WWE News: Edge and Christian on Asuka, "I've never really understood the hype" 

What's the story?

Auska made her long-awaited WWE main roster debut at TLC where she defeated Emma. The two went on to compete the next night on Raw and the result was the same. Even though Asuka had a ton of hype behind her debut, she still has some critics.

Edge and Christian recently spoke about Asuka on their podcast E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness where they both revealed they're not buying into "The Empress Of Tomorrow" just yet.

In case you didn't know...

Few people have experienced an amazing run like Asuka did in NXT. She went undefeated and was dubbed "The Female Goldberg" for her impressive winning streak.

When she had to vacate her NXT Women's Title after a broken collarbone it turned out to be a good thing in the end, because she got to walk away from NXT without ever tasting the bitter flavour of defeat.

The heart of the matter

Asuka's debut might have been met with praise across the board, but others have discussed how it might have been ineffective in the end.

In all reality, Asuka's debut match against Emma probably should have been a squash. It is hard to see someone worth the hype machine put behind them if they have a decently long match against someone who is regularly defeated on Raw under five minutes.

Edge and Christian agreed with this assessment and commented about Asuka's WWE debut on their podcast, "E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness" and it doesn't sound like they're huge fans of "The Empress Of Tomorrow" just yet.

Thanks to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

"I'm sure I'll get lambasted for this, but I don't get the Asuka thing. I really don't. Like, she's fine and she's solid but I don't know."

Christian commented on Asuka as well by saying he had actually never seen an entire match from "The Empress Of Tomorrow" before. But with all the hype surrounding Asuka, it gives her a pretty steep hill to climb in order to reach the heights expected of her after all that buildup.

I've seen clips and I've never seen a full, full match. So, maybe I have maybe I've seen one or two but I think that when there's a lot of hype and that sort of thing it makes it almost harder sometimes for the talent to kinda live up to the packages and to the hype and they're expecting something completely different than something they've seen before. And that's really hard to do.

Christian went on to praise Asuka by saying he liked her body language and presentation. "Captain Charisma" also mentioned how Asuka works well in her persona and seems comfortable. But there still seemed to be something missing from the total package.

Edge went on to discuss how he believed Asuka performed a major faux pas when she used the ankle lock during her match at TLC. It might have been a questionable booking decision, but that move is also a signature of Asuka's even though it might have been wise to hold off on that one just for TLC due to Kurt Angle's in-ring return.

"I've never really understood the hype [...] more than that what I didn't get was using an ankle lock on a night when Kurt Angle is stepping back in a WWE ring for the first time in eleven years and it's actually being used in the main event as something pretty pivotal. Why do you do it as a spot that goes nowhere?"

What's next?

Edge and Christian didn't dismiss Asuka entirely because they do intend on giving her a fair shot to impress them. But it doesn't sound like she got off on the right foot. The fact she utilised an ankle lock at TLC might not have helped things much either.

But in time hopefully, Asuka will be able to convince Edge and Christian that she reeks of awesomeness. But Christian is correct in his assessment because it is very difficult to live up to so much hype.

When WWE puts the entire machine behind your debut there needs to be something monumental happening and in the end, it just seemed like another match at TLC.

Author's take

I've always been on board with Asuka. If you aren't a huge fan of her's I suggest you see her live and experience the energy she brings to a building before you make your final judgement.

Although Edge and Christian aren't totally on board with her just yet they're still going to give her a chance. After all, it's still early into Asuka's run. Let's just hope she can continue looking strong and eventually win over her doubters.