AEW star reacts to Asuka's alter ego at WWE Royal Rumble
Asuka stunned the wrestling world by bringing back her former gimmick, which she used early on in her career. The former RAW Women's Champion teased the comeback of 'Kana' character prior to the event. AEW star Athena took to social media to share her reaction to the second women's grand slam champion's entrance at the event.
Asuka competed in various independent promotions before signing with WWE in 2015. Her impressive in-ring skills caught on with wrestling fans and soon rose to become one of the most prominent names in NXT's women's division. In 2018, she made her main roster debut on SmackDown. In recent weeks leading up to the event, the 41-year old hinted at Kana's debut in WWE on social media.
With an event having a magnitude like that of the Royal Rumble, many talents and veterans across promotions were glued to watching the show and sharing their reactions on social media. The former NXT Women's Champion shared her insights on two-time RAW Women's Champion former gimmick via Twitter.
Asuka’s return definitely got the biggest POP in this Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
The pop when she revealed her Kana-style face paint was tremendous. đź‘Ź
#RoyalRumble https://t.co/iDnhU0BuXi
Asuka was in the final three of the women's Royal Rumble match
Asuka last appeared at Survivor Series WarGames where she teamed up with Alexa Bliss, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch and Mia Yim against Damage CTRL, Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross.
She was the winner of the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match in 2018. However, the 41-year old did not stop there and went on to create history. She became the first WWE star to hold all the women's titles across all divisions and win the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches.
At this year's event, the multi-time WWE Women's Champion was in the top three, along with Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. She attempted to spray mist into The Eradicator's face, who managed to duck it which hit Morgan. This led to Ripley taking advantage and eliminating the Japanese star.
That reversal Asuka did into a German Suplex was sick. She's on another level. https://t.co/3sY7yvfbBe
The former NXT Champion and Rhea Ripley are no strangers to each other in the ring. They competed at WrestleMania 37 where The Judgment Day member won her first main roster title by ending Asuka's 230+ day RAW Women's title reign.
What did you think of Kana's debut at the Royal Rumble? Sound off in the comments.