7 Ups And 9 Downs From WWE Raw (Jan 20)

4. Reheating Asuka

Asuka Becky Lynch
WWE.com

Credit to WWE for trying to make Asuka back into the world-beater that she once was.

While they aren’t entirely succeeding, they’ve done a nice job putting Asuka back on the map, and allowing her heel persona to take flight. Asuka has gotten the drop on Becky Lynch multiple times, including last week when she misted the Raw Women’s Champion at their contract signing.

Monday, Asuka got in a cheap shot on Lynch during her match with Kairi Sane, then perched herself on the ringpost to watch much of the contest. It was a perfect heel tactic, as she sat there and shouted instructions (or insults, maybe someone who speaks Japanese can translate).

Afterward, Asuka jumped Becky and hooked the Asuka Lock. While many aren’t really giving the Empress of Tomorrow much chance of derailing The Man this close to WrestleMania, at least they’ve done a credible job of making her look like a real threat.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.