10 Booking Steps For Asuka On WWE's Main Roster

The empress of tomorrow, today.

Asuka WWE
WWE.com

Undefeated, unharmed and (mostly) unhurt, Asuka has departed NXT, with a main roster debut eagerly awaited and wearily anticipated by the wrestling fanbase at large.

With stumbled starts and false dawns for the likes of Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura and many others, the most discerning members of the 'WWE Universe' have had their fingers burned more than once in daring to get excited for the arrival of a Full Sail favourite. In the case of Bayley, whole hands have gone up in flames leaving her supporters resembling the flailing tube men that accompany her entrance.

How does Asuka fit in to that jagged metaphor? In exactly the same way she will the main roster - awkwardly. The most logical approach would surely be to keep her undefeated streak alive, at the very very least, but when has WWE's chaotic main roster approach fostered logic?

Somebody that has hammered down every stereotypical barrier and blazed brand new trails should not be forced onto the path of least resistance, regardless of company formulas and traditional strategies. With a smooth transition, WWE won't only have a superstar worthy of the lofty expectations placed upon the division's best in 2017, but may even finally have the performer that convinces them to propel women's matches to the regular rotation of headline spots.

10. The Free Agent

Asuka WWE
WWE.com

Back when WWE used to really care about how they introduced new talent, Scott Steiner's impending arrival in 2002 was presented by WWE as the most important free agent signing in the history of the industry.

Masking a foot injury that would hamper his debut clashes with Triple H (which in turn effectively destroyed his entire WWE career), 'The Big Bad Booty Daddy' walked, talked and acted like the biggest deal in the business, with Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon desperate to acquire his signature for Raw and SmackDown respectively. 'Big Poppa Pump' even got a rare 'win' over the McMahon princess, using her for sex before agreeing to join the Monday Night Raw roster anyway.

This is not a suggestion that Asuka shouldn't sidle up to Shane McMahon in the 'Boy Wonder's limousine, but a similarly heated battle to earn the right to promote the former NXT Women's Champion would be a fabulous way to raise her stature amongst the uninitiated. Often a forgotten problem with the main roster transition is a large portion of the audience's relative indifference to the developmental brand.

Such fierce competition for her presence on a particular show before she's even thrown a kick would immediately establish her with the importance she so richly deserves.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett