The rumor mill has been buzzing since the conclusion of WWE Backlash 2026, and on WWE Raw, one segment threw fuel into the fire even more regarding whether Asuka is retired or is thinking about it. Backstage, we saw IYO SKY and Asuka, the women who went to war on Saturday night, with SKY beating her in a barn-burner, would share a tender moment.
Asuka Retired from WWE?
Asuka would tell IYO SKY that she’s finally found the one to take her place. IYO SKY, teary-eyed, would say goodbye to her mentor as we see the “Empress of Tomorrow” exit the arena with baggage in hand. These two may have had their fair share of issues over the years, but one thing’s for certain, the respect was always there. This tear-filled goodbye still left a lot of questions, and Michael Cole, on commentary, would remark that they will shed more light on the “goodbye” of one of WWE’s best once they know more, as her status is “up in the air.”
Many outlets speculate that this could be a “semi-retirement” for Asuka, considering she’s been running full-speed ahead for close to a decade. If this is indeed the case, then she deserves all the time off she can get and to compete when the situation necessitates it.
Since coming to WWE, Asuka has practically achieved everything a competitor in the promotion could ever hope for. She’s a former Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble winner, with five stints as WWE Women’s Champion across WWE Raw, SmackDown and NXT.
Asuka is also a five-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, as well as the second woman to be a Grand Slam Champion, on top of being only the third woman to win the WWE Women’s division’s Triple Crown. If this is really the end, then it has been one heck of a career for the Joshi legend. In general, the “Empress of Tomorrow” has been one of the best to do it in WWE, helping usher in a new style and era of women’s wrestling that many thought wasn’t possible.
