship,[49] defeating Kai in the finals on 13 January 2025 episode of Raw to become the inaugural champion.[50] At Royal Rumble on 1 February, she entered her first women's Royal Rumble match at number 4, but was eliminated by Ivy Nile.[51] Over the following months, Valkyria successfully defended her title against Kai in a rematch,[52] Nile,[53] Raquel Rodriguez,[54] and BayleyAt the Royal Rumble on 31 January 2026, she entered the women's Royal Rumble match at number 26, eliminating Giulia before being eliminated by Brie Bella.[67] On 18 April at Night 1 of WrestleMania 42, Valkyria and Bayley unsuccessfully challenged The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way match also involving Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair and Brie Bella and Paige, who won the titlesOn 22 June episode of Raw, after failing to win the titles from Bella and Paige, Valkyria attacked her partner Bayley, turning heel for the first time in her WWE career.[69] At Saturday Night's Main Event XLV on July 18, Valkyria defeated Bayley by submission.