Asuka vs IYO at Backlash. It just doesn't feel as big of a deal without Kairi and the story being taken out, but it should be a good match. Kairi has been released by WWE. What will she do next? Let's hope Kairi goes to a company that will treat her right. Make the call, Rossy. Giulia deserves better. Sareee is carrying on the spirit of Inoki. Meiko is leading Sendai Girls. Xia and Wendy posting is fine; they're just not officially part of the Klub.
>Asuka vs IYO SKY. Backlash, May 9th >Sareee vs Seri Yamaoka. Marigold, May 16th >Sareee & Takumi Iroha [Spark Rush] vs Chi Chi & Senka Akatsuki. Ito Dojo in Shin-Kiba, May 17th >Sareee & MIRAI vs Rina & Miku Kanae. Yumiko Hotta 41st Anniversary, June 5th
>>20430446 I'm leaning 50/50 right now. But it would be dumb of WWE to bring her back to do that if they don't intend to rehire her and it would just restart the flames of the We Want Kairi thing
>>20430415 Fuck this shit. Even though they fired one of the girls like trash and they laugh at your face treating you like a retard every week, you still made an OP promoting this shit?
>>20430868 This will likely be the last WWE show I'll ever watch, just because of how they treated Kairi and how they're trying to pretend all those months of story didn't even happen. They made me feel like a fool just for watching it. They can't undo that, but if Kairi returns I can at least finish off watching this story since Asuka is my favourite and I want to see her.
But honestly, I think there's a bigger chance that this is Asuka's last match than there is for a Kairi return.
Actually the part that has been the weirdest for me is how because some indie promotions actually survive on youtube now, so it feels strange knowing that my view actually counts as a view for the first time since I was watching Smackdown on UPN.
>>20430903 She's old, has had a major injury recently that took her twice the amount of time as expected to recover from and had her wondering if she'd even be able to wrestle again, and her best friend who she was clearly trying to build up and put over and make a big deal out of was just fired unceremoniously in the middle of a fued after their Wrestlemania match was scrapped for ads.
I'm not saying she will, but it wouldn't surprise me if she did, and I think it's more likely than TKO bringing Kairi back. They litteraly held a meeting to say they don't care about fan opinions, bringing up 10 year old cherry picked tweets about how Roman Reigns sucks... Which he did
>>20431801 I mean she lives in Tampa, doesn't she? Also two of her best friends are having a big match and it's the first time two Japanese wrestlers are having a singles match in WWE ever. I wouldn't be shocked if she was just there to support, or not even at the show but to hang out after.
>>20431801 that account is funny, it's a troll account though and this is not real if WWE was flying kairi in, they'd fly her to a different airport and have her flown in, they never fly surprises directly to the city of the show, she'd also be trying to hide her identity surely
Asuka >1) is mad at the company for cutting Kairi/moving her match >2) refused to take the 50% pay cut >3) was always planning to retire/leave at the end of the feud >4) is staying and the face turn was just a pivot after Kairi left
Just saw the match. For the anons who didn't watch; Iyo and Asuka had slightly rushed entrances (women's match being cut down for time classic.) but still had a good long match. Asuka looked incredibly sexo, even more than usual.
It was a bit off to start with, major we want Kairi chants sort of derailing it as the crowd wasnt reacting as much as they should. But they both wrestled hard and fast with big hits, Asuka being an ass kicker and constantly going for subs while Iyo tried to do her stuff.
There was a great spot where Asuka went for the mist while on the announce desk and Iyo blocked it with a notebook with perfect timing, it was great.
They ended up back in the ring and Asuka had Iyo basically tapping out and passing out in the Asuka lock, but jumping back to life with a burst of energy and she managed to get out, put Asuka in it, and then get a moonsault for the pin.
Excellent hard hitting match that got me super into it after the lack of Kairi was killing both my interest and the crowds at the start. They're both amazing wrestlers.
Then they stayed in the ring, Iyo bowed to Asuka, who started crying and they hugged and Asuka was kissing Iyo and they shared a lovely moment that was very very likely a tearful goodbye as Iyo was trying to point to Asuka and give her time.
I think this is the end of her WWE career. She really cared for Kairi and (>>20435368) was probably planning on winding down her career after putting over Kairi, but now she can't so probably asked to be done now instead.
THANK YOU ASUKA! and now I can be done with WWE forever.
>Corey Graves and Big E on Asuka possibly retiring after Backlash:
>Corey Graves: “I have questions; you have questions. There was a lot of body language afterwards that might have suggested one thing or another. I don't want to speculate, but either way, what a match.”
>Big E: “I don't either. I wondered... is this a goodbye? We've never really seen Asuka this emotional. If this is goodbye, I know she will be dearly missed. She has been a pioneer; she had done truly incredible things in the ring even before she came to WWE, but she has further staked her claim as an all-time great here. I don't know what this means, but shout-out to IYO SKY for another incredible performance. She's someone I expect to be in that World Title picture again very, very soon.”
>>20436692 I'm already feeling hollow and empty without her, I expected her to retire after the Kairi turn to be honest, but at least then I'd have Kairi carrying on Asuka's legacy. But it ends like this. SAD
>>20436692 >but i ser her going to HoF next lel absolutely not, if Asuka is leaving, Gaytch and TKO will erase her like they erased Kairi or Bork who also retired
>the thread being gay and dooming and getting worked again Same bullshit you fucking dweebs were doing after she lost the belt to Rhea. Asuka leaving would have been a bigger deal.
