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Asuka is one of those once in a lifetime Superstars. She entered WWE with a lot of hype, and not only lived up to it, but exceeded it.
Asuka was an incredible force in NXT. She had the "longest undefeated streak in WWE history" at 914 days, during which she was the NXT Women's Champion. She hammered opponents, still looked strong in matches where it seemed like she was going to lose, maintained her undefeated streak when she joined the main roster and debuted on RAW and was the inaugural winner of the women's Royal Rumble match.
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So what went wrong?
Asuka would go onto lose to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania. This decision received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Unfortunately, the worst thing that could happen to her has ever since she was drafted to SmackDown.
Instead of regaining her impressive winning streak, she has lost four of her past eleven televised matches, including her very first match on SmackDown and two Women's Championship matches to Carmella.
Asuka has not been allowed to show the same kind of skill and dominance she had on NXT and RAW, and not only do the fans know it, but Asuka herself is aware of this too as she allegedly left a recent Smackdown taping early due to being unhappy with her recent booking, as well as for being left off this year's SummerSlam, which is not only one of the biggest WWE events of the year but is one of the best paydays of for WWE superstars, but only if they are actually booked for the show.
As 'The Empress' was not featured on Smackdown this past Tuesday, it seems like the reports of her walking out of the previous Smackdown are very true. While we have seen superstars walk out of a show before and never return, this always isn't the case and many times, they can be persuaded to return and that is what I and many others hope happen with Asuka.
If Asuka does return to TV, it almost seems like she won't be believable enough to maintain her former mystique thanks to these high profile losses, but if it were at all possible, then it seems like what should happen next for Asuka is for her to return to RAW, the brand she used to rule over. It certainly won't fix all of her problems, but her booking on the 'A show' was far superior then how she has fared on Smackdown.
What would really help her in a return to RAW, in my opinion, is having a manager, but not just any manager. I think Asuka is the perfect candidate to be the first ever 'Paul Heyman Girl'. Paul Heyman may unfortunately be leaving WWE alongside Brock Lesnar next week, but that is something that he, many fans and many within WWE don't want to see. The best way for Paul to be kept around is to be given more clients and we are long overdue for a Paul Heyman Girl.
Asuka may have lost her streak, but at one point Brock Lesnar had lost some big matches that seemed like would ruin his own mystic, but was guided back on the right track by Paul Heyman and his wonderful writing (in 2003) and promo skills today. Asuka under Heyman's guidance could return her to her former ways, and maybe even be bigger and better.
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