After 408 Days: Asuka’s Electric Reckoning Returns to WWE

After 408 days without stepping into the ring, the Empress of Tomorrow, the four-time women’s world champion, Asuka, has finally returned to WWE. After an injury, Asuka had to step away from wrestling for over a year. Until recently, there was little news as to when or even if she would be returning,
leaving fans to speculate
. It was only on the 9th of June that her return was finally announced.

Despite now rocking a knee brace, Asuka hasn’t been taking it slow with her return. In each of the two shows she has appeared in since her return, she has secured a high-profile win, setting the stage for her to reclaim the former heights of her WWE success. The WWE has booked a schedule full of big names for her to face off against, and so far she has done nothing but win. Let us go over how her two matches went and where she might go next.

Asuka’s Rise

To the tune of her old NXT theme, Asuka returned to the ring to compete in a quarterfinal Fatal Four Way match for the Queen of the Ring tournament. Even though she had been gone for over a year, Asuka took to the stage like she had never left. Yelling in her opponents’ faces and bouncing on the balls of her feet, her performance had all the personality and energy that fans had missed in her absence.

She faced stiff competition from Ivy Nile, Raquel Rodriguez, and Stephanie Vaquer. Asuka only snatched victory from the jaws of defeat due to the timely appearance of Rhea Ripley, who dragged Rodrigez out of the ring right as she tried to pin Vaquer to win the match. Ripley put the beatdown on Rodriguez, then sent her back into the ring for Asuka to clean up the rest. Sitting back with a smile, Ripley clapped as Asuka took
her victory
.

After her win, The Empress of Tomorrow took to Twitter the next day to celebrate her victory.

This Friday, Asuka faced off with Alexa Bliss in a knock-down, drag-out semifinal match. As a four-time WWE champion, Bliss was a fearsome opponent for Asuka to face in only her second match back. Neither woman could seem to keep the upper hand for long, and both escaped multiple pins just before the third count. When Bliss went for her finishing move, the former WWE Women’s champion pulled off a surprise reversal to
win the match
. With that win, the Empress of Tomorrow is already headed to the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament, only a week into her return.

If she wins Queen of the Ring, that would give her a chance at the WWE Women’s World Championship. This would mean facing off against Iyo Sky, a wrestler that Asuka has a history with. The two have faced each other for the championship title before, but they were also teammates in the Damage CTRL faction before it disbanded. Seeing them reunite for a title match would make for a show that is sure to have fireworks.

What Is Next For Asuka?

On the next WWE Monday Night Raw, Asuka’s opponent in the finals will be decided by the match between Jade Cargill and Roxanne Perez. A Cargill victory seems likely; she was one half of the duo that took the Women’s Tag Team Championship from Asuka a year ago, which creates a powerful narrative for their potential singles match. No doubt, fans would be eager to see Asuka face her former demons so soon after returning to the ring, and the match would make for an exciting finale to the tournament.

The Empress’s return also opens the possibility that new life will be breathed into the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. The title has long been neglected by the WWE and has comparatively few teams compared to its male counterpart. It has also suffered from the absence of one-half of its belt-holding duo, Liv Morgan. Morgan spent time filming a movie in Japan and is now set to spend up to to six months recovering from
an injury
she received the same night as Asuka’s return. This has left the WWE scrambling to find
new storylines
to replace the hole she is leaving.

As a four-time winner of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, Asuka would be the perfect face for a storyline around that belt. Especially since her former tag-team partner, Kairi Sane, already made her return to the WWE last month. If the two reunited, a storyline centered around their fight to reclaim the belt would be an easy sell. They could even face off against the tag team that stole their title, Cargill and Belair, before the WWE builds up their challenge for the belt when Morgan returns.

End of My Asuka Rant

Asuka’s return is one of the most exciting things happening in wrestling right now. Even with a difficult schedule, she has done nothing but win since she got back. Both of her matches have been exciting to watch too, as Asuka has lost none of her talent or charm in her time away from the WWE. The question now is if anyone can stop her or if she is going to tear her way back to the top of the WWE. She still has her work cut out for her. Between Cargill and Sky, WWE seems intent on having Asuka face all her most difficult opponents again if she wants the belt.

Her singles push isn’t the only thing making her an exciting wrestler to watch either; there is also the potential of her return to tag team wrestling on the horizon. With the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship in dire need of new teams and storylines, it would be a terrible missed opportunity for the WWE to not let Asuka compete for that belt too.

No matter what happens next, The Empress of Tomorrow’s return has made WWE’s future a lot more exciting.

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After 408 Days: Asuka Makes Electrifying Return To WWE
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