'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Asuka hit the ground running in WWE and went on a lengthy undefeated streak throughout her time in NXT and on the main roster until she crossed paths with The Queen, Charlotte Flair back at WrestleMania 34. Her 914-day winning streak came to an end.
The Empress of Tomorrow has since reigned as both the SmackDown Women's Champion and Women's Tag Team Champion alongside Kairi Sane, but now finds her place on Monday Night RAW. In recent weeks, the Japanese Superstar has become one of the highlights of the current WWE television since WWE has allowed her to freely cut promos in her native tongue.
Next weekend Asuka has the opportunity to become just the fourth woman to lift the Money in the Bank contract following the likes of Carmella, Alexa Bliss, and Bayley, so here are some interesting facts about her ahead of the event.
#5. She owns her own hair salon
One of the biggest things that stands out about Asuka when she's in the ring is her hair. The former Women's Champion has always had vibrant hair and the color often changes from time to time. The Japanese star usually has around four colors on her hair at any time.
Whilst many fans have questioned how she's able to maintain her hair at that level with so many colors added to it on a regular basis, the simple answer is the fact that Asuka has her own hair salon and is obviously well versed in hairdressing.
Asuka shared a photo of herself at the salon back in 2016 where she also showed off the logo for the salon. Surprisingly, she designed the logo herself, which allowed her to put her graphic design skills to test.
Asuka's hair salon is called "Another Heaven" and is located in the Japanese city of Yokohama for any fans who want to visit.
#4. Asuka briefly retired from wrestling back in 2006
Asuka is now a household name in the wrestling world, but her career direction could have been very different since the former Champion was forced to retire back in 2006.
Asuka's career began back in 2004, but when it became clear that she was struggling with Nephritis the following year, the Japanese star was forced to briefly walk away from the wrestling industry.
For fans who are not aware, Nephritis is a condition that causes inflammation of the kidneys and is often caused by an infection. Asuka's version of the condition is chronic, which is why she was forced to announce her retirement from the business just 18 months after making her debut.
Luckily, Asuka was able to overcome the condition, and the following year in September 2007, The Empress of Tomorrow made her return to the ring and seemingly put her health struggles behind her. The fact that her strand of the illness is called "chronic" means that it's not curable but she's obviously found a way to manage the condition so that she can still wrestle at the same time.
#3. Asuka was a figure skater when she was younger
Asuka has had many different jobs and interests throughout her life before she made the move to the United States when she joined WWE. Whilst her passion for Graphic Design has been well documented over the past few years, there was one step in Asuka's career ambitions that went unreported.
Back in 2018, ahead of her huge WrestleMania match against Charlotte Flair, the 2018 Royal Rumble winner was part of an interview with fellow wrestler Xavier Woods where she revealed that she was once a figure skater.
Asuka stated that she only pursued a career in the sport for a year and was able to do the pirouettes that skaters have become famous for in that short space of time.
The Empress of Tomorrow was just 10 years old when she was hoping to become a skater but luckily for the wrestling business, she changed her career path and has since gone on to become one of the most celebrated female wrestlers of the current generation.
#2. Asuka has her own channel on YouTube called KanaChan TV
Asuka has many different interests outside of wrestling, which could be why she decided to launch her own YouTube channel, following the success of Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown.
She has been a regular guest on UpUpDownDown over the years and it is thought that this is the main reason that she was inspired to create her own content for a YouTube channel.
Asuka's background in gaming has become a big reason for the channel's popularity, but it also involves the former Women's Champion showing off her cooking skills. She teased the channel on social media for a number of weeks before announcing the real thing back in September 2019 and if fans love her newest character change, then it's worth looking into.
As part of the channel, Asuka provides her slice between Japanese and English commentary whilst also providing playthrough videos mixed in with lifestyle content. Anyone who hasn't tuned in to the channel before should check out the above video to see what they have been missing.
#1. She was WWE's first female Japanese signing in almost 20 years
Asuka was a huge signing for WWE when it was officially announced that she had made her move to the company back in 2015. Since Asuka's arrival, the likes of Kairi Sane and Io Shirai have followed The Empress of Tomorrow across the pond, but it was Asuka who was the first female Japanese professional wrestler to join the company since Bull Nakano in 1994.
Asuka then went on an undefeated streak that was surprisingly longer than Goldberg's legendary streak, which came to an end at WrestleMania back in 2018. Asuka has made a lot of history in her time in WWE which also includes the fact that she won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble back in 2018. Shinsuke Nakamura won the men's event, which made the 2018 Royal Rumble a Japanese affair.
Interestingly, neither Asuka nor Shinsuke Nakamura went on to win Championships at WrestleMania following their historic wins. Luckily, in the years that have followed, Asuka has gone on to win a number of other Championships.
