8 Ups And 4 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Orlando

5. Asuka Slowly Turns

asuka ember moon
WWE.com

If you’ve been paying attention recently, you’ve seen NXT Women’s Champion Asuka show signs of increasing confidence, declaring that no one can beat her.

That confidence was brimming in the contract signing from last week and the video package before the title bout. That confidence quickly gave way to over-confidence, then cockiness, and finally desperation when the champ realized she was outmatched. Asuka thought she’d have an easy time with Ember Moon, but she had a big fight on her hands.

With Moon setting up for the Eclipse, Asuka shoved the referee into the corner to knock Ember down, setting up a buzzsaw kick for the win. Just like that, Asuka basically became a villainous champ doing whatever she could to keep the title she’s now held for a full year. That result also set Ember up for a rematch where the cheering lines will be more clearly defined.

Advertisement
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.