The big story from last night is the debut of the wrestler formerly known as Kana. William Regal did a masterful job of getting the audience pumped for seeing 'the hottest free agent in the world' and when the newly-christened Asuka (pronounced Asska) stepped out onstage, she didn't disappoint. She walked onstage wearing the doll's mask, which we can all agree is really, really creepy, but when it was removed she became this whirligig of exuberance. She seemed more like an excitable teenager than the unnerving warrior that her hype vignettes implied. She greeted the crowd with fist pumps and whoops of joy. And then she was interrupted. Dana Brooke and Emma came down to 'welcome' her to the roster and, first things first, is this just the standard way that WWE introduces massively important Asian superstars? When Hideo Itami debuted in NXT, he was greeted by a two-on-one assault by The Ascension, and now Asuka has to deal with Dana and Emma. Similarities aside, Asuka's response to being dismissed by the two hotshot blondes was intriguing. She obeyed their instructions to leave, slowly walking out of the ring and up the ramp, before turning and flashing a deeply sinister smile at the two women, before finally leaving. With Kane flipping between monster and stooge on Raw, split-personalities seem to be the 'in thing' right now, and there is a dormant vein of pitch-black darkness beneath Asuka's bubbly exterior. Rather than respond to Emma and Dana's rudeness with the standard display of physical dominance, Asuka went for unsettling her opponents instead, which is a subtlety rarely seen on WWE programming, and a welcome change of pace. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is heading.
