5 Ups & 7 Downs For WWE Raw (8 Sept - Results & Review)

3. Asuka Dominates Everything

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One of the more wonderful things about WWE in recent years has been its willingness to let its international wrestlers cut promos in their native languages. It adds a more global and authentic feel to the product.

But it has also been great to see someone like Asuka mixing in more English into her conversations, which has allowed for more interactive and deeper confrontations. Monday night, the Empress of Tomorrow mixed it up backstage with Nikki Bella on two separate occasions, as well as Rhea Ripley. She warned Bella to stay away from Iyo Sky and laughed when Nikki told her that she would respect her. Asuka then threatened to beat the respect out of her.

Later, Asuka refused to shrink away from Rhea, calling her and Bella “problems” and declaring she’s the top woman in WWE, standing up to the statuesque and imposing Ripley.

The way Asuka is being presented right now, she feels more dominant and threatening than at any point since her first year on the main roster. Chalk up a few big wins, and she would have “final boss” vibes as an opponent.

On top of that, she’s got a great little gag with Kairi Sane, calling for her demure tag partner offscreen to follow her. It adds a bit of a**hole while being humorous.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.