Asuka's future in WWE has huge return, predicts Hall of Famer (Exclusive)
It's Royal Rumble season and everyone's trying to figure out what surprises WWE has in store for one of the most anticipated PLEs of the year. As of right now, 15 male and 10 female superstars have been confirmed for Saturday, leaving a lot of open slots for special returns or debuts. One name fans are eager to see back is The Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka.
The multi-time champion has been out since May 2024 when she revealed she'd been dealing with a nagging knee injury for some time. Well, it seems possible that Asuka could be back as early as this weekend. NWA Hall of Famer Bill Apter seems to believe so, stating as much on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine.
"Asuka will make her comeback at the Royal Rumble. That's my prediction. I've got several predictions for who will come back in the Royal Rumble," Apter said. [4:06-4:16]
Check out his comments in the video below:
Damage CTRL is currently on RAW and has been challenging for both tag and singles gold in Asuka's absence. Her return to the red brand could light a spark underneath the group and set the stage for a strong 2025. It couldn't be much better timing-wise what with Dakota Kai suffering an unfortunate injury last week.
What was Asuka's last WWE match?
Before stepping away to recover, Asuka and Kairi Sane were the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. The duo, along with Dakota Kai, lost to Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi at WrestleMania 40 in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match.
At Backlash in France, the Kabuki Warriors defended their gold against Cargill and Bianca. Unfortunately for Asuka and Kairi, this would be the beginning of their challenger's incredible run atop the tag division in 2024.
The 43-year-old star revealed her injury status just a few days later and stepped away from WWE. Hopefully, we'll see her back where she belongs this Saturday at the Royal Rumble.
If you use the quote from the first part of this article, please credit The Wrestling Time Machine and embed the YouTube video, giving an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.