WWE Royal Rumble 2021: What's Next For The Night’s Losers?
What next for Asuka, Kevin Owens, and co. after falling short at WWE Royal Rumble 2021?
By the nature of the titular match alone, the Royal Rumble leaves at least 58 disappointed wrestlers watching through the sting of sweat and dejection, as one man and one woman succeed.
While winning the battle royal allows the victor to make an early reservation for their place at the Showcase of the Immortals, all hope is not lost for the rest of the roster. The Road to WrestleMania is long, arduous, and full of surprises.
The Show of Shows is the biggest wrestling event of the year, and any wrestler with the fight, determination, and wiles, can theoretically seize a spot. Of course, winning the Rumble, main-eventing WrestleMania, and winning the championship is the storybook run, but this is not the only way for a wrestler to have their 'Mania moment.
What the rosters of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT do over the coming months will determine whether they snatch gold and the eyes of the world, or chase R-Truth around the catering area...
Note: Regarding the Royal Rumble matches, we will be looking at the individual who had the indignity of being the first person eliminated from both bouts.
7. Asuka
Asuka and Charlotte Flair are a bizarre team: two top-tier athletes thrown together for the purpose of making a moment at TLC 2020 with Charlotte’s in-ring return. While they are a passable tandem, they make better rivals. During their brief promos Charlotte is like the popular girl who befriends the outcast during a spring lull in the school calendar.
In loss, Asuka is the least scathed. She was kept out of much of the match’s bullsh*t involving Charlotte’s dad and his new love-interest/prodigy Lacey Evans. It is surprising that Asuka and Charlotte are pursuing their lost championships, rather than dissolving the partnership to focus on solo success. During their number one contender match, interferences from Kacey and Ric caused Charlotte to abandon her partner and distracted Asuka, who took the pin.
Short term, Asuka will be kept busy with the Flair Family drama. She has legitimate heat with all parties: Ric and Lacey for their loss-causing distraction and Charlotte for abandoning her. It’s entertaining fodder on the Road to WrestleMania.
Asuka must beware of the packed locker room hungry to challenge for her Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania, and her current teammate is currently her most likely challenger.