Asuka emerged as one of the contract winners at WWE Money in the Bank 2020, so now the question becomes, should she cash in on the current Raw Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch?
Going into WWE Money in the Bank 2020, the three favorites to win the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match were all on Monday Night Raw. Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, and Asuka were all excellent candidates to climb the top of the “Corporate Ladder” and win the contract, escalating a rivalry with current Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
While Lynch has been a tremendous champion in her record-breaking, year-plus-long reign at the top of Monday nights, it feels like her time at the top could be winding down to an end. There aren’t many new challengers for Becky to face, though Nia and Bianca Belair stand out as two dominant foes for her.
Now that Asuka has won the Money in the Bank briefcase, should she use it to cash it in on Becky? The two are familiar rivals who recently had a stellar bout at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View, but there are pros and cons to The Empress of Tomorrow using her briefcase on Becky.
Let’s break down two of those pros and then two of the cons.
PRO: Resuming an incredible rivalry
Asuka vs. Becky Lynch is on par with some of the greatest rivalries we have seen in WWE over the past few years, and it all started in the main event of TLC 2018 when Ronda Rousey interfered to help The Empress win the beloved SmackDown Women’s Championship.
The two SmackDown superstars then had a killer match at Royal Rumble 2019, with Asuka prevailing by using a “Cattle Mutilation” submission. However, Lynch would get the last laugh, winning the Royal Rumble and eventually getting revenge on Rousey while also winning back the SmackDown Women’s Title from Charlotte Flair in the main event of WrestleMania.
One year later, Asuka and Becky had another fantastic match at the Rumble, which was preceded by an even better build to the bout. Lynch was desperate to finally beat a woman she called her greatest opponent. She didn’t need to put the title on the line against Asuka, but she felt she had to in order to prove to herself she was a worthy champion.
This rivalry has been special, and fans were even willing to see a third match between them at WrestleMania 36. That’s how good they are. So if Asuka were to use the briefcase to beat Lynch to add another chapter in their story, I’d be all for it.
CON: Leave the past in the past
In professional wrestling, it’s actually a great sign when fans are nostalgic and miss a rivalry or want it to continue, since that often means it ended at the exact right time. You don’t want to prolong a feud to the point where it feels like it has dragged on, because then fans will sour on something they once loved. It’s extremely easy for that to happen.
So while revisiting Asuka vs. Becky Lynch sounds like a great idea due to our fond memories of their matches and segments (the poison mist!), it may not be the best idea.
At the time, some fans wanted Asuka and Becky to have their final match at WrestleMania 36, but it’s important to understand this desire wasn’t shared by everyone. There were already fans who wanted to see something different, including those dreaming of a Kabuki Warriors showdown between Asuka and Kairi Sane at the Show of Shows.
Asuka and Becky can always add more layers to their incredible rivalry in a year or two from now – or even longer. Right now, it seems like it’s too soon to go back to a feud that grabbed all the headlines in WWE in January of 2019.
PRO: She is the empty arena MVP
WWE needs to bring back the Slammys (no, actually, don’t do that) or at least make a specific MVP award for the “Crowdless Era” (or whatever we’re calling it right now) just so Asuka can be officially honored for her incredible work over the past couple of months.
Whether it’s taunting other wrestlers in the most ridiculous ways or cracking herself and Kairi Sane (and ONLY herself and Kairi Sane!) up at ringside, Asuka is thriving even without crowd interaction. Her charisma is simply on another level, but if you saw her as a babyface during her undefeated streak in NXT, you already knew that. Like, you HAVE to be insanely charismatic to still be a face even when the company is trying to turn you heel while being undefeated…ESPECIALLY in this era!
Asuka’s Money in the Bank briefcase win solidifies her status as a must-see competitor during the “Empty Arena Era”, and she would be the most entertaining champion without a crowd. If the championship is supposed to go to the best wrestler or the most engaging wrestler in a given period of time, The Empress of Tomorrow truly fits the bill right now.
That said, hopefully we get PLENTY of time seeing Asuka hanging around with the briefcase and cutting entertaining promos.
CON: Don’t give Asuka a crowdless cash-in
While Asuka has been the MVP of WWE without a crowd and can still thrive without live fan interaction, that doesn’t necessarily mean she should use her Money in the Bank contract when there isn’t a live audience to cheer it on.
Asuka may be a heel (for now), but MITB cash-ins are so exciting that they will pop a crowd no matter what. It’s exciting to be in there and feel that energy. Some of the greatest moments in WWE history are Money in the Bank cash-ins precisely because of the crowd’s response. Look no further than Dolph Ziggler’s post-WrestleMania cash-in.
A fan favorite for years since helping build NXT into a powerhouse, Asuka would get a massive pop on her cash-in, regardless of who she takes the title from. WWE should wait for that opportunity and give Asuka time with the briefcase before cashing in.
By then, someone other than Becky Lynch will almost certainly be the champion, which means Asuka could transition back into a babyface role soon after claiming the title. While it may be hard to see people booing her as a champion, even if she is portrayed as an absolute killer, she’s so talented she can remain heel. So alignment is irrelevant, but the special moment isn’t.