10 Hardest Hitters In Wrestling Right Now

8. Asuka

Juice Robinson Hirooki Goto
WWE

'The Empress Of Tomorrow' is yesterday's news on SmackDown Live after one too many crushing defeats, but she remains a candidate for rehabilitation on the power of her punches and kicks alone.

Asuka - though admittedly not particularly the version of her currently floating aimlessly on the main roster - smashed heads off with a smile on her face in Japan and NXT. An undefeated precision performer on the developmental brand, Asuka's back-fists and head kicks in particular were enough to fell everybody from Bayley to Billie Kay, including one memorable TakeOver: The End thrashing of Nia Jax that brought the giant crashing back down to earth.

It remains to be seen if Asuka's story will have a happy ending in WWE - her unbeaten streak certainly didn't - but if there's any hope for the former Full Sail star it starts at the end of her arms and legs. If anybody can literally fight their way back into contention, it's Asuka. Otherwise-awful matches with The IIconics could be saved by her sh*tkicking. Only then may Vince McMahon see what he's clearly thus far been missing.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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