5 Ups And 5 Downs From NXT 400
3. The Asuka Victimisation Roundabout Continues
Ember Moon, in an unusually human and non-spooky-eyed mode, expressed an unsurprising intention to take on Asuka again for the NXT Women's Championship. Ruby Riot interrupted her with the equally generic intention to be have her shot at the neo-joshi killing machine's title.
A package followed with highlights of the punishingly excellent Last Woman Standing match between Asuka and Scottish psychopath Nikki Cross. This segment highlighted a problem with the NXT women's scene. Asuka is a class act, but there's no one left in the division who can realistically topple her.
The drain to the main roster has been particularly dramatic with women's talent, and while Moon and Riot are respectable enough they don't look strong enough to take Asuka down.
The women's division needs either new blood or a major work of the booker's art to create a meaningful challenger. Cross looked the strongest because she always had that crazy person's chance, but the Last Woman Standing match would be hard to top and she may have been cashed in way too early to get maximum value.