WWE Rumor Mill: The real reason Asuka was chosen for the TLC Women's Championship match revealed

What's the story?

Two weeks ago, ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ re-emerged in the women's title picture by winning a battle royal to determine the third competitor for the TLC triple-threat match for the Smackdown Women's Championship. It appears that the reasoning behind Asuka's inclusion into the women’s title match has been revealed, thanks to Fightful.com.

In case you didn't know...

I think it's quite fair to say that Asuka hasn't had a strong run on the main roster once her undefeated streak ended at WrestleMania 34. While the former NXT Women's champion had her chance at redemption back at Extreme Rules and Money in The Bank against Carmella, she arguably looked worse coming out of her feud against the first-ever MITB winner, which was no fault of her own.

Since then, Asuka was relegated to being in a tag-team alongside Naomi for their brief feud against the IIconics. The Empress of Tomorrow had a solid showing at WWE Evolution where she got to have a fun moment in the women's battle royal against one of her best rivals within the company thus far - Ember Moon - but ultimately came up short winning in the end.

When current SmackDown Women's champion Becky Lynch was forced to withdraw from her big match against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series, fans were noticeably hoping that 'The Man' would choose Asuka as her replacement in the Battle of the Brands match.

The heart of the matter

While Lynch ultimately chose Charlotte Flair as her replacement for Ronda Rousey, Asuka's popularity over Flair that night was definitely noticeable - including to Vince McMahon.

According to Fightful, Asuka was chosen to be added to the TLC match at the pay-per-view event given her popularity in this segment. McMahon believed that Charlotte would be the strong favourite among fans, so when Asuka received a huge ovation over 'The Queen', it surprised Vince and he has since decided to capitalise on Asuka's popularity.

What’s next?

We'll find out when Becky Lynch, Asuka and Charlotte Flair step into the ring for the first-ever TLC match for the Smackdown Women's Championship on December 16. Even if Asuka doesn't walk out as the new champion, hopefully the company realises what they have in her and provide the 37-year-old with a solid push coming out of the event.