Lyra Valkyria Turns Heel on Raw, With More WWE Character Shifts Potentially on the Horizon

Lyra Valkyria made a jarring statement on the June 22 edition of Monday Night Raw, turning on her tag team partner Bayley with a brutal post-match assault following their unsuccessful challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Paige and Brie Bella retained the titles, and the aftermath left Bayley laid out — and Valkyria firmly in villain territory for the first time since joining WWE in 2020.

The turn reshapes the Raw women’s division almost immediately, and it appears the shift in Valkyria’s character may not be an isolated event. Several other names on the WWE roster have been identified as candidates for similar turns in the months ahead.

Maxxine Dupri has quietly drawn attention through repeated backstage interactions with The Vision’s Austin Theory. On that same June 22 Raw, Dupri declined to accept Chad Gable’s apology on behalf of Alpha Academy — a loaded moment that could be setting the stage for a betrayal of the group. Meanwhile, Tiffany Stratton, one of SmackDown’s most over babyfaces, has existing bad blood with Charlotte Flair and has teased tension surrounding Alexa Bliss, fueling speculation that she could reclaim the heel role she thrived in earlier in her WWE run.

On the men’s side, LA Knight’s June 22 victory over Jimmy Uso came with an unwanted asterisk — a timely assist from Solo Sikoa. Accepting help from a Bloodline member, even inadvertently, opens a complicated door for Knight’s alignment. Damian Priest, meanwhile, has shown growing friction with tag partner R-Truth despite the duo’s run as WWE Tag Team Champions since March. And Ilja Dragunov, still searching for a consistent spot on the card, has been floated as a star who could benefit enormously from channeling his intensity into a full heel character.

At the top of the card, both CM Punk — currently sidelined — and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes carry the most potential upside for a turn. Rhodes in particular has drawn controversy through disputed victories and his heated rivalry with Randy Orton heading into WrestleMania 42. A heel pivot from ‘The American Nightmare’ would be seismic given his merchandise numbers and crowd connection, but it remains very much in the realm of possibility if the creative winds shift.

With Valkyria’s move already in motion, the next few months on WWE programming could look quite different from what fans have grown accustomed to.