No one was ready. Despite the warnings as soon as she signed with the company, no one was ever ready. Asuka has been one of the best women in the WWE since debuting in NXT and following this week, she may have become the company’s most historic. On Sunday evening, she brought down the Money in the Bank briefcase, and the following day, she became the Raw Women’s Champion. Thus, accomplishing a feat that no woman has ever done before by becoming the Ultimate Women of sorts in the women’s history of WWE. She blew right by the Grand Slam that had only be held by Bayley before her to hold a far more historic spot in WWE history. Here is a trip down memory lane of Asuka’s historic run to being the Ultimate Woman in the WWE.
NXT Women’s Championship and The Longest Undefeated Streak In History
Every rise has a beginning. And for Asuka, the beginning was one of the greatest in wrestling history. She debuted in 2015 and soon rose to the top of the NXT brand as an undefeated competitor. “The Empress of Tomorrow” would take on Bayley for the NXT Championship and established herself as the biggest threat the brand has seen when she put the fan-favorite to sleep. So began the historic 510 reign over the NXT women’s division that still stands as the longest reign in the history of any women’s champion in WWE, and by far most dominant. Her undefeated streak of 914 days is the longest in the history of the WWE, ending at WrestleMania 34.
Both the championship reign and the undefeated streak solidified her in the eyes of the WWE fans as the most dominant force WWE had seen in a long time, gaining her thousands of fans and leaving her name in the history books. Of course, this was only the beginning of her making history in this company.
Survivor Series Sole Survivor
An often overlooked but the incredible feat is finishing as the sole survivor in a traditional Survivor Series match. Asuka did that in her first few months on the main roster, as she represented Team Raw against SmackDown LIVE. She faced a two vs. one situation and managed to make both Natalya and Naomi suffer via Asuka-lock to capture the win for Raw. Most would agree that it was the coming-out party on the main roster for Asuka, as she showed the non-NXT fans that she only meant business when it comes to her dominance.
First-Ever Women’s Royal Rumble Winner
Alright, this was a big deal. The first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble saw the best from WWE’s past, present, and future compete to become the winner of one of the Women’s Evolution’s most important matches. Asuka was the clear favorite heading into the match and the arena erupted when she made her entrance at No. 25. In grand Asuka fashion, she came guns blazing by hitting everything in sight. She lasted 19 minutes to set herself up in the final three against The Bellas. After a selfish act by Nikki to eliminate Brie, it was down to Asuka and Nikki Bella. “The Empress” battled with the longest-reigning Divas Champion, ultimately kicking her legs out and eliminating her to win the Royal Rumble match.
Asuka became the first woman to secure a shot at WrestleMania for a title match. She would select Charlotte Flair, as she wanted to fight the best. The result was not of what fans had hoped, but this moment certainly was.
Inaugural Mixed Match Challenge Winner
The Mixed Match Challenge was a welcomed change from normal WWE television as it allowed talents who were not usually intertwined with each other to really show their fun side and team in the odd pairing. Perhaps the best was the teaming of Asuka and The Miz, forming the team – Awesuka. Yes, that was the name, and it broadened the non-aggressive side that we see out of Asuka nowadays out of television. The combination also paired a heel and face together while Asuka teased anger at The Miz for almost losing her undefeated streak. They stormed through the challenge to win the finals by beating Charlotte and Bobby Roode in the finals, giving Asuka a unique accolade that not many can put under their belt.
SmackDown Women’s Championship
Asuka has quietly claimed the TLC PPV as her own. After all, her debut to the main roster came on that show, and two of her biggest victories did as well. “The Empress of Tomorrow” won her first main roster championship in a TLC match against the best WWE has to offer in Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in 2018. Lynch, the defending champion, had a lot to deal with in Flair but it was Asuka who found the opportunity as she climbed the ladder to bring down the SmackDown Women’s Championship. It was a surreal moment after a year that saw Asuka, for the most part, fall off of TV and was not being used to the fullest of her gigantic potential.
Her win over Becky Lynch the next month would be “The Man’s” only clean loss until the moment she gave up the title on Monday. Something that will not be talked about, but incredible nonetheless for both women.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Kabuki Warriors brought life back to Asuka as a character and gave Kairi Sane a chance that she may have struggled to get had she debuted all alone. A combination of pureness and hilarity is what made them such a formidable team and one of the best parts of WWE television for the past year. At Hell in a Cell 2019, they earned the opportunity to face Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. It was finally time for them to rise to the top and win the titles. They instantly became the best champions so far, headlining the TLC PPV against Becky Lynch and Charlotte, as well as propelling Asuka back into the Raw title picture. While losing the titles was rather unceremonious, it helped rejuvenate Asuka to where she is now.
Women’s Money in the Bank
On Sunday, six men and six women climbed the corporate ladder for the very first time to bring down the Money in the Bank. Asuka was the highlight of the match win or lose, starting it off by taking all five women out and dancing her way to the top of WWE HQ. It was then that she slapped and took out King Corbin before reaching for the Women’s Money in the Bank and capturing the opportunity of a lifetime. It was an accolade only three women had before her, and she was now one accolade from making incredible history.
The Women's #MITB #LadderMatch is off to an INSANE start as @WWEAsuka takes a leap of faith at WWE HQ! pic.twitter.com/sb3ZOda4Cq
— WWE (@WWE) May 11, 2020
Raw Women’s Championship
And finally, the final moment. On Monday, Becky Lynch made the announcement of a lifetime revealing that she was pregnant and would be leaving the WWE for the foreseeable future. At that time, she had to relinquish the Raw Women’s Championship. She revealed that the Money in the Bank was actually for the title, leading to the celebration of a lifetime by Asuka as she ran around the arena. It was the final step for “The Empress,” who now stands tall at the top of the history books as the only women to hold every possible accolade a woman could in the WWE.
WWE’s Lone Ultimate Women’s Champion
https://www.instagram.com/p/CALeMYDFIxZ/
History-maker. That is what Asuka will go down as. All she does is win. The only women to come slightly close to what she has accomplished are Bayley and Charlotte Flair, who are both still far behind in terms of accolades. Bayley, the only other Grand Slam in the division, is still missing a Royal Rumble win as she has won a traditional Survivor Series match but was not the sole survivor.
Asuka has earned a following like very few in the WWE, making history that even the Four Horsewomen cannot take credit for. That only credits the woman even more for her incredible run in the company that is still far from over. Fans can sit back and take in another title run for Asuka, who is sure to have many challenges standing in her way. She is the Raw Women’s Champion, but more importantly, WWE’s only Ultimate Women’s Champion. The saying remains true. No one is or has ever been ready for Asuka.
More from LWOPW
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network. If you’re an Asuka fan and want to learn more about her career pre-WWE as Kana check out our Before They Were Famous series.
