THE EMPRESS OF 2018 - THE STORY OF ASUKA

THE EMPRESS OF 2018 - THE STORY OF ASUKA

I admit...I've been a wrestling fan pretty much my whole life.  Thanks in no part to my Pop, whom introduced me to it nearly 40 years ago.  I remember the stories he'd tell me of Freddie Blassie, John Tolos, Gordman & Goliath, Mil Mascaras, and many more that used to wrestle at the famous Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles under promoter Gene LaBelle.  Then, I'd go to the LA Sports Arena, and watch WWE wrestling with the likes of Bob Backlund, Sgt. Slaughter, The Masked Superstar, Hulk Hogan, Iron Shielk, The Magnificent Muraco, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and many more.  I've stopped and started watching over the years due in part to life getting in the way, and my interest waning a little bit---but I'd always kept one foot in the door.  

I remember well the whole "Attitude Era" of WWE with the likes of The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, D-Generation X, and a slew more, while the WCW brand had a villainous Hulk Hogan and his "nWo" faction.  It was a great time in the industry.  Then...it petered out for me again for awhile.  Within the last couple of years, I picked it up again, but this time---something was different.  Something NEW had been percolating underneath the surface of the whole era that had been left to women treated like "Divas", and things being a bit more "PG" to appeal to kids---now, WWE was a publicly traded company---had to clean up its act.  In doing so...and with much pressure from its female talent and the fans---we've finally gotten to see these women as athletes and performers, who're just as capable of delivering a show with the same quality as their male counterparts.  There was a developmental brand---NXT---the nurtured the next generation of superstars.  It was here that I found out about this woman from Osaka, Japan, who had cut her teeth on establishing a better brand of women's wrestling in her home country.  She wrestled around the world, and gained the accolades of many.  In 2015, she signed to WWE's NXT brand----the World Famous Kana had become---ASUKA.  

Asuka made an immediate impact on NXT, by plowing through the Women's Division, and eventually, defeated the much beloved fan favorite, Bayley, and one of the brand's big "TakeOver" shows to become the Women's Champion.  She then went on a 523 day reign of terror, as she beat EVERYONE in her path. She had gotten the attention of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who wanted to bring her to the main roster, but Triple H---former World Champion and now head of NXT, refused because, as he put it, Asuka was the "anchor" of the brand.  SHE was the reason the brand was flourishing at that time.  But, in late 2017, Asuka relenquished her championship, and sought her future in the WWE...having no more challenges for her in NXT.  

She made her debut in WWE at their "TLC" Pay Per View show in October of 2017, and from that moment on, she began to show the Women's Division of the Monday Night RAW brand exactly what she was made of.  In December, after the announcement by Stephanie McMahon that there would be a Women's Royal Rumble for that show's PPV---a first---in late January of 2018, "The Empress of Tomorrow" made her intentions known by announcing her entry into the match to then RAW Champion Alexa Bliss---who was one of TWO Champions (Charlotte Flair being the other for the Smackdown brand), that the winner got to choose from for a title match at that April's big show....Wrestlemania 34.  Asuka laid out the RAW Champion with a quick kick to the head, and sent her message loud and clear.  

2018 has been a very up and down year for Asuka, but she has maintained her popularity with the fans, and most of all, kept relevant as one of THE premier women in the entire WWE---one that's dangerous, mysterious when she wants to be, fun, and knows how to give the fans what they want.  I'm completely enamored with this Superstar, and she is my favorite out of ANYONE in WWE.  So, we're going to look back at The Empress of Tomorrow's 2018 with a Top 5 list of her best moments:

5.  TIE:  Asuka announces her opponent for Wrestlemania 34/Ruins Carmella's "Mellabration" on Smackdown Live! -  NEVER let it be said that Asuka can't make an entrance and NOT have it make an immediate impact.  Two instances where she made the most of this in 2018 was when she had FINALLY---after a length of time where she had NOT announced who she'd be facing at Wrestlemania, she showed up at the Smackdown PPV Fastlane, after Charlotte Flair had successfully defended her championship against Ruby Riott, and didn't give the Champ much time to revel in her victory, as the Empress hit the ring, and shocked the crowd by pointing at the Wrestlemania sign, announcing that she had chosen The Queen as her opponent.  

