10 Things That Must Happen Before WrestleMania 35

8. Rebuild The Empress

Braun Strowman WrestleMania
WWE.com

Charlotte Flair pulled a massive WrestleMania 34 shock, forcing the previously indomitable Asuka to tap to her Figure Eight, thus ending her lengthy undefeated streak.

'The Empress Of Tomorrow' is now in an unfamiliar position. She's vulnerable for the first time in her WWE run, and her character's biggest hook is gone. Now, the company must find a way to keep her strong without her defunct aura of invincibility. She should be fine, but only with an effective follow-up, and it needs to start now.

Continuing to present Asuka as a stone cold killer is of the utmost importance. Normalisation will ruin her, and if she falls into the 50/50 booking trap, she'll be toast. That doesn't mean Asuka needs to go on another two-year winning streak, but she needs protection, with only the Charlottes, Rondas, and Sashas of the world able to best her in the ring (and even then, only once or twice a year.).

It's far too early to push the panic button on a perform who, until Sunday night, looked bulletproof, but let's hope the Superstar Shakeup sends her in the right direction...

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.