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Nia Jax destroyed Natalya to earn an opportunity at Asuka's women's title at Backlash and the upcoming match will be nothing short of interesting. Of course a lot of that has to do with the huge left turn the division has taken after Becky Lynch's pregnancy announcement, but also due the fate of the division hanging in the balance.
If nothing else, Asuka needs to put on a strong performance at Backlash to justify her spot as Raw Women's champion and to get the division back on track. Unfortunately for The Empress of Tomorrow, she will have to do so against arguably one of the most destructive forces in WWE history and someone who can use her size to her advantage.
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With that being said and the title match between Asuka and Nia Jax now official for Backlash, here are five reasons why the company made this move. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us who you wanted to be Asuka's opponent at backlash.
#5 Nia Jax is the best option
Whether The WWE Universe wants to admit it or not, there really weren't a lot of great choices when it came to Asuka's first opponent as Raw Women's champion. Sure, the company could have been gone with Natalya, who is an absolute technician in the ring, but why would they do something like that when she is on self destruct mode storyline wise?
Then again, some might think Shayna Baszler should have been the rightful first opponent for The Empress of tomorrow, but could she really afford another loss this soon after WrestleMania 36? Beyond that, if WWE went ahead and had her win the title, what would that mean for Asuka's future after only holding the title for just over a month.
If nothing else, WWE didn't really have a lot of great choices for various reasons, which is why Jax was the perfect first opponent. At least this way, Asuka gets a strong first test as champion, the company can capitalize off of Jax's heel heat and the women's division can move forward again.
#4 This allows WWE to flesh out the rest of the division
WWE is very much in a rebuilding mode when it comes to their women's division and they need to set up suitable challengers for Asuka in the coming months. With that being said, having Nia Jax as the first opponent to challenge The Empress of tomorrow allows for the company to get a plethora of other Superstars ready for the challenge.
In fact this is a great opportunity for WWE to flesh out Superstars like Bianca Belair, Natalya Liv Morgan and maybe even Kairi Sane before giving them a chance at Asuka for the title. At least this way, the fans have more time to get invested in these characters and will have a reason to care when it finally comes down to them having a match. A lengthy feud with Nia Jax is just what the RAW women's division needs.
In the end, there aren't a lot of women in the division that are even ready for Asuka, which is why the company needs to continue to flesh these women's characters out. If they do so, there is a much better chance of creating something interesting match ups with the right payoffs at stake. While they do that, Nia Jax will be able to drag out a good feud with the Empress of Tomorrow.
After all, there's a lot of history between Asuka and Nia Jax. This won't be a short feud, and will give WWE plenty of time to build that division back up.
#3 Charlotte being saved for later down the line
It's no secret that the history between Asuka and Charlotte practically writes itself at this point and while it would have been nice to revisit, it's something that can be held off on for now. In fact, with Charlotte being NXT Women's champion and Nia Jax losing The Money in the bank ladder match to Asuka, it's obvious why The irresistible force was chosen for this spot.
Not only does this move allow for Jax to serve as the perfect placeholder at Backlash, it also teases a future rematch between The Empress of tomorrow and The queen. If nothing else, that kind of match is something that needs to take place at a venue like SummerSlam or Survivor Series and not at a b level pay per view like Backlash.
In the end, Jax will be a great test for Asuka to reassert herself at the top of the division and prove she belongs there. It will also allow the company to keep teasing Flair versus Asuka at an upcoming pay per view, which is a storyline that The WWE Universe will very much want to see happen again.
#2 Nia Jax has great heel heat
Nia Jax is one of the most brilliant heels in all of WWE and she very much deserves that spot on the roster. Furthermore, between the way she is able to spit absolute venom on the microphone and how rough she is in the ring, this could end up creating one of the best babyface versus heel storylines the women's division has seen in some time.
Think about it! The WWE Universe already can't stand Jax and she hasn't even been back a full month yet! Beyond that, her brutality inside the squared circle is going to create a lot of interesting situations during their match at Backlash, which could allow them to further the storyline a bit.
For example, what if Jax manages to go too far and storyline injures Asuka during their match at Backlash? If the company were to go that direction, it would give Asuka a lot of sympathy as a babyface, make Jax look even more like a heel and keep the feud going for another month or two.
#1 Nia Jax helps cement Asuka as a face
Asuka might have won The Money in the Bank briefcase after climbing to the top of Titan Tower, but her victory wasn't traditional in any sense. In fact, between the way Lynch had to relinquish The Raw Women's title and The money in the bank ladder match being given a sort of reality show feel to it, there wasn't much in the way of justification for the move.
Unfortunately for WWE, this puts them in the position of having to justify Asuka being given the title and one of the best ways to do that was to put her up against Nia Jax. At least that way, Asuka can gain more sympathy as a babyface, show the athleticism that made her a big deal in the first place and move the division forward.
If nothing else, this is a do or die situation for Asuka and she very much needs to come through at Backlash. Interestingly enough however, an opponent like Jax offers her the opportunity to conquer The Goliath of The Raw Women's division and become the biggest babyface on Raw in the process.