Eventually, Charlotte would defeat Asuka at Wrestlemania 34, ending the Empress' 914 day winning streak.  But, Charlotte also lost out the following night, as Carmella, who had been holding the Money in the Bank briefcase she had won more than half a year before, finally cashed in after Charlotte was taken down by a team called The IIconics, and Carmella became the new Women's Champion.  After defending it against Charlotte, and Charlotte was sidelined with an injury, Carmella boasted she was better than EVERYONE in WWE.  Smackdown General Manager Paige, thought that if that were the case, then she would easily be able to handle her NEW challenger at the Money in the Bank PPV.  During what would've been Carmella's "Mellabration" in jolly old England, guess who decided to spoil the party in spectacular fashion.  What was ESPECIALLY enjoyable was the "Asuka's gonna kill you!" chants eminating from the UK crowd.  The look of fear on Carmella's face was more than enough.

                                       

4.  Asuka vs. Sasha Banks, Monday Night RAW, January 29, 2018 - To say the match was---as Hall of Fame WWE broadcaster Jim Ross would call it--a "Slobberknocker" was an understatement, it was a testament as to how far women's wrestling has come.  Sasha Banks is one of the greatest workers in all of WWE.  She's willing to risk life and limb to be one of the best.  This match took place the night after the Royal Rumble, where both women endured a lot of punishment in that match.  Sasha herself had lasted nearly an hour in the match before being eliminated, and Asuka won the event.  Before Asuka was going to announce her opponent for Wrestlemania 34, she was interrupted by Banks, who declared she was "ready for Asuka".  The match SHOULD have main evented that night, but didn't.  Nonetheless, both women laid it on the line in what I consider to be one of the best matches out of ALL the women in 2018.  Both inflicted heavy punishment upon each other, as Banks nearly suffered a concussion due to a suicide dive that she came up short on as she dove through the ring ropes, allowing Asuka to clock her upside the head with a stiff kick, dropping the Legit Boss straight down.  Banks took MORE punishment, until she managed to have Asuka miss one of her hip attacks against the ropes, and Asuka took a nasty spill outside.  In the end, though, Asuka reversed Banks' finishing maneuver, The Banks Statement, into her own submission hold, the Asuka Lock, to score the victory.  It truly was an excellent match, and if they could get THESE two in the ring against each other again...look out!  You can have a match for the ages.

3.  Asuka destroys Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch on Smackdown Live!, December 12, 2018 - A week prior to this edition of Smackdown Live!, Paige had set up a rematch between Charlotte and Becky for the title, but the other women in the locker room weren't having it, believing that THEY were getting shunned because of Charlotte's entitlements, even though she'd been thoroughly beaten by Becky Lynch at Evolution in a Last Woman Standing Match.  Paige decided that there would be a Battle Royal among the rest of the women on the roster to determine who would join Charlotte and Becky in what was going to become a Triple Threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at said PPV event.  The Empress outlasted the field and was inserted into the title match.  4 days before the PPV, on the Smackdown Live! "go home" show, Charlotte and Asuka tangled in a match with Champion Becky Lynch sitting ringside to watch the action.  It was a fairly see-saw affair, with both women giving as good as they got, and taking their fair share of punishment.  However, late in the match, Asuka managed to get the Asuka Lock on Charlotte.  In desperation, Charlotte rolled them both out of the ring, only to get herself disqualified when she reached under the ring for a kendo stick, and---like she did to Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series---proceeded to whack Asuka with it.  Charlotte fell down from exhaustion, and "The Man" Becky Lynch looked down smugly at Charlotte, and started to walk away, mocking the former champ.  Seeing her walk away, Charlotte then attacked Lynch, who then gave it right back.  Eventually getting the kendo stick herself and laying a few licks on Charlotte for good measure.  However, Becky all but forgot The Empress of Tomorrow, as Asuka delivered a kick to the midsection, and tossed her over the announce table.  She then grabbed the kendo stick, and proceeded to put a severe beating on BOTH women before climbing up on the announce table and standing strong as the show went off the air.  After months of being treated as an afterthought....Asuka was back in the title hunt in a big, big way.

