7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (Mar 15)

2. Asuka Unleashed

That WWE have burned away a potential first-time singles clash between Asuka and Shayna Baszler is a valid point, but the time for that complaint was December, when they first wrestled on Raw. It should have no bearing on the perceived quality of last night's show.

Asuka beat Shayna in a minute-and-a-half, battering her before the bell, which put Baszler at a disadvantage from the start, before simultaneously fending The Queen of Spades and Nia Jax off throughout. The Empress of Tomorrow thwarted several Jax interferences and though she found herself on the receiving end of a stiff knee to the mouth, she eventually rolled Shayna's Kirifuda Clutch into a pinfall for the win.

Baszler kept up in her quest to knock more of Asuka's teeth out after the bell, but her punt was blocked. A violent, crazed assault followed, as Asuka kicked the hell out of Baszler, stomped her head in the corner, then made her bite down on an exposed turnbuckle with pressure from behind.

This was a great way to have Asuka rebound from the kick a few weeks ago. It looks like she's about to go on the kind of tear we haven't seen from her on the main roster, with Jax and Baszler in her crosshairs, and it's exactly what she needs ahead of WrestleMania 37. Too often a tertiary figure in her own division, Asuka rediscovering her thunder was overdue.