Can Asuka become SmackDown Women’s Champion at WWE Extreme Rules 2018? (Photo: WWE.com)
Since losing at WrestleMania, Asuka has lost a great deal of what made her feel special. A win over Carmella at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 would right the ship.
I cannot stress this enough: Asuka has to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 in definitive fashion. When I say definitive fashion, I mean that this match should resemble a squash match that would air on a 1980’s Saturday morning wrestling show. If WWE has any hopes of putting Asuka in big matches, they must book her match like this.
WWE has made some notable missteps with the former joshi star’s booking since they called her up last fall. They maintained her undefeated streak, but Vince McMahon and the creative team constantly put her in competitive matches with women that the company didn’t present as viable in-ring threats — like Emma and Alicia Fox. It has gotten worse since Charlotte Flair ended her undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34. She has felt like a random member of the women’s division as opposed to the top of the card star that she should be.
Carmella has had an entertaining few months with the gold. However, to quote the late Owen Hart, “enough is enough and it’s time for a change.” As was the case last month, Asuka needs to win the title at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 to maintain her momentum and her credibility as a top star. Why? Well, maybe these three reasons will convince you.
3. Asuka brings a fresh face to the Women’s Title picture
In theory, the brand split should allow WWE to have a variety of characters and personalities hold championships without worrying about any redundancies.
For instance, WWE Champion A.J. Styles and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar are booked much differently. The same goes for United States Champion Jeff Hardy, Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler, and tag champions The Bludgeon Brothers and The Deleters of Worlds. As the largest wrestling company in the world, WWE has a very vast and diverse roster. Despite this, WWE still managed to put their two women’s titles on a pair of ladies that essentially have the same gimmick.
Carmella and Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss both exhibit many of the same character traits: arrogance, condescension and an over-inflated idea of how good they are. Heck, they even have sidekicks that are around for the express purpose of losing to whoever feuds with them.
This wasn’t any more apparent than on the Raw and SmackDown Live following Money in the Bank. Both Bliss and Carmella opened their respective shows cutting promos where they feigned sincerity before rubbing their triumphs in the fans’ faces. There wasn’t anything wrong with either promo, but both women’s tautology on back-to-back nights felt a little stale.
If nothing else, Asuka winning the SmackDown Women’s crown this Sunday would give the fans something different at the top of the Women’s division.
2. Asuka adds credibility to the title
I don’t care how good Carmella is on the microphone. I don’t care how entertaining James Ellsworth is as her henchman. As long as she holds the SmackDown Women’s title, the belt will mean less than it should.
I don’t blame Carmella for this. After all, she didn’t book herself to win the title in a cheap manner, nor did she book herself to lose a bunch of matches and put herself in silly failed cash-in segments beforehand. WWE more or less told the audience that “The Princess of Staten Island” was an incompetent pro wrestler and they put the title on her anyway. Ultimately, this has made Carmella look like an undeserving champion.
I understand that Camella’s loose grip on the title is part of what gets her so much heat, and there will always be a place for wormy champions that duck top competition. However, those type of title holders should be the rare exception and not the norm.
Despite Asuka’s contentious booking on the main roster (more on that in a moment), she possesses far more in-ring credibility than Carmella. Her winning at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 would restore some of the title’s luster. Once that happens, she can move on to higher profile matches.
1. Asuka needs to maintain her aura
At Money in the Bank, WWE had a chance to make up for all their previous missteps with a commanding victory for Asuka. Instead, they decided to book a back-and-forth match that the fans didn’t buy into (gee, I wonder why?) with a finish that made Asuka look like the dumbest person on the face of the Earth.
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That’s not how you book a woman that you want to put opposite the likes of Flair and Ronda Rousey in showdown matches somewhere down the line — maybe as soon as SummerSlam in the case of Flair.
WWE has to do better by Asuka. Extreme Rules would be a good place to start.
For WWE to right the ship for the former NXT Women’s Champion, she has to beat Carmella convincingly to win her first piece of main roster gold. Otherwise, she could be done as a viable top act in the women’s division (unless they turn her heel).
Since she lost at WrestleMania, Asuka has suffered the same fate as Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley: she feels like a cog in the WWE machine. She is way too talented for that.
Next: WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Predictions
A title win at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 won’t fix everything — especially if the match is competitive — but it’s a much-needed step in the right direction.