WWE SmackDown: We’re Getting The Best Of Asuka
This past week on WWE SmackDown, Asuka one-upped Becky Lynch by defeating Billie Kay in mere minutes, and while it may have been disappointing to see Kay lose so quickly, the fire that “The Empress of Tomorrow” showed is huge for the build towards the Royal Rumble Pay Per View.
Becky Lynch kicked off WWE SmackDown this week by drinking some unearthly concoction of tuna, pancakes, and raw eggs (with the shell!) before addressing Asuka, whom she dismissed as all “hype”. The Man brought up how Asuka failed to remain undefeated at WrestleMania 34, losing a SmackDown Women’s Championship match to Charlotte Flair – a woman Becky has defeated multiple times in the past several months.
Asuka, of course, came out to respond to Becky’s comments, but it was Becky who made the stronger initial statement, asking for a match from one member of the interrupting IIconics. Lynch made an example of Peyton Royce, submitting her yet again with the Dis-Arm-Her as an anxious and upset Asuka, the SmackDown Women’s Champion, looked on with her title in hand.
Not to be outdone by Becky, Asuka got up, ran into the ring, and started screaming her head off in Japanese. It was wonderful. Menacing and out for someone’s head, Asuka stared a hole through the retreating IIconics, and she would throw Kay into the ring for a match.
Well, it wasn’t a “match”, per se, moreso a one-sided showcase of Asuka’s kicks and submission maneuvers (and another example of the IIconics helping someone else shine). Kay, impressively, nearly turned the tables on her former rival in tag team competition (recall that the IIconics beat Naomi and Asuka in Melbourne, Australia), but, alas, there was only one result: a submission via the Asuka Lock.
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With her fierce kicks, devastating submissions, and piercing gaze, Asuka announced to the WWE SmackDown crowd in Birmingham, Alabama that she is indeed at her best. This no-nonsense, incredibly dangerous version of Asuka is the exact version of her character that fans have wanted to see. While her entertaining tag team with Naomi was awesome and should return one day, this is the Asuka the WWE Universe fell in love with in NXT.
At the Rumble on Jan. 27, there is no doubt that Asuka and Becky will tear down Chase Field with their SmackDown Women’s Championship match. The only question is, who will win? Becky is heavily rumored to face Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania, and Asuka also has a few WrestleMania-worthy opponents in mind.
There’s no doubt that Lynch has reached the summit of WWE and is one of wrestling’s best characters, but when she’s at her best, Asuka is also a force to be reckoned with and a character worth praising heavily. She did, after all, hold the longest undefeated streak in history and was victorious at last year’s first ever Women’s Rumble.
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After months of losing or being stuffed lower on the card, Asuka is where she belongs – not just at the top of the highly-regarded SmackDown Women’s Division, but as a truly intimidating and interesting character on our television screens.