WWE NXT TakeOver: Respect - 7 Major Talking Points
5. Asuka's An Insanely Skilled Wrestler
NXT TakeOver: Respect marked the in-ring debut of Asuka, formerly known as Kana. As one of the most famous joshi wrestlers active today, Asuka possesses a wealth of wrestling experience and skill, all of which was on full display in her debut match against Dana Brooke.
Although hers was the shortest match on the show, she did everything that she needed to in order to impress the audience. Asuka demonstrated incredible technical precision and skill throughout the contest, and was able to combine her technique with an agility the likes of which have rarely been seen in NXT before. The way she transitioned from one submission hold to another, with such impressive quickness, was more than enough for the audience to applaud her every move.
Among some of the most impressive things she did include: reversing Dana Brooke’s bodyscissors into a leg-bar and transitioning into an ankle lock, before following with a leg-trap German Suplex; pulling off a jumping armbar out of nowhere; and locking a modified crossface chickenwing with lightning speed.
If this was only a sample of what Asuka can do, then you can expect to see a lot of exciting technical matches between Asuka and the other women of NXT.