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Kairi Sane has had a short but impactful career in WWE, beginning by winning the 2017 Mae Young Classic. After spending time in NXT, including a brief stint as NXT Women's Champion, Kairi debuted on SmackDown in April 2019 as one half on the Kabuki Warriors alongside Asuka.
The Kabuki Warriors won the Women's Tag Team Championships from the team of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at Hell in a Cell 2019 when Asuka used green mist on Cross while Sane distracted Bliss. The duo held on to the gold for 171 days, the longest reign with the Women's Tag Team Championships to date. At WrestleMania 36, The Kabuki Warriors were defeated by Bliss and Cross for their titles.
Even after losing the titles at The Grandest Stage of Them All, the pair remained a strong pairing. When Becky Lynch relinquished the RAW Women's Championship to Asuka due to her pregnancy, the Kabuki Warriors turned face and the pair celebrated together. Not long after, the two began to feud with Sasha Banks and Bayley, with this coming to a head when Banks and Bayley cheated to take the RAW Women's Championship from Asuka during The Horror Show at Extreme Rules.
Kairi's final segment on WWE TV again demonstrated the strength of her bond with Asuka. During Asuka's title match with Sasha Banks, Kairi was attacked by Bayley, calling out for Asuka. Asuka left the match midway and sacrificed her championship to save her friend, showing the strong friendship that they shared.
Since Kairi has left the WWE, here are some potential new allies that could support Asuka.
#5 Paige
If Paige was to be an ally to Asuka, it would have to be in a non-wrestling role due to her previous injuries. Paige and Asuka have worked together before, with Paige initially acting as the manager of the Kabuki Warriors before Asuka turned on her, spraying her with green mist.
Paige may not be an active wrestler anymore, but she has certainly proved that she is skilled on the microphone, and as a manager. Having Paige working with Asuka would be a great way to bring her back to weekly TV. And since Paige has a history with Asuka as well as her current rivals Bayley and Sasha Banks, WWE could build a great storyline around all four Superstars.
#4 Shayna Baszler
It's been a little bit of a strange time since Shayna Baszler moved to RAW. The Queen of Spades was first built as a monster heel, destroying everything in her path until losing to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania. Baszler took a break not long after Money in the Bank and has recently returned to TV, where she confronted Nia Jax, seemingly turning face for the first time in the process. Now, Baszler's rivalry with Nia Jax could entangle her with Asuka, as Jax was responsible for injuring Kairi Sane on multiple occasions.
Potentially, pairing Baszler with Asuka could have very interesting results. Forming a duo could cement Baszler as a face with the fans as she helps Asuka seek vengeance for her friend Kairi.
The alliance between the two could work in a few different ways - for example, Baszler could become a more relatable character in her pairing with Asuka. Another way that this could be done is by having The Empress of Tomorrow transform from her colorful happy character to someone more vengeful. Or even Baszler and Asuka could be an "odd couple" pairing, in a similar vein to Stone cold Steve Austin and Dude Love.
#3 Charlotte Flair
Currently, Charlotte Flair is out of action after undergoing surgery, but she is a performer that has had a lot of history with Asuka. Charlotte was the only woman on the roster at the time who managed to break Asuka's record-breaking undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34, where the pair faced off for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Flair has also been involved with both Sasha Banks and Bayley throughout her WWE career, tracing back to their days together in NXT. The rivalry between Asuka and the current Tag Team Champions seems to be ongoing, with the potential to last for a long time.
A great way for Charlotte to make her return could be her coming to the aid of Asuka against Banks, Bayley, or even both. Involving Charlotte in this way could bring her back as a face and could even lead up to her turning on Asuka further down the line. Flair and Asuka have treated fans to some great matches together, so it could be fun to see them paired up in the future.
#2 Naomi
Naomi has been in the spotlight recently after fans responded to the Karaoke Showdown and Lacey Evans angle that she is currently involved in with the hashtag #NaomiDeservesBetter. She has always been a fan favorite, but often falls to the wayside. Maybe Naomi could align with Asuka to bring her back to the title scene?
The two had worked as allies in the past when The Empress of Tomorrow came to the aid of Naomi against The IIconics. The pair's wrestling styles complemented one another, and they also had great chemistry in backstage segments together.
There has also been animosity in the past between Naomi, Bayley, and Sasha Banks. Naomi and the Role Model were involved in a brief feud last summer over the SmackDown Women's Championship, where Bayley cheated her way to a win. Naomi was also a member of Team B.A.D with Sasha. The past alliance was called back to during the recent fatal five-way match for the SmackDown Women's title, where all three former members were involved.
Naomi has plenty of reasons to help Asuka feel the glow, and it would certainly be fun to see
#1 Io Shirai
Io Shirai is possibly one of the biggest female stars in NXT at the moment and is the current NXT Women's Champion. Before the pair both being WWE Superstars, they have worked together on the independent circuit in Japan when Asuka - then known as Kana - joined Io Shirai and her older sister Mio in a team dubbed the Triple Tails.
More recently, Shirai has become somewhat involved in the Asuka versus Bayley and Sasha Banks feud. At NXT: The Great American Bash earlier this year, Shirai and Banks went head-to-head in a non-title match. As the bout was coming to a head, Asuka made a surprise appearance to blast The Boss with a helping of green mist, allowing Shirai to pin Banks.
The best friends were left furious with both Shirai and Asuka, teasing a chance for The Genius of the Sky to become entangled in the chaos further down the line. Although Shirai is currently working on the Black and Gold Brand in WWE, Superstars do often work across the different brands.
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