6 Ups & 4 Downs For WWE Raw (22 Sept - Results & Review)

4. Asuka Takes No Prisoners

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What happened during the finish of the Rhea Ripley/Asuka match (and the impromptu nature of the bout itself) has been addressed, but the heel turn itself should get its own analysis.

Asuka’s growing discontent has been well documented in recent weeks as she has become increasingly hostile to Rhea Ripley and more frustrated with Iyo Sky (and more abusive toward Kairi Sane). Everything bubbled over Monday night when Asuka finally pulled the trigger and misted Ripley, then forced Sane – who had earlier admitted that neither she nor Iyo would be in WWE without Asuka – to attack her.

This version of Asuka should be a threat to Stephanie Vaquer’s newly won Women’s World Championship, Rhea, Iyo, and the rest of the women’s roster, a new top heel to wreak havoc. But all of that was marred by having her lose in the main event and then immediately wave it off with the post-match hijinks. Maybe just commit to booking to make a credible top challenger.

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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.