8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 18)

7. It Was A Good Match, Though

Asuka Naomi
WWE.com

A segment featuring Asuka and Naomi that wasn’t a cringe comedy of racially dubious misunderstanding? It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Naomi’s athleticism added not inconsiderable drama, as she avoided Asuka’s vicious, sudden striking game with crisp, fluid movement in the opening phase. The ring generalship of the Empress allowed her to maintain control; her creative reversals and terrifying native tongue trash talk unglued the crowd as the pace settled.

Asuka, casting the crowd seductive looks, seemed renewed out there. Naomi, more unheralded for her creativity, used the barricade to launch a kick in Asuka’s face—a sequence that ended with a rare, believable count-out tease.

For a TV match, this told a quietly good story: Naomi, buoyed by this unexpected opportunity, was too impetuous to mount a serious challenge, and fell at Asuka’s cerebral counter game. Laid out with a back-and-forth template, Asuka emerged looking like a real Champion by kicking out of Naomi’s finish.

Far from the best Asuka match, this nonetheless effectively heightened an already very good title picture.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!