Asuka’s Main Roster Debut
In September 2017, Asuka was called up to the main roster and assigned to RAW. In January 2018, she made history by winning the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble match, earning a title opportunity at WrestleMania 34. However, at the event, Asuka’s undefeated WWE streak came to an end when she lost to Charlotte Flair via submission, marking the first defeat in her 914-day streak.
During the April 2018 Superstar Shake-up, Asuka was drafted to SmackDown. Later that year, in December 2018, she made history again by winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship in the first-ever Women’s TLC match. Her reign as champion lasted until March 2019, when she dropped the title to Charlotte Flair, ending her run at 100 days.
In 2019, Asuka teamed up with NXT’s Kairi Sane to form the tag team known as The Kabuki Warriors. In September of that year, the duo captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. They held onto the titles until WrestleMania 36, where they lost to Bliss and Cross, ending their reign at 181 days.
Asuka’s Money in the Bank Win
In 2020, Asuka made history by winning the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. The following night on RAW, Becky Lynch announced that she was vacating the RAW Women’s Championship due to pregnancy, making Asuka the new champion. Asuka’s reign, however, came to an end during the week of Extreme Rules 2020 when she lost the title to Sasha Banks. At SummerSlam, Asuka regained the RAW Women’s Championship by defeating Banks.
On December 20, 2020, she teamed with Charlotte Flair to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at TLC , defeating Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Originally scheduled to partner with Lana, Asuka’s match was changed at the last minute due to Lana being “injured.” Asuka’s victory marked a historic milestone. She became the first female WWE Superstar to hold tag team gold with two different partners.
At the 2021 Royal Rumble, Asuka and Charlotte lost the tag team titles back to Jax and Baszler. On April 11, 2021, Asuka dropped the RAW Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 37, ending her 231-day reign. The next RAW saw a rematch between Asuka and Ripley end in a no-contest after Charlotte Flair interfered. A triple-threat match for the title was then set for WrestleMania Backlash. At the match, Asuka was pinned by Ripley, failing to regain the championship.
In June 2021, Asuka and Naomi qualified for the Women’s Money in the Bank match by defeating Eva Marie and Doudrop. Unfortunately, Asuka did not win the match, and the remainder of 2021 saw her sidelined due to injury.
Asuka Returns to WWE
During the 2021 WWE Draft, Asuka was not selected and was declared a free agent. After a nine-month absence, she made her return on April 25, 2022, on RAW, confronting Becky Lynch. On May 9, 2022, Asuka faced Bianca Belair in a championship contender’s match, which ended with Lynch attacking both women. The next week, Asuka defeated Lynch using green mist, earning a title shot at Hell in a Cell. At the event, Belair retained the RAW Women’s Championship.
On June 20, 2022, Asuka defeated Lynch to qualify for the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Asuka was unsuccessful in winning that match. Later that year, Asuka teamed with Alexa Bliss. Together, they won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the October 31, 2022, episode of RAW, defeating Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. However, at Crown Jewel 2022, they lost the titles back to Damage CTRL.
Asuka’s 2023 began with a new look reminiscent of her Kana persona. She participated in the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match. She finished in third place after being eliminated by Rhea Ripley, the eventual winner. At Elimination Chamber 2023, Asuka won a multi-woman Elimination Chamber match. This earned her a shot at Bianca Belair’s RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39. This victory made her the first and only woman to win the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber matches.
Asuka Drafted to SmackDown
As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Asuka was moved to SmackDown. On the May 12 episode of SmackDown, she used her green mist to attack Belair, setting the stage for a title rematch at Night of Champions. Asuka defeated Belair to win the RAW Women’s Championship for a third time. On June 9, 2023, the title was renamed the WWE Women’s Championship, and Asuka was presented with a new design. Her reign was interrupted by Charlotte Flair, who challenged Asuka to a match. Asuka won the match by disqualification when Belair attacked her. At SummerSlam, Asuka lost the title to Belair in a triple-threat match, which also included Flair, ending her third reign at 70 days.
After a series of events, including a six-woman tag match on SmackDown, Asuka turned heel and reunited with Kairi Sane, aligning with Damage CTRL. In the subsequent Survivor Series WarGames match, Damage CTRL lost to the team of Belair, Flair, Lynch, and Shotzi.
Kabuki Warriors Win Tag Team Titles
On the January 26, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Asuka and Kairi Sane, as the Kabuki Warriors, defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship for the second time. This marked Asuka’s record-setting fourth individual reign. They successfully defended the titles against Chance and Carter on the February 5 episode of RAW, and at Elimination Chamber: Perth, they retained against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. At NXT Roadblock on March 5, 2024, they defeated Tatum Paxley and NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria to retain the titles.
At WrestleMania XL, Asuka, Sane, and Kai of Damage CTRL lost a six-woman tag match to Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill. Following the 2024 WWE Draft, Asuka, now part of Damage CTRL, was drafted to RAW. At Backlash France on May 4, Asuka and Sane lost the tag titles to Belair and Cargill, ending their second reign at 99 days. Two days later on RAW, Asuka revealed she had been dealing with a knee injury for months but had successfully undergone surgery.
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