10 Stars WWE Are Booking Perfectly

2. Asuka

Asuka Mask
WWE.com

Asuka, by design, looks invincible in 2017.

She hasn't lost a single match, the vast majority of which have ranged from good to excellent. Somehow, NXT officials have not booked themselves into a corner. Instead, they have acknowledged the reality of the situation - that Asuka is leagues beyond her Full Sail peers - and used it to portray her as a total beast; a performer so beastly that inevitably losing to her is no failure.

It works because Asuka invariably delivers in the ring. The undefeated streak arc is usually deployed to conceal the shortcomings of the subject. The idea is for the booker to build their aura while the talent themselves build their confidence and ability level. See: Goldberg, Vladimir Kozlov. Asuka's ability level is already insane. She's so good that she manages to manipulate audiences into believing a loss isn't as inconceivable as it so obviously is on paper. The awesome matches, of course, do much to ward off LOL Asuka Wins resentment.

And unless you're a member of the LOLTNA roster, you don't win a tournament not to quickly win a title. Provided Ember Moon doesn't unseat Asuka in Brooklyn, what a match Asuka Vs. The Mae Young Classic Tournament Winner would be - a clash between two superbly-built performers, neither of whom can afford to lose, carefully cultivated over the course of years.

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!