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Asuka returned to WWE last night during the Royal Rumble premium live event at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. She entered the women's Royal Rumble match at #17 and made it to the final three. Asuka tried to spit the green mist at Rhea Ripley but she accidentally hit Liv Morgan in the face.
Ripley booted Asuka to the floor and went on to eliminate Morgan to win the Women's Royal Rumble. Before the premium live event, Asuka's last televised match was a loss to Rhea Ripley on the December 12, 2022 edition of WWE RAW. The Empress of Tomorrow now has even more motivation to despise Ripley following the premium live event.
Listed below are five directions for Asuka following her return at WWE Royal Rumble.
#5. Asuka can become Rhea Ripley's nemesis after the Royal Rumble
Rhea Ripley punched her ticket to WrestleMania with her victory in the Women's Royal Rumble match last night. The 26-year-old is on pace to become the face of WWE's women's division, but Asuka may have something to say about that.
Asuka won the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble but suffered a very disappointing loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. The 41-year-old could attempt to impart some wisdom to Rhea and make her life a living hell if The Judgment Day member doesn't listen. The Empress debuted a new look last night at the Royal Rumble, and perhaps one of her new character traits is holding a grudge.
#4. She could join The Judgment Day on WWE RAW
There is an old phrase, "if you can't beat them, join them", that applies to this situation. Asuka is likely approaching the final years of her in-ring career and may want to be a part of a winning team on the way out. Rhea Ripley and Asuka could wrestle 10 times and many would pick The Eradicator to win every match.
Ripley is a unicorn in professional wrestling, as she has all the ring skills in the world with a boatload of charisma on top of it. There are no flaws in her game whatsoever. Asuka's new look would fit right in with The Judgment Day and her veteran presence could help propel Ripley into superstardom.
Rhea's ego might be out of control following her victory at the Royal Rumble, and Asuka may be able to settle her down with some words of wisdom.
#3. Asuka could start fresh on WWE SmackDown
Asuka's return to WWE at the Royal Rumble does not mean that she will be showing up on RAW this Monday night. The Empress may want to start anew on the blue brand, as that division could use her star power.
She has already had her issues with Damage CTRL and they continue to torment Becky Lynch on the red brand. A fresh start on SmackDown with a new character could be the full reset Asuka needs to get the WWE Universe invested in her once again.
#2. She could get revenge on Charlotte Flair
Asuka entered WrestleMania 34 with all the mystique in the world and it went away in an instant. The Empress of Tomorrow was on a 914-day undefeated streak and seemed completely unstoppable. However, Charlotte Flair was up to the task and was able to win the match via submission to retain her SmackDown Women's Championship.
The Queen recently returned to WWE on the final episode of SmackDown in 2022 and immediately challenged Ronda Rousey. Charlotte defeated Rousey in an impromptu match and became the new SmackDown Women's Champion. Asuka could attempt to challenge Charlotte for the title once again and avenge her loss from five years ago in New Orleans.
#1. Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy may recruit Asuka
Alexa Bliss and Asuka were a duo for a little while last year and even defeated Damage CTRL to become the Women's Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, they went on to drop the titles back to Dakota Kai and IYO SKY at WWE Crown Jewel 2022 just a few days after winning them.
Bliss has been having a rough time lately on WWE RAW and things got even worse last night at the Royal Rumble. She lost to Bianca Belair once again and Uncle Howdy taunted her after the match by suggesting she wasn't in control. If Bray Wyatt's rumored faction ever does come to fruition, both Alexa Bliss and Asuka would make interesting additions to the group.
Alexa and Bray Wyatt have a storied history and the mysterious Uncle Howdy wreaks chaos everywhere he goes. If Asuka wound up joining them, it would make Wyatt's faction much stronger and she could go after the Women's Tag Team Championships once again with Bliss.
