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WWE might have made a big deal out of Asuka, when she debuted on the main roster at The TLC, but it's hard to ignore the fact that The Empress of Tomorrow has been treated as an afterthought, since then. It means that her future is up in the air and dependent on what steps WWE takes to stop this trend.
With that being said, here are five reasons why Asuka will undoubtedly fail on the main roster and be one of the biggest failures in NXT history. Furthermore, this list will also focus on what WWE is doing wrong and how they are contributing to her downfall. If you agree with our list, please let us know in the comments below and tell us which part you disagree with and why.
#5 Weak debut
While seeing Asuka for the first time in the ring was absolutely mesmerizing, it didn't take away the fact that WWE really didn't do much to make her debut significant in any way. Sure, it was a good match and maybe involved more back and forth than it should have been, it was rendered meaningless when Emma was released by the company only days later.
Maybe it would have been a more solid debut if she faced off against someone like Bayley or Sasha Banks, but facing Emma twice didn't look good for Asuka or the dominant force they were trying to build her as. In fact, it made her look like nothing more than an afterthought after Absolution debuted a few weeks later.
#4 Absolution
What does Absolution have to do with Asuka's chances of making it on the main roster? While the correlation might not be all that obvious for fans that are so entrenched in the authenticity of the storylines, the addition of Absolution on The Monday Night Raw makes it harder to show Asuka as a dominant force.
In the end, WWE will either have to anger the fans of Absolution by having The Empress of Tomorrow running roughshod over the threesome, or anger the fans of Asuka by allowing Paige and her cohorts to defeat Asuka for the first time in WWE history.
Neither option is a winning proposition for WWE and is going to take some very careful booking to keep the two sides on an equal playing field. Either that, or expose your hand and pick a winner.
#3 Horrible booking and bland storyline
It's always important to make an impact when you finally make it to the main roster and while WWE did sort of make sure that happened during her debut at TLC, they then started to book her in squash match after squash match against local talent and mid-card competitors. This, of course, made her look like an afterthought and really hurt the possibility of gaining momentum.
Another problem with her booking on the main roster is Absolution. She finally decided to stand her ground two weeks later and actually took it to the dominant trio, but it just took way too long to happen and made her look weak in the process.
In the end, the way WWE has been booking her is the same as how they would book a sideshow attraction. Fun to watch but meaningless afterwards. Hopefully, WWE can change that and put her in the title hunt sooner rather than later, but that raises its own problems and opens up the idea of ending the streak sooner.
#2 Her streak
Fans of The Empress of Tomorrow might not want to admit this but Asuka's streak is the only thing interesting about her character right now. Of course, there are the rapid fast kicks, the brutal submissions and excellent head games as well.
With that being said, her streak is the only thing keeping Asuka afloat on The WWE main roster, and once that's gone, she will become as irrelevant as Bo Dallas was, for a while. In the end, maybe WWE can change this somehow and give fans more to root for than just a streak, but until then, it's going to be hard to see her as anything besides being one dimensional.
Sure, the streak is amazing and something to be extremely proud of, but, NXT superstars' accomplishments rarely last long on the main roster and her streak could be the next victim in that saga.
#5 Ronda Rousey
Amid speculations about Ronda Rousey coming to WWE, it goes without saying that WWE would want a top of the line opponent for the former UFC Bantamweight champion and that will most likely be Asuka herself. Unfortunately for Asuka, this brings up the possibility of ending her streak on the road to WrestleMania 34.
If WWE does decide to do Asuka versus Rousey at WrestleMania 34, it's very unlikely that the former NXT champion is going to come away with her streak still intact. Then there's The Women's Royal Rumble, which could be even worse for Asuka in the long run.
However, Asuka has faced losses in NXT during Battle Royal Matches but has never lost in a one on one match. It goes without saying that fans are going to be upset if anyone besides Asuka comes away from The Royal Rumble match with anything less than a victory.
That presents a problem though because that is the time when Ronda Rousey is rumoured to make her in-ring debut for WWE and could lead to Rousey coming out on top before WrestleMania 34 even takes place in New Orleans. It will kill what little momentum Asuka has left on the main roster, it also puts her streak in jeopardy as well.
It would take a miracle for Asuka to walk out of that kind of situation with her streak intact, especially knowing that WWE wants to build Rousey as unstoppable.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below and tell us how you would like to see Asuka's streak end.
