4 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Raw (June 29)

by Scott Carlson

1. Asuka Isn’t Invincible

Asuka Sasha Banks
WWE.com

Ever since winning the Raw Women’s Championship, Asuka has been nearly unbeatable, even knocking off Charlotte Flair last week.

So if this column often decries champions losing non-title matches, why is Asuka getting pinned Monday night a positive?

Simply put, Asuka has to look somewhat vulnerable heading into Extreme Rules, and losing to a challenger like Sasha Banks – in a mixed tag match, no less – isn’t a bad move. The pin came amidst a flurry of reversals and submission attempts, with Sasha flipping out of an Asuka Lock into a rollup (hooking the leg as well) for the surprise three-count.

The result is one that came out of nowhere and showed just how quickly a veteran like Banks could catch the Raw Women’s Champion off-guard and win the title. While it might not be likely – the money is in Banks chasing best friend Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship – the seeds of doubt have been planted.

And if both women are motivated, this could be a sleeper of a match for Extreme Rules.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.