10 Huge WWE Superstar Shake-up Predictions To Save SmackDown Live!

4. Asuka

Sasha Banks Finn Balor
WWE.com

Asuka's undefeated streak collapsing at WrestleMania emerged as one of the major shocks from the show, particularly after Charlotte Flair lost her SmackDown Live! Women's Title to Carmella just two nights later. The long game for WWE at this point seems to be for Flair to square off against Ronda Rousey in the 'Show Of Shows' first ever female main event in 2018, but this will require a certain level of booking patience in order to make it so.

'The Empress Of Tomorrow' would be an ideal distraction in the meantime.

Out for revenge after her humbling defeat, Asuka could easily spring back to life with a victory over Charlotte or alternatively immediately take a run at the undeserving new champion. Asuka could theoretically dethrone Carmella before the former 'Queen' even got a chance, adding fuel to a potential rematch between a dominant Champion and and the only woman to beat her.

Ultimately, it's the sheer dearth of talent left for her on Monday Night Raw that necessitates a change. Continuing her streak from NXT required multiple wins over Raw's best and worst. There's nobody left for her on Monday Nights.

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