12 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 12)

1. The Asuka Problem

Asuka Sonya Deville
WWE.com

That WWE haven't yet furnished their SmackDown Women's Champion with an important WrestleMania 35 programme is pathetic.

Think about it for a second. Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair are currently locked in the company's most important programme. Their Raw Women's Title Triple Threat will likely headline 'Mania. They dominate television every week, they're treated like the megastars they should be, and whether you like their recent creative direction or not, denying their focus is impossible.

Asuka, meanwhile, is currently playing a secondary role in a breakup angle between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. What the f*ck?

The only peep of a WrestleMania plan we've heard re: 'The Empress' is that she might face Lacey Evans on 7 April. That hasn't looked like coming together, and it's now clear that the promotion aren't going to prioritise their second Women's Champion. Rather than working a featured storyline, Asuka may not even defend her belt at all, competing instead in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal with the Dana Brookes and Alicia Foxes of the world, her Royal Rumble victory over Lynch a distant memory.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.