7 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 1)
2. Normalising Asuka
It's almost shocking how quickly WWE have made Asuka feel like part of the furniture since WrestleMania 34. The damage of losing to Charlotte Flair could've been mitigated with a strong follow-up, but the company haven't done this. Instead, she has slotted into a sidekick role, and while it's too early to throw words like "ruined" around, moderate concern is an appropriate reaction.
Having her talk every week is problematic, as is making her look like a geek with forced Avengers references. She didn't come off well in last night's backstage segment with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair; she came off normal, and that should never be the case with Asuka.
The former NXT Women's Champion is too good to fall apart completely, and there'll likely come a time when the bookers hand her a long, prosperous title reign. Still, like Shinsuke Nakamura before her, Asuka is suffering through a lack of character protection. Let's hope it's only a temporary glitch.