Backstage news of WWE cancelling big Clash of Champions match for Asuka
All the titles will be defended at the Clash of Champions PPV and based on the angle from RAW, Asuka is all set to put the RAW Women's Championship on the line against Zelina Vega.
As you may have imagined, Zelina Vega was not the original opponent that the WWE officials had in mind for The Empress of Tomorrow.
Dave Meltzer revealed that Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka was the original plan for Clash of Champions. However, the match was nixed after WWE decided to put the Women's Tag Team titles on Baszler and Nia Jax.
It also seemed like Natalya was being groomed for a title shot due to her pairing with Lana and Natalya being pushed as a deserving candidate for a Championship opportunity on TV. However, that plan has also been dropped.
Meltzer noted the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
The original plan was Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler, but that got changed when Baszler won the tag titles. It appeared they were headed for Asuka vs. Natalya, but it was never strongly pushed and more because they had started the Natalya & Lana pairing to build Natalya for a title shot. But that's seemingly been dropped.
How will WWE book Asuka after Clash of Champions?
Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax will defend the Women's Tag Team Championship against the Riott Squad at Clash of Champions.
Asuka, as mentioned above, is expected to defend her title against Zelina Vega and a majority of the fans aren't complaining, as they have longed to see Vega get a singles push in the WWE. However, did WWE do the right thing by abruptly ending Zelina Vega's impressive stint as a manager in favor of an in-ring role?
While Zelina Vega has a golden opportunity to prove her mettle as a singles performer, Asuka should ideally retain her title before moving on to another feud. There is a possibility that the WWE gets Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax back into the RAW Women's title picture, which was the original plan, to begin with before the company deviated to another storyline.
With Peyton Royce, Bianca Belair and Natalya also waiting in the wings, WWE does have a few interesting decisions to make with regards to Asuka's title reign.