WWE: Asuka Loses Her Undefeated Streak, And That’s Honestly OK

Asuka came into WWE WrestleMania 34 undefeated as “The Empress of Tomorrow”. She left WrestleMania 34 without her streak, as Charlotte Flair proved she was “ready” for Asuka.

We knew WWE WrestleMania 34 would give us some shocks, but I didn’t expect this one to happen. Despite not being able to fully bridge into the Figure Eight due to a kayfabe left shoulder injury that occurred earlier in the match, Charlotte Flair shockingly forced Asuka to tap out for the first time in her career, ending the most hallowed undefeated streak in WWE history.

This match was perhaps the greatest WWE main roster women’s match of all-time, and it absolutely had to be. Because in order for Asuka to lose her streak, she had to do it on the grandest stage to someone the WWE values highly in an absolute banger of a match. And that is exactly what transpired tonight when Charlotte successfully defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34 against the 2018 Royal Rumble winner.

What’s next for Asuka? Probably a rampage through the roster where she gets pissed after losing for the first time, as she hungrily tries to show that she’s as dominant as always despite a loss to an extremely difficult opponent.

Credit: WWE Universe on Twitter

Charlotte and Asuka had some of the best counters I’ve seen this weekend. The moonsault into the triangle choke counter was incredibly well done, and Charlotte countered that triangle submission into a boston crab. There were great submission spots, a brutal suplex to the outside, and a spanish fly off the top rope that rivaled any of Mustafa Ali’s.

These two had to follow the amazing Triple Threat match featuring The Miz, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor. So what did they do? They surpassed it in every way imaginable, and that’s no knock on the Intercontinental Championship match, which was an exceptionally good way of kicking off the WrestleMania 34 main show. But it’s a testament to the talent of Charlotte and Asuka that they were able to best that effort from the men, and you can see just how much these two put it all on the line during their matches.

We’ll likely get Charlotte built up for a WrestleMania 35 feud with Ronda Rousey, as opposed to Asuka vs. Rousey, but it’s obviously too early to be sure about any of that. All I know is this: That was an insane match and a truly shocking finish.

Speaking of the finish, I was upset that Asuka tapped so early to the Figure Eight, especially considering that Charlotte didn’t fully bridge due to the left arm injury. The finish should have been done better, but, well, at least Asuka countered both a Moonsault and Natural Selection.

Another silver lining? People can’t complain to me about Asuka’s streak being boring now that it is over, and we can move to the next chapter of what has already been one of the most illustrious careers in WWE history.

Next: WrestleMania 34 Live Review, Highlights, Grades, and Analysis

So while the finish was questionable, the match itself was brilliant, the winner was deserving, and the future looks brighter with a clean slate for Asuka and a huge win that elevates Charlotte.

Oh, and don’t tell me you didn’t love the mutual respect between the two, as well as the emotions shared in that hug. Awesome match. Just awesome.