WWE Fastlane 2019: 8 Things We Learned

8. Asuka Needs A Marquee Opponent For WrestleMania

Asuka Mandy Rose
WWE.com

Nobody is ready for Asuka, including WWE's writing staff.

The colourful Japanese princess of pain is a bit lost in the shuffle right now. Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have stolen the majority of the headlines, and even Sasha Banks and Bayley's ascent to the Tag Title crown has made Asuka's life difficult. She's not a third wheel, she's a sixth.

Fastlane was another example of WWE's inability to write something compelling for the reigning SmackDown Women's Champ. Her match with Mandy Rose screamed house show, and it didn't exactly do much for Mandy and her pal Sonya Deville either. It looks like they could be heading for splitsville.

Forget that for now, 'cause Asuka is the more pressing concern. She badly needs a marquee opponent for WrestleMania. If she doesn't get one and WWE go down the Lacey Evans route (or, worse, a rematch with Mandy), then she could find herself in 'Mania hell.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.