Recent changes to the WWE TLC 2017 card have turned the WWE Universe upside down. What does this mean for Asuka’s debut?
For weeks, the biggest hype surrounding WWE TLC 2017 was about the impending debut of Asuka. The undefeated superstar relinquished the NXT Women’s Championship after injury, and was pushed up to Raw. Vignettes advertising her debut have been airing on Raw for several weeks. And TLC was going to be her moment to shine.
Then The Shield reunited. Sure, we all kind of had an idea that Asuka wasn’t going to get the main event spot of a pay per view as her debut match. (Although, my guess is few would argue she didn’t deserve it.) Still, the return of one of WWE’s top factions took a little bit away from The Empress of Tomorrow’s upcoming arrival.
Last week on Raw, Kane made a surprising return in the main event. The Big Red Monster worked in tandem with Braun Strowman to annihilate Roman Reigns. Kane was then added to the TLC main event match. Again, more to detract from Asuka’s moment.
The biggest shoe dropping came on Friday afternoon. Due to medical reasons believed to be a viral infection, Reigns and Bray Wyatt were removed from the TLC card, replaced by Kurt Angle and AJ Styles, respectively. With Angle returning to the ring to team with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, plus Styles vs. Finn Balor, fans are clamoring at how the card has seemingly improved in such a short window of time.
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But where does that leave Asuka? The longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion deserves to have a marquee matchup, doesn’t she? Is there still room on the card for three major matches? Is WWE running the risk, intended or not, to overshadow Asuka’s debut?
It’s tough to say, to be completely honest. On the one hand, I’ve seen Asuka have terrific matches at NXT events where she wasn’t “the main event,” but she was able to make it seem like she was the main event. Heck, I saw her get a good match out of Eva Marie in Albany back in 2016. If given the correct opportunity, she can definitely tear it down and stand out.
However, there was nothing on that NXT show – or even any of the TakeOver events she’s competed on – that were quite as big a deal as either a Hall of Famer returning to the ring or an interbrand match between two mega fan favorites. While I don’t doubt Asuka’s skill, star power, or charisma, it may just be too big of a hole to dig out from.
The Empress of Tomorrow has familiarity with Emma, which should help – the two had a great match at TakeOver: London in 2015. But Emma, despite the ability to be one, is not a major player in the Raw Women’s Division. I don’t think the crowd will be as hyped for this match as they should – and with other, “bigger” matches on the show, this one may suffer from a lax crowd.
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It’s a real shame, because I really don’t want to see Asuka get the short straw in her main roster debut. I would love nothing more than to be proved wrong, but I’m afraid she’s going to get lost in the shuffle at TLC.