10 WWE Stars Who Were TRULY Buried

3. Asuka

Asuka Elimination Chamber
WWE.com

Asuka is Japanese.

That is, legitimately, the reason why WWE refuses to acknowledge her talent, irrespective of how universal that talent is. And it is universal.

Asuka carries herself like the most deadly performer on the planet, but wrestles comfortably within WWE’s safe in-house style. She conveys danger, with a mischievous wiggle of the fingers, a lick of the lip, and a flash of menace in the eyes. She is the purest worker in the company, arguably, but she doesn’t speak English, and Vince isn't sexually attracted to women of Asian descent. Asuka gave Becky Lynch her best effort of 2019, starred in the brutal spectacle that was TLC '18's main event, and used her superlative body language and physical comedy to make Mixed Match Challenge even vaguely worth the effort.

Effort, incidentally, is the other issue.

WWE’s institutionally lazy approach to television storytelling has failed Asuka. For obvious reasons, she cannot operate in opening talk segments or contract signings, and WWE never bothered to conceive of any other vehicle to maximise her appeal, because they couldn't copy and paste anything for her.

Asuka in micro indicts WWE's macro problem. The complexion of the roster is immaterial; within the current formula, WWE simply refuses to book around the performer. It's the other way 'round, and backwards is very much the word.

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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!