10 Shocking WWE Babyface Burials You Totally Don't Remember

8. Asuka Freezes At The Sight Of James Ellsworth

seth rollins
WWE

In 2018, Asuka won the Royal Rumble in January and the SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs in December.

It is a testament to her and her alone that these things happened, and the inevitable Network documentary will almost certainly erase just about everything else that happened during the remainder of a totally wretched year for the 'Empress Of Tomorrow'.

Having lost her undefeated streak at WrestleMania to Charlotte Flair, Asuka was then programmed with new Women's Champion Carmella, who herself had only won the title via cash-in on a beaten down 'Queen'. 'The Princess Of Staten Island' was overmatched by design in their battle at Money In The Bank, but WWE had no intention of terminating her reign then, let alone to a free-falling former NXT favourite.

To get out of the creative cul-de-sac they'd booked themselves into, they deployed the rat-like James Elsworth to scamper back up from the sewers and provide a distraction doing nothing that froze Asuka to the spot. Now a multiple-time loser and worse, a WWE-style fool, the once-in-a-generation talent had never looked so maddeningly normal.

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