5 Potential Challengers For Asuka At WrestleMania 35
On the 2019 Royal Rumble PPV event that took place on January 27th, we witnessed Asuka defend her Smackdown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch in a one on one match where The Empress gained the victory. This was a very big moment as Asuka had defeated the most popular women in the WWE today.
Asuka's championship reign began at TLC 2018 on December 18th as she had faced Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat TLC match, as Ronda Rousey had interfered to knock Lynch and Flair off a ladder, allowing for Asuka to win the title for the very first time in her career.
We are only one month into Asuka's title reign, but there isn't a clear idea on which superstar in the Smackdown Women's division has what it takes to conquer Asuka. Here are 5 potential superstars that could possibly face Asuka for the Smackdown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 35.
#5 Mandy Rose
With 'God's Greatest Creation' at #5, she definitely is the weakest female superstar in the list. It's clear that Rose's in-ring abilities aren't up to the standards of the likes of Asuka, but she has still been featured heavily on SmackDown as she has been engaged in a rivalry with Naomi, as Rose has attempted to ruin her life and marriage.
Rose is an example of someone who the WWE Universe isn't a fan of, but Vince McMahon definitely is support of her due to her looks. We have seen many examples of WWE push female superstars that weren't fully developed on NXT such as Carmella, Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss to winning championship gold.
This is why Rose may be next in line to face Asuka for the Smackdown Women's Championship, but that doesn't change the fact that she isn't a credible opponent for Asuka. If it came to having Asuka and Rose in the ring, Rose would simply have to get destroyed because she isn't a match to The Empress.
If Rose was ever to win the title, she would have to be a sneaky character who uses cheap tactics to win, such as using Sonya Deville as a distraction. However, we have seen Rose get the better of Naomi multiple times which suggests that the WWE have big plans for her. An opportunity against Asuka at WrestleMania 35 to gain the title would be a huge way to elevate Rose in the WWE.