WWE: Could Naomi vs. Asuka Happen Again At WrestleMania?
On last week’s episode of SmackDown Live, Asuka defeated Naomi in her first title defense as SmackDown Women’s Champion. But could the two superstars face off again at WWE WrestleMania?
Heading into the WWE Royal Rumble Pay Per View on Jan. 27, most fans will be focused on Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, who have their eyes set on Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. After both Charlotte and Becky got the best of Rousey in November, they had a target on their backs, and Rousey decided to get revenge on both of them at TLC by pushing over a ladder to help Asuka secure the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Though Charlotte and Becky were in the ring with Asuka on the episode of SmackDown Live following TLC, it was Naomi who received a title opportunity after wisely interrupting Vince McMahon to score herself a big match with her tag team partner.
Asuka and Naomi wrestled a solid match with a few exciting spots, showing off their athleticism and creativity. But they left plenty in the tank for a future match, as this encounter simply seemed like more of a teaser for what’s to come.
Lynch and Flair are the two early favorites to win the Royal Rumble and face Rousey at WrestleMania, with some fans wondering if both women could face Rousey in a Triple Threat that main events ‘Mania. Though many are tired of seeing Charlotte inserted into Triple Threat title matches, particularly those that also involve Becky, WWE likes to promote Charlotte and are always rewarded when she shows up in big matches, such as at TLC this December.
With the Raw Women’s Title picture focusing on Flair, Lynch, and Rousey – Natalya also has a title match against Ronda this week – the SmackDown Women’s Championship seems wide open. WWE previously announced Becky’s rematch against Asuka at the Rumble PPV, but that intriguing matchup was pulled; WWE no longer offers obligated rematch clauses for any of their titles.
More from Daily DDT
- It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
- Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
- Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
- Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
- Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline
Asuka lost several SmackDown Women’s Championship matches, including a WrestleMania 34 show-stealer against Charlotte, before literally climbing the ladder to grab the top prize in all of WWE. Therefore, a lengthy reign is likely for Asuka, who should be fully expected to carry that championship into WrestleMania 35.
There are a number of intriguing options for Asuka at WrestleMania, and WWE could go with a multi-woman match despite finally giving the women two singles matches at last year’s WrestleMania. Though there are several women who deserve this match, if WWE decides to go with a Triple Threat for the Raw Women’s Championship, then I doubt a multi-woman match is the option for the SmackDown Women’s Title at ‘Mania.
Out of all the possible options, Naomi makes the most sense as Asuka’s opponent. Though we’ve seen the two face off in a title match on SmackDown, that shouldn’t disqualify Naomi from facing The Empress of Tomorrow on the grandest stage of them all. Again, their match last week was more of a “teaser”, with the two wrestlers feeling each other out as competitors.
And since Naomi tapped out to the Asuka Lock relatively quickly after the Empress finally cinched it in, there’s room for more story-telling around the submissions. Don’t forget that Naomi has a submission maneuver of her own, which she used to tap out Alexa Bliss to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship for a second time at WrestleMania 33.
Naomi has earned a WrestleMania “moment” in back-to-back years, as she won the first ever Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal in 2018. She’s one of WWE’s most reliable wrestlers, as she is both quick-witted on the mic and fluid in the ring. WWE fans voted Naomi as the most underrated wrestler of 2018 in an Instagram poll, but “underrated” is a label she hopes to shed in 2019. Fighting Asuka at WrestleMania 35 for a championship she’s won twice would go a long way in helping her get more praise from the WWE Universe.
These two women have built up some history together as a tag team, fending off the likes of the IIconics and Absolution. They have so much fun in the ring and in backstage segments together, playing off of each other perfectly and quickly fashioning exciting tandem offense.
Next. Chyna Was A One-Woman Revolution. dark
They don’t even need to break up as a tag team to have a respectful feud and WrestleMania match, and it’d be more intriguing if WWE told the story of two friends becoming closer as a result of a respectful rivalry.
Asuka is still the benchmark for in-ring performance, so by earning her utmost respect in the ring with a standout performance, Naomi could really reach that next level in a hypothetical WrestleMania 35 match between the two.