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The recently concluded Money in the Bank PPV ended on a high note with Otis and Asuka winning the Men’s and the Women’s Ladder Matches respectively. In the Women’s division, it was indeed pleasant to see the one half of The Kabuki Warriors standing atop the WWE Headquarters with the Money in the Bank briefcase in her hand.
As announced by WWE, the winner of the MITB match would target the Champions of his/her brand. Hence, we could see Asuka going after Becky Lynch and the fact that she has a firm grip over the coveted contract will make this hunt all the more interesting.
Looking back at the Money in the Bank ladder match, one can see that Asuka was booked strongly right from the start. She had a good plan in place and that helped her to think two steps ahead of her competitors.
She picked a deserved win at the PPV, but the best spot of that segment was still the one where she slapped the living daylights out of Baron Corbin. It’s the kind of thing that only Asuka can do, and she delivered.
In this article, we will take a look at five reasons why WWE chose Asuka to win Money in the Bank 2020. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Asuka poses a serious threat to Becky Lynch’s historic Championship reign
Becky Lynch’s rise to the pinnacle of the sports entertainment accounted for one of the best storylines that we have seen in WWE. ‘The Man’ deserves full credit for nailing the role of a fearless Champion who has beaten every other competitor who shares the women’s locker room with her. This is where Asuka’s Money in the Bank contract comes into play.
With Charlotte Flair winning the NXT Championship and Bayley and Sasha Banks moving to SmackDown, Becky hardly has any competition left on the Red brand. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax can be counted as tough challengers for Lynch, but they are yet to earn similar credibility on the main roster.
If WWE have either of them take the title away from ‘The Man’, the latter’s position on the roster might get damaged. Asuka, on the other hand, is the one Superstar who can take the title away from Lynch without making her look weak.
In their previous clash, Becky came out on top, but she did admit that her opponent Asuka was one of the toughest contenders that she has faced inside the squared circle. Given the fact that Lynch’s title reign has now started to get monotonous, the creatives are desperately looking for compelling feuds to involve the RAW Women’s Champion in.
On tonight’s episode of RAW, Lynch will confront Asuka which would then lead to a storyline involving the two Superstars and the Money in the Bank contract.
If Asuka goes on to cash-in her MITB briefcase for Becky Lynch’s title, it would be a welcome surprise. More than anything, the WWE Universe wouldn’t mind seeing Becky Lynch lose her title to Asuka, who has proven that she can be an incredible Champion.
Besides, it would be the perfect way for Asuka to win the WWE RAW Women’s Championship for the first time in her career while also laying the foundations for an epic title feud between her and ‘The Man’.
#4 Asuka can cash-in the Money in the Bank contract for the Women’s Tag Team titles
Asuka had a plan in place for the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match that helped her win the crucial contract at the PPV. Given the fact that she is one-half of The Kabuki Warriors, it is possible that she will cash-in her title for the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
This will allow her and Kairi Sane to win back their gold while keeping the other two Championships safe from the wrath of a surprise MITB cash-in.
Together, Asuka and Sane elevated the Women’s Tag Team division with their compelling Championship reign before they dropped their titles to Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss. A big argument against this booking decision would be the lack of activity in the Women’s Tag Team division.
But the WWE creatives can use this opportunity to experiment with the same and book a huge twist concerning this year’s Money in the Bank contract.
In the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match as well, it was Otis who walked out of the WWE Headquarters with the coveted briefcase. Given the fact that both the winners of this year’s MITB matches are a part of popular tag teams, WWE could decide to have both the Superstars cash-in their contract for the Tag Team Championship in a surprising turn of events.
#3 Asuka can keep the competition limited to the RAW Women’s Championship
While Becky Lynch’s Championship reign on RAW has now started to grow monotonous, Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship reign is getting more and more interesting with each passing day. Therefore, the creatives preferred a RAW Superstar, Asuka, winning the MITB contract.
It is evident that WWE would like to keep their plans intact for the women’s division of the Blue brand. As a result, the creatives will have Asuka focusing on RAW and setting her target on the Women’s Championship of the Red brand.
Both Bayley and Becky Lynch have destroyed every other contender who has stepped up to them in the last few months. While the SmackDown Women’s Champion has had an entertaining run as a heel so far, Lynch is enjoying her popularity with the WWE Universe as one of the top babyfaces in the entire company.
The only difference is the fact that Bayley is already involved in a budding rivalry with her best friend, Sasha Banks. If a SmackDown Superstar won and cashed in her MITB contract on the ‘Role Model’ of WWE, it would have disrupted the flow of this much-anticipated feud.
On the other hand, Becky Lynch has no compelling feuds lined up for her. It looks like her rivalry with Shayna Baszler will resume at some point in the distant future. That leaves us with the possibility of Nia Jax challenging Lynch for a title match, considering the history between the Superstars.
Hence, it is quite possible that WWE will involve Asuka in the Red brand's women's title picture at SummerSlam which will also set up the perfect way for the RAW Women’s Championship to change hands.
#2 Asuka might be headed towards a Single’s run
You wouldn’t expect a heel in WWE to take a turn for the worse, but then, even the best of ideas about a WWE Superstar can be discarded if you bring someone of Asuka’s caliber into the equation. Her time in NXT and everything that she has done ever since she moved to the main roster has been nothing short of brilliant.
Therefore, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if WWE decide to have Asuka go for a Single’s run with the Money in the Bank contract in her hand. She could probably turn on Kairi Sane, or the creative could keep The Kabuki Warriors out of the mix until there are other promising tag teams on either of the two brands.
It will be understandable if a few fans hope that Asuka could have both the RAW Women’s Championship and the Women’s Tag Team Championship at the same time. But ‘Asuka Two Belts’ seems to be an idea that is quite far from reality. It would be easier to have her find a solo path ahead of herself if and when she dethrones Becky Lynch.
#1 Asuka is immensely over with the WWE Universe
Up until last year, Asuka was mostly portrayed as a talented Superstar who delivers great matches, is respectful towards all her opponents, and is rather a silent workhorse in WWE. But her gimmick underwent a massive change when she aligned forced with Kairi Sane. Her attitude was brilliant, and it made her look like a genuine heel.
But here’s the thing about WWE Universe. As CM Punk once pointed out, “If you’re a good enough heel, you eventually get over with the crowd”. That’s exactly what happened with Asuka.
Her new personality complemented her in-ring skills quite well, and the fans started to back her once again. Fast forward to this day, and everyone appreciates Asuka’s role in elevating the women’s division in WWE and maintaining the standard that a fan now hopes to see from the female Superstars. Even at the Money in the Bank PPV, she was one of the few Superstars who impressed the WWE Universe.
In addition to that, Asuka is naturally great with her comic timing. Her ability to blend in any kind of situation and still managing to stand out allows her to be in the spotlight, which in turn has helped her gain the admiration of the WWE Universe.
Hence, she was the safest bet for this year’s Money in the Bank winner because she can keep the fans invested in all the antics that she will pull off now that she has the Money in the Bank contract with her.
