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One of the three women from RAW to participate in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Asuka has been doing all the right things of late. The Empress of Tomorrow might have dropped the Women's Tag Team Championships that she held with Kairi Sane on the RAW after WrestleMania but has managed to bounce back since.
Asuka qualified for Money in the Bank after convincingly beating Ruby Riott. She even managed to stand tall in a confrontation involving her fellow RAW competitors for the ladder match in Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax by doubling up with The Queen of Spades to down the latter.
Overall, Asuka has seen her stock improve considerably in the last few weeks and she's seemingly getting another push. Thus, it is imperative that WWE stays committed to the cause and gives her the opportunity she deserves. On that note, let us look at five reasons why Asuka should emerge with the Money in the Bank briefcase this Sunday.
#5 Asuka is the clear crowd favorite
The Empress of Tomorrow has certainly had a busy few months in the WWE since the turn of the year but her popularity reached when she came out to do commentary on the 16th March episode of RAW.
Asuka would only be noisy and react loudly to the action inside the ring in her native tongue, but her antics coupled with her innumerable expressions made for must-watch TV. And ever since, we've seen Asuka in various non-wrestling segments where she's just expressing her heart out.
Whether it be cheering for her best friend Kairi Sane from backstage or berating Nia Jax for her infamous botch, Asuka has been winning hearts all over. And thus, while there may be other credible Superstars in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, no one is as over as The Empress of Tomorrow.
Asuka is one of the few Superstars who's managed to shine despite the lack of an audience and more importantly has been able to rally the support of the WWE Universe sitting at home. It makes all the sense to thereby give the fans what they want and that is for Asuka to win the Money in the Bank briefcase.
#4 Asuka deserves the spotlight
Adding to the fact that Asuka is revered by fans, she also has enough credibility going for her as a performer inside the squared circle and WWE should put that to use.
As big of a draw she may be, Asuka cannot really maintain that momentum unless WWE decides to put the spotlight on her in terms of a compelling push. Yes, the fans love her as is but building her as a central figure would take her popularity through the roof.
Asuka has been putting up great matches all year in 2020 whether it was during her feud with Becky Lynch or while defending the Women's Tag Team Championships with Kairi Sane. She's even managed to look strong in defeat as was the case against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross on the RAW after WrestleMania 36.
Asuka has shown that in addition to her fandom, she is the complete package in terms of her ability to be a part of meaningful storylines. It's only fair that WWE gives The Empress of Tomorrow her due.
#3 Ticket to singles run
It's becoming more and more clear with every passing week that The Kabuki Warriors has run its course. Asuka has gone ahead and won over the fans worldwide while Kairi Sane has barely managed to scratch the surface when not being accompanied by her compatriot.
The Pirate Princess has only continued to lose momentum as a singles star following multiple beatdowns at the hands of Nia Jax. It just seems right now that Asuka is better off as a standalone performer.
Having said that, The Empress of Tomorrow has also been appearing in segments where she's cheering on Sane from the backstage. Asuka even cut a promo last week, addressing the botch involving Jax where she threw Sane's head into the middle turnbuckle.
So with the camaraderie still going strong between the two Japanese Superstars, the Money in the Bank briefcase presents itself as an opportunity to split the tag team. If Asuka wins the briefcase, she will be forced to focus on her singles run once again and would be reason enough for her to part ways with Sane.
#2 Element of surprise
If there's one quality that's imperative to have for any Money in the Bank briefcase holder, it's unpredictability and Asuka has that in abundance. We've seen how The Empress of Tomorrow has used the green mist to distract her opponents for more than six months now. She could surely add more layers to this.
Additionally, every aspect of Asuka's gimmick spells out unpredictability. Be it her changing emotions during an interview, or the very fact that she resorts to her native language to interact with other Superstars, everyone's left guessing what's on Asuka's mind.
The WWE Universe will be left guessing with the briefcase in the hands of Asuka. She could attack someone with the green mist but not cash in her contract. At the same time, The Empress of Tomorrow could just appear for another commentary stint during either a match of any of the women's champion and just lurk in hindsight. The possibilities are endless and it would keep the fans heavily invested in anticipation of a move from Asuka.
#1 Tap into Asuka's unfulfilled potential
Asuka has enjoyed much success on the main roster ever since she moved up from NXT. She has won the Royal Rumble, she holds the record for the longest title reign as the women's tag team champion, and she's also won the SmackDown women's title.
All things considered though, The Empress of Tomorrow still has a lot to offer. Just a mere glance at her run on the Black and Gold brand tells you just how capable Asuka is. She never officially lost the NXT Women's Championship and her undefeated streak in WWE as advertised by the company stands at 914 days.
However, as a singles champion, Asuka has had only two memorable feuds, with Becky Lynch and Charlotte. She certainly has much more to offer.
Giving Asuka the Money in the Bank briefcase would allow her the opportunity to claim a women's title and start her run of dominance, similar to the one she had in NXT. With young talent rising to the occasion rather quickly these days, Asuka would have several possible feuds on her hands to really elevate WWE's women's division while also potentially moving on from the Four Horsewomen of WWE.
