Asuka: How the Empress Failed Tomorrow

WrestleMania 34 Charlotte Asuka

In what was possibly the best competitive showing of the night, a bout that seemed like it would have a surefire outcome for many, there was a shocking conclusion. These types of swerves are often welcomed in a time when WWE feels so predictable, but the biggest night of the year had plenty of other moments to lean on. I wasn’t ready for the streak to end, especially before the Empress claimed a crown.

If it had to end, I suppose it was better to have it happen at WrestleMania — an attempt to make it mean more. It was the city that Undertaker’s streak was broken after all, but that hint of poetry is lost on me, as this was Asuka’s first performance on the grandest stage. Better than her winning the title only to have the streak broken at Backlash I suppose— which would have been an even more WWE thing to do— but a two year reign of dominance came to an end in an incredible match, and I’m not sure it was the right call.

It isn’t always necessary to pull the trigger before it is too late. There are many fans that are still hung up on the Undertaker’s defeat, who relished in his immortality and wanted to see him retire undefeated. So many have compared her run to Goldberg’s, and this did end better than that one, but for many fans this will always linger as a mistake, no matter what the rest of her career holds.

Asuka Charlotte

I saw some people insinuating that this move might have been done to protect Ronda Rousey, to keep her looking like the strongest woman in the division, and take the pressure off of having to book a feud with those kinds of stakes. How amazing would it have been, though, especially if Asuka had kept the belt (or both) until Wrestlemania 35: two hard-hitting women, winners, and a title on the line, could have made something special. I know there is an argument there for that being too long; like plans for a yearlong build to Reigns vs. Lesnar, but with more people actually liking Asuka, it could have worked.

I’m not sure if using Carmella and her briefcase would have been a better option. Most fans who were upset at her loss would have still seen this as a travesty, but I personally think a victory would have eased the pain. Not only that, but after the slight to the first women’s Money in the Bank technically being won by James Ellsworth, breaking the streak may be one of the few things to help build it back up—though I do like that the Princess of Staten Island has held it for this long. They saved that for Smackdown though, a decision that amplified that show, but could have changed the feeling of a key Wrestlemania match.

She wasn’t just pinned; she tapped out to Charlotte’s finishing maneuver, which adds a lot to Flair’s already impressive resume. The streak is a trophy for her, an achievement, another woman conquered. Maybe that is why I felt Asuka failed me; my hero had been built up as someone who would never tap. The loss wouldn’t have hurt her though, as the Queen is on her sixth championship run and has dropped it five times. One more wouldn’t have buried her, especially after such a fantastic showing. How will Ms. Genetically Superior use this victory versus how it would have continued Asuka’s build is a big question, and one that we won’t know the answer to now. We are so used to seeing WWE build people strong and either completely drop the ball with them or roll over the champ in the process, pushing them back down, but champions should be strong, even when they lose. No matter how great the match was, WWE has cast the die and must now make decisions based on that. So how will this affect both women moving forward?

Asuka
Source: WWE

Side note: I really hated that John Cena’s running backstage segment also took away from the end of this. If it had to happen, having Asuka show Flair the respect she earned was a nice touch, but that moment was cut off a bit short to build something a lot worse. Maybe that is why I chose to talk about this out of all of the matches, which had plenty to breakdown. Not only was it the best in my opinion, or that it hit me the hardest, but it has the most potential to still do something rather than just being a cheap surprise.

I’ve seen some already casting her aside, saying that Asuka is buried, will get the Bray or Rusev treatment —those who seem to have never recovered from their high profile Wrestlemania losses— and may even end up back in New Japan in a couple of years, but I think that is simply being defeatist. She is a force of nature, and it won’t take too much to build her back up as a threat. The streak was only a part of what made Asuka dominant. If they continue Charlotte and Asuka’s feud there is a chance for a redemption story, an ability to continue building each other up. In her post-Wrestlemania diary video, Asuka herself said that she was glad Charlotte was the one to do it, and that the loss was already making her a stronger competitor. It’s a tough pill to swallow for sure, but I’m glad to see that she hasn’t given up. The wrestling world has already moved on, but that part of Wrestlemania 34 is what will haunt my thoughts until next year’s show.

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