Asuka has been nothing but impressive and amazing during her time in NXT. This coming Saturday night, Asuka will be defending her NXT Women's Championship against Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. Since both Asuka and Ember Moon remain undefeated, is time running out for Asuka?
Asuka—also known as Kana—first appeared on WWE TV at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015, but she was at ringside for the event. After that appearance, rumors started floating around that she was coming to NXT. Those rumors were true, and Asuka soon signed with the company and made her first official appearance in WWE on NXT in September of 2015. However, her debut was spoiled by Emma and Dana Brooke. Emma and Dana kept trolling and terrorizing Asuka not only on NXT, but Twitter as well. In her first match in WWE, Asuka defeated Dana Brooke by submission at NXT TakeOver: Respect and put the women's division on notice.
Asuka still had a thorn in her side with the other half of E&D, Emma, who was out to prove that she was not scared of Asuka and that Asuka was all flash. At NXT TakeOver: London, Asuka proved that she was not a one-hit wonder when she knocked off Emma in a really good match. After that win, Asuka seemed practically unstoppable, racking up win after win.
In January 2016, a women's battle royal took place to determine the No. 1 contender to Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship. Asuka was the favorite to win, but they swerved us when she was eliminated by Eva Marie, who then was eliminated by Carmella. Carmella won the battle royal and thus would face Bayley—her best friend—on the February 10, 2016 episode of NXT. Even though she didn't win the battle royal, that did not stop Asuka, who continued to pick up wins left and right. In March 2016, Asuka and Bayley defeated Eva Marie and Nia Jax. After that match, Regal made the match that people wanted to see: Bayley vs. Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.
In the weeks leading up to Dallas, Asuka continued to dominate her competition. Bayley knew that Asuka was undefeated for a reason. However, at TakeOver, Bayley found out that Asuka is simply unbeatable. On April 1, 2016, Asuka shocked the world and defeated Bayley to win the NXT Women's Championship. In the process, she shattered the heart and soul of NXT. Asuka not only grew more unstoppable, but her confidence started to rise.
After Asuka defeated Bayley, she simply had no competition. However, Bayley wanted to invoke her rematch at NXT TakeOver: The End, but in a match with Nia Jax, Bayley suffered an injury. Nia won a Triple Threat No. 1 contender's match, that included Alexa Bliss and Carmella. At a contract signing, Nia laid out Asuka, sending a message to the entire division. In their match at TakeOver: The End, Nia dominated most of the match, but in the end, Asuka defeated Nia.
After TakeOver: The End, WWE announced that the brand split was going to return, meaning Superstars would be signed to either Raw or SmackDown Live. To make things more interesting, six people from NXT would be drafted as well. On the night of the draft, Asuka was not drafted, however, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Nia Jax were, which left a big hole in the division.
Bayley did not get drafted, though, which set up the inevitable Asuka vs. Bayley II. Before their match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, Bayley said that there was magic in the Barclays Center, reminding us of when she and Sasha Banks tore the roof of the building in their match one year prior. Unfortunately, the magic wasn't there for Bayley as Asuka retained her title in what would be Bayley's last match in NXT, as she was signed to Raw the night after SummerSlam.
After Brooklyn II, Asuka simply had no competition. Many people wondered who Asuka was going to face at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. After Asuka squashed Thea Trinidad in a match, William Regal announced that he looked all over the world to see which women's wrestler could possibly dethrone Asuka. Asuka's challenger at Toronto would be the returning Mickie James! At NXT TakeOver: Toronto, Mickie gave it her all, but as usual, Asuka was unstoppable.
Following Toronto, the women's division started to pick up steam, however, Asuka begged William for competition—and competition she got. In January 2017, Asuka was jumped by Billie Kay and Peyton Royce in the parking lot. After the iconic duo won a tag team match, Asuka was furious. She came out to the ring to fight them, but the beat down was on.
Then, out of nowhere, Nikki Cross of SAnitY came to the aid of Asuka. That was short-lived, as Nikki then attacked Asuka. After being attacked on two occasions, Asuka ran into Regal's office, telling him she wanted to face "all of them."
She got her wish and at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Asuka would defend her title against Nikki Cross, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce in a Fatal 4-Way. The odds seemed stacked against Asuka, but she found a way to retain her title, continuing her undefeated streak.
Then, there was only one left. After TakeOver: San Antonio, it became clear who Asuka was going to face at NXT TakeOver: Orlando—the undefeated Ember Moon. This past episode of NXT, Asuka sent a message to Ember by saying "This is your fate" as she murdered her opponent.
However, Asuka should not be too confident. Ember is not like any of Asuka's former challengers, especially with her finisher, the Eclipse. Liv Morgan even said on Twitter that if Ember hits the Eclipse, Asuka will no longer be Women's Champion. It will be the battle of two undefeated women, as Asuka takes on Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. Will Asuka continue her dominance or will she be Eclipsed? What does the future hold for The Empress of Tomorrow?
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