9 Things You Didn't Know About Asuka

Asuka has finally arrived in NXT, but what do we know about her?

Asuka NXT TakeOver Respect
WWE.com

At NXT TakeOver: Respect, Asuka made her NXT debut by defeating Dana Brooke in a fairly one-sided match. The Japanese legend showed off an impressive array of offensive manoeuvres, finishing off Brooke with the Asuka lock. Emma seems to be up next for Asuka, and I don't fancy the Australian's chances one bit.

Before becoming Asuka, she was Kana. A genuine wrestling legend, Kana was one of the most recognisable names in the female wrestling world, and her arrival in NXT is a genuine big deal. 

But what do we know about Asuka? We know she is a wrestling legend, we know she works pretty stiff and we know she is Japanese. Things get a little blurry outside of that, but luckily I'm here to fill in the blanks for you. 

9. Her Name Has A Historical Meaning

Asuka NXT TakeOver Respect
wikipedia.org

I'm guessing that not too many WhatCulture readers are fluent in Japanese, so I'll start by revealing the meaning behind her name. It consists of two characters, 'asu' and 'ka', the former translating as 'to fly' and the latter as 'bird'. 

It essentially means to be on a higher plane. The Asuka period was a span of around 100 years starting in the sixth century, and is seen as a pivotal time in the development of high Japanese culture. Art and architecture in particular advanced greatly. 

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Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.