2.  Asuka wins the first ever Women's Royal Rumble:  January 28, 2018 - This was an historic event for WWE.  30 women from the past AND present would participate in the first ever all women's Royal Rumble match.  Of those 30, Asuka was the first to make her intentions known on Christmas Day by giving a swift kick to the head of Alexa Bliss.  The Empress entered the fray at #25, and wasted no time in taking care of business...including dispatching her former rival and (at the time) NXT Women's Champion, Ember Moon.  Asuka endured an onslaught from Sasha Banks and the Bella Twins before finally eliminating Nikki Bella by kicking her off the ring apron as both ladies battled outside of the ring in the waning moments of the match.  The Empress continued her domination and got the privilege of facing either Smackdown champion Charlotte Flair or RAW champion Alexa Bliss at Wrestlemania 34.  She, along with men's winner Shinskue Nakamura, were the first Japanese wrestlers to win a major match on a PPV of this magnitutde in WWE, with so much riding on the line.  The only thing that put a damper on Asuka's night...the arrival of Ronda Rousey at the end of the show.  This would NOT be the last time Rousey played a part in Asuka's future...

1.  Asuka wins the first ever Women's TLC Match Main Event, and becomes Smackdown Women's Champion:  December 16, 2018 - To say that the year had been one full of ups and downs for Asuka was an understatement.  Despite being very much over with the crowd, it seemed like championship gold was not in The Empress' immediate future.  That all changed when she earned a trip to TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs) in mid December for a chance to become champion.  Facing both Champion Becky Lynch, who was looking to create her legacy as "The Man" atop WWE, and Charlotte Flair, looking to cement her own legacy by becoming the 8 time Women's Champion, thus breaking the record she currently holds with Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, Asuka had her work cut out for her.  This was a brutal affair, to say the least.  Every woman took a tremendous beating, while dishing one out on each other as well.  Asuka managed to get her licks in on Becky Lynch with the use of a kendo stick, powerbombed Charlotte through a table in the ring, but also took a vicious spear from The Queen into the timekeeper's area, taking her out of the action for a bit.  But just as Charlotte was about to reach the peak, Asuka came out of nowhere to battle back.  As her and Charlotte duked it out on top of the ladder, Lynch grabbed a separate ladder and climbed it herself.  Knocking Asuka to the mat, Charlotte proceeded to move to Becky's ladder, and it was on.  The two trading blows atop the ladder while trying to reach for the title, back and forth it went----then Rousey came down.  Not forgetting the armbar and beating she took at Lynch's hands on the RAW before Survivor Series, and the kendo stick beating she took from Charlotte AT Survivor Series, Ronda was looking for payback.  And while Lynch and Flair were obsessed with each other, Ronda came in, walked under the first ladder, and pushed the ladder the two combatants were on towards the ring rope, knocking them both off the ladder, onto the ropes themselves, thus taking them out of the match.  As Rousey walked up the ramp, Asuka realized she was all alone in the ring, and climb the ladder---and after all the hardship she endured in 2018---losing to Charlotte at Wrestlemania 34...having to get swindled by Carmella time and again with the help of James Ellsworth at Money in the Bank and Extreme Rules, thus denying her the title, then to be shuffled to the back while Becky Lynch ascended to the top of the heap, and claiming the championship...Asuka FINALLY achieved her goal and was now Smackdown Women's Champion.  The first Japanese women's champion in WWE since Bull Nakano back in the early 1990's.  

It has been a pleasure to watch this woman wrestle week in and week out...giving everything she has to her art...to the fans.  Hopefully, WWE will notice that they have a unique treasure on their hands with her.  I've NEVER seen a wrestler like her before---and I never will again.  So, I hope that there is a nice long reign for The Empress of Tomorrow....because she rules TODAY.

Nobody is ready for ASUKA!!