10 Current WWE Stars Who Are Triple H Guys

8. Asuka

Triple H Tommaso Ciampa
WWE

The sight of Kana in the crowd at the inaugural TakeOver: Brooklyn brought into focus the extent to which times were changing.

Vince McMahon once bristled at the very notion of hiring a female Asian talent - Gail Kim - until Jim Ross, and who else, gauging by his Twitter activity, alerted him to the popularity of Asian pornography. Similarly, John Laurinaitis used grot to shape his 2000s recruitment policy. His genre was blonde swimsuit models, hence the actual reason developmental relocated to Florida in 2007. Triple H meanwhile, a fan of pro wrestling, hired the renamed Asuka because she was a jaw-dropping pro wrestler: a whirlwind warlord drenched in fierce feminine energy. Asuka, sadly, has become the most depressing symbol yet of the widening chasm between Triple H and Vince McMahon's opposing philosophies.

To Triple H, Asuka was the woman to truly legitimise the Revolution.

To Vince McMahon, Asuka is a popular babyface squandered to sacrifice to Carmella, his preferred vision of a female focal point. He even rehired James Ellsworth purely in the capacity as gravedigger. Happily, given NXT's apparent major presence at WWE Evolution, one would expect Triple H to leverage his position and petition for Asuka to show the world what the Empress is capable of. This is no night for insulting, heat-driven segments.

It is a night to celebrate women's wrestling, and there is no better women's wrestler in the company than Asuka.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!