5 WWE Superstars who could end Asuka's career if she decides to retire
Asuka had already made a name for herself before joining WWE. She was a highly decorated pro-wrestling champion in Japan and captured titles in every promotion she delved into.
By the time she signed with the Stamford-based promotion, she had wowed Titanland with her impressive in-ring skills and aggressiveness. During her stint in WWE’s developmental stable, NXT, she captured the now white and gold brand’s Women’s Championship and reigned for over 500 days. This is a record that has remained unbeaten to this day.
The intensity she showcased in NXT did not wane by the time she got called up to the main roster. She managed to capture both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships and she was looking to snag more gold during her run with the company.
However, Father Time is slowly catching up with her, not to mention her social media posts that seemingly hint of her hanging up her boots. Provided she has decided to step away from the squared circle, who among her equally talented counterparts could end her career?
Let’s take a look at the superstars who could end The Empress of Tomorrow’s WWE run.
#5 Charlotte Flair
Second-generation WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair is a viable opponent for Asuka for her final match in WWE. Just like The Empress of Tomorrow, The Queen is also a multi-time world champion and she is pretty much on track to surpass her legendary dad Nature Boy Ric Flair's achievements.
The two superstars have gone toe-to-toe in the past. One of the most recent in-ring brawls they got into was at this year’s SummerSlam during a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Women’s Championship.
For those not in the know, it was Flair who ended Asuka’s 914-day undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34. To that end, what better way to end her career than to slug it out one last time against The Queen.
#4 Becky Lynch
The Man Becky Lynch and Asuka have had several epic matches in the past. With that in mind, she too could be a worthy opponent for the latter if she has decided to retire from in-ring competition.
One of the most memorable and wholesome encounters between the two superstars came in 2020 when Lynch relinquished her RAW Women’s Championship before announcing her pregnancy. For those unaware, Asuka competed in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match that same year. It was weird back then since there were no crowds in attendance due to the ongoing global health crisis.
While The Empress of Tomorrow captured the MITB briefcase, little did she know that the match during the eponymous event was for the aforementioned women’s championship. It was only during the episode of RAW following the MITB Premium Live Event that she learned that she was the new champion.
#3 Bianca Belair
Another WWE Superstar who could be Asuka’s final opponent before retiring is The EST herself – Bianca Belair.
In January this year, fans saw The Empress of Tomorrow turn heel and set her sights on then-RAW Women’s Champion Belair. Asuka managed to win this year’s Elimination Chamber to earn a shot at the belt at WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately, she came up short at The Showcase of The Immortals as Belair successfully defended her belt.
Despite losing, there’s no denying that it was one banger of a match. To that end, we could expect a similar outcome from these superstars should they meet in Asuka's retirement match.
#2 Kairi Sane
While still at WWE, Kairi Sane and Asuka had an alliance known as the Kabuki Warriors. The in-ring partnership was pretty much well-received by fans as they fought their equally talented counterparts in the promotion’s female roster.
Their hard work finally paid off during 2019’s Hell in a Cell PLE where they captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss. Their reign as tag champs was one of the longest.
Unfortunately, in 2020, Sane announced her departure from the promotion, though she played a few roles behind the scenes for WWE. Her contract went up the following year and she was legit out of the Stamford-based promotion.
However, there are reports that she’s WWE-bound again after coming to terms with the company. With that in mind, will fans finally see a feud between these two superstars?
#1 Meiko Satomura vs Asuka will be a banger of a match
For those unaware, Asuka had several awesome matches with NXT Superstar Meiko Satomura. Some of their in-ring battles also took place before they joined WWE.
One of their most memorable encounters was in 2011 during a Triple Tails event. Triple Tails was a faction formed by Asuka (Kana at the time) and sisters Mio Shirai and Io Shirai, and they produced their own events. Asuka and Meiko had already gone toe-to-toe the previous year at Kana Pro, which was an event produced by Asuka herself.
Meiko got the win during their encounter in 2010. It was during this second encounter, at the Triple Tails event, that The Empress of Tomorrow made it even, winning the match via submission.
If such a matchup were to take place in WWE, the two superstars would definitely deliver the goods.