6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (April 25)

by Scott Carlson

1. Programming Becks With Top-Level Opponent

Asuka Return
WWE.com

Of course, this item is underselling the real news story here: Asuka returned to Raw Monday night!

And seriously, that deserves an exclamation point and some celebration, because the women’s division has been stagnating for some time now, and the Empress of Tomorrow has been sitting on the sidelines. She instantly elevates everything she’s involved in, is a credible challenger for any title, and is a great wrestler who makes others better.

Having Becky Lynch return and look despondent, declare she’s hit rock bottom and then immediately transition to a rant about how she’s got nowhere to go but up was fantastic and right in line with her character. And just when you thought she really had hit rock bottom, she’s faced with a puzzle she’s had trouble solving before. You can actually see things getting worse for Lynch.

Also, kudos for having Asuka return and immediately have a top-level program rather than showing up with little or nothing to really do. This program could be tremendous, and it could set Asuka on a path toward a Raw Women’s Championship match in a couple of months.

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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.