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Ever since her debut in WWE, Asuka has had a dominating presence on the women's roster. She held the NXT Women's Championship for a record-setting 510 days, defending it against the likes of Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, Bayley, and Mickie James. She was even named the Overall Competitor of the Year in 2017 at the NXT Year-End Awards before moving to the main roster in September of the same year.
Though her undefeated streak of 914 days came to an end at the hands of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34, Asuka's great success in such a short time has ensured her legacy as one of the best performers to ever grace the WWE ring.
After Becky Lynch vacated her Raw Women's Championship due to her pregnancy, the title went to Asuka who had won the Money in the Bank ladder match the previous night, making her the only woman to win the NXT Women's Championship, Smackdown Women's Championship, Raw Women's Championship, WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (with Kairi Sane), the Royal Rumble and the Money in the Bank contract!
Currently, in her second Raw Women's title reign, Asuka's momentum got derailed after her loss to the current Smackdown Women's Champion Sasha Banks. So here are 5 possible challengers that could freshen things up for 'The Empress of Tomorrow'!
#5 Asuka could get a tough fight from an unhinged Nikki Cross!
Nikki Cross impressed everyone with her character work and in-ring prowess as a part of Sanity (along with Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dane), even having the first-ever Last Woman Standing match in WWE against then NXT Women's Champion Asuka.
Her current feud with her former tag team partner Alexa Bliss, who has recently associated herself with The Fiend, could unearth some of her former unhinged character. With WWE TLC right around the corner, the prospect of a tables match between Asuka and Cross is enticing.
The looming shadow of the Fiendish Alexa Bliss would cast another layer of intrigue over this feud, in addition to the coveted Raw Women's Title!
#4 Rhea Ripley could be called up to the Main Roster to shake things up!
At just 24 years old, Rhea Ripley is one of the youngest and most promising wrestlers on the WWE Roster. In her short career, she has won the NXT Women's Championship, the NXT UK Women's Championship, alongside leading her team to victory in the first-ever Women's WarGames Match, as well as the brand warfare at Survivor Series 2019.
Ripley tasted defeat at the hands of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 and lost her NXT Women's title. But she returned stronger than ever after a brief hiatus and now looks to be gearing up for another Women's WarGames match, after which a main-roster run seems imminent.
In the past, during the build-up to the all-women's PPV Evolution, Asuka and Ripley both expressed their desire to have a match against each other and, with the added significance of a championship, this dream match could act as a perfect first step for a future star!
#3 Shayna Baszler
After Asuka departed from NXT, Shayna Baszler took over as the dominating champion on the black and yellow brand. With her MMA Background, Baszler is reminiscent of the strike-based, hard-hitting style Asuka is famous for.
Currently, Baszler holds the WWE Women's Tag Team with Nia Jax in what has been an impressive performance. But on the 23rd Nov episode of Raw, Asuka and the sole-survivor Lana managed to pick up a sneaky win over the dominant champs, setting off a possible feud for the tag straps.
A defeat at the hands of Lana would be humiliating to Baszler and Jax and could act as a catalyst for a split-up that has been teased since their inception as a tag-team. Setting her focus on a singles run, a shot at the Raw Women's Championship could establish Baszler as a force to be reckoned with.
A match between the two submission-specialists would be a treat for the audience and would lend a much-needed serious tone to the Raw Women's Championship picture.
#2 Alexa Bliss could invoke The Fiend's help to defeat the Empress!
After months of teasing that started on Smackdown, Alexa Bliss finally joined The Fiend Bray Wyatt to form one of the most intriguing acts in WWE at the moment. After appearing alongside Bray in a Firefly Funhouse segment, the new version of Bliss made her in-ring appearance on the 23rd Nov edition of Raw, picking up a win over her former best friend and tag-team partner Nikki Cross.
The momentum is on an all-time high for Bliss, who has previously found much success in the WWE, winning the Smackdown Women's title two times and the Women's Tag Team Championship a couple of times as well. She also has three Raw Women's Championship reigns under her belt but her new character promises a fresh start.
With the intrigue of the supernatural, Asuka could bring more of her Kabuki gimmick as well. This could also be the perfect moment to introduce Bliss' darker alter-ego in contrast to her Firefly Funhouse character. With a championship to their name, 'The Fiends' could cement themselves as the strange power couple on the red brand!
#1 Io Shirai vs Asuka would be a strong-style extravaganza!
The current NXT Women's Champion 'The Genius of the Sky' Io Shirai has always been compared to 'The Empress of Tomorrow' Asuka due to their shared Japanese heritage, yet their wrestling style couldn't be more different. Io, as her moniker suggests, is a high-flying athlete using the moonsault as her finisher and has used her superior athleticism to defeat the best the world has to offer.
Winning the NXT Women's championship in a brilliant triple threat match against Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, the former 'Ace of Stardom' has defended the title against the likes of Dakota Kai and Candice LeRae. Like Rhea Ripley, Shirai is engaged in a WarGames Storyline, and prospects after that remain to be seen.
With the NXT Women's roster being stacked with the recent returns of Ember Moon and former NXT UK Women's Champion Toni Storm, Shirai could move to the main roster and face Asuka in a dream match for the ages!
What other opponents can you think of for Asuka? Do share your thoughts in the comments!