>>20436881 I mean the thread got incredibly down when she lost the belt and still Asuka got back in eventually. I don't doubt she's getting toward the end now if not already, but I don't believe that yet. Just pay her and give her time to come back, after the way this arc fucked up, and it can all work out.
>>20436954 >Charlotte's posing black and white Asuka pics. >Bayley posting about Asuka. >Asuka litteraly waved goodbye to the audience, blowing kisses.
It's over. She's done.
But don't be sad, no doom, Asuka wants positive fans. So I think she's going to go on her own path and do it her way, so I expect a new KANAPRO with Kana Vs Kairi.
>>20436580 Man seeing her crying has made me realized just how fucked over her and everyone in her orbit got over the past three years, and asians wrestlers for that matter.
I mean I hate to say this because I know how much Triple H loves her, but I can totally see Asuka being one of the people who got asked to take a pay cut.
Maybe she refused and decided Backlash will be her last match.
>>20437478 Say this is true, what happens now for Asuka?
I really don't see her going to AEW, as much as Tony Khan would probably want her. I think she's just too loyal WWE and is probably willing to sign a Legends contract.
I don't see her joining any joshi organizations in Japan. She honestly has enough money and drawing power to run her own shows like Sarray.
I think she might do a retirement ceremony in Japan, maybe a final match with Kairi, and then just go play with her arcade she built.
>>20437496 If Asuka was loyal to WWE she would've taken the pay cut like Seff did. Asuka isn't loyal to a company. She's loyal to the people. Maybe you could say she's loyal to Gaytch but on the other hand, Gaytch played dirty when he fired Kairi and took away her Wrestlemania match + ruining her whole story with Iyo, and antagonizing the fans to ruin her Backlash match with the Kairi chants.
Of course, she probably knows that most of these are TKO's fault, but she's not gonna be loyal to the corporation just because of Gaytch.
Her going to AEW is a 50/50 because she does have big friends there. Kenny, Shida and Mina are already way too big a chance to go + the possibility of wrestling Syuri again, something she has been wanting to do since forever.
>>20437609 Doubt she's ever gonna produce shows again. Too much work and she hates the Joshi culture of Japan. If she doesn't join an established company, she's just gonna retire.
>>20437496 asuka has a higher chance of going to AEW than a lot of people think because they project their own dislike of the promotion onto asuka. if WWE tried to cut her pay and she wants to stay in america and wants to continue to wrestle, she will go there. but if all 3 of those things don't align, of course she won't.
>>20437663 Problem with the AEW thesis is that Asuka has spent like 20 years building herself up as a semi-serious star in japanese and american wrestling and the booking of jap women in AEW is a bad joke Like I don't wanna project shit but she's the biggest japanese wrestler in the world, men or women. Fuck is she going to do in AEW when she can chill at home or literally promote her own matches in japan. Tiny is never gonna booker anything decent or relinquish an inch of creative control. She's drawn a hundred times the money Okada has and done so much more for the visiblity of the sport, but the gay promoter doesn't give a shit
>>20437685 This, only way she goes to AEW is if tony overpays an amount she can’t say no to. Which can happen but he has done a lot less frequently now
Triple H is reportedly FURIOUS and SEETHING that Asuka might be retiring without giving him any warning. His original plans for Asuka's retirement involved a grueling match against Gunther.
>>20438151 It's clear based on >>20438124 and >>20438129 that Iyo and Asuka are fully aware of the fuck up getting rid of Kairi was. I think it likely caused Asuka to hurry up and leave early.
Even though Iyo's posting a message about respect and lessons, the pictures of the anchor submission and Kairi's mask show that they know this was meant to be a story revolving around her, and she never got the chance.
It's a bittersweet ending to Asuka's career. Corporate bullshit stopping her from completing her work with Kairi, so I think she plans on going her own way and she's going to tag with Kairi wherever they end up (if it's in Japan)
And she gave us a final pit power pose as a parting gift.
>>20438393 >bittersweet More like deserved lol. Dumb bitch never learned english despite living in the US for over 10 years and only got booked strong because Vince needed a gimmick. Never improved in the ring, is a shoot schizo, based her legacy off throwing a tantrum in Japan and one hard style match with some old and busted jap. Every person who has been retiring in WWE in the past decade have been complete and utter shitters who deserve their shitty retirement, except for AJ who had the balls to see the writing on the wall and called it and has been openly critical of the company since leaving.
she was always over because she didn't need a character, she WAS a character. She's extremely versatile and is basically the Kurt Angle of the women's decision, able to be a goofy comedy character one minute and then a serious contender at any point.
But unlike Kurt, Asuka has no combat sports background, she only ever trained to be a wrestler She was a good athlete though and liked mens wrestling with a lot of worked shoot stuff, so that's what she did, work stiff as fuck. She also made every man in the audience stuff as fuck too and once she got a clue, she took full advantage of it and became a sex bomb. Kicking ass and showing hers off.
She's always found a balance between extremes, goofy and serious, sexy and badass, art and combat.
>>20438778 >Already loading the mist from her special gland I wondered when she put the mist in her mouth, I noticed she had her mouth closed after kicking Iyo on the table (and she's usually a very tongue heavy wrestler) but as soon as I thought it, she misted.
WON is reporting that asuka is thought to be semi-retired but bodyslam is saying that’s wrong, or at least counter to what they were directly told, and she’s taking time off for a personal reason
>>20439382 Yeah, Meltzer is saying he heard she's now "semi-retired", but he doesn't know if that means she's now on a part-time schedule with WWE or she left the company and is only going to do occasional freelance shows in Japan.
>>20439382 >>20439420 >"The story I heard is that she (Asuka) is 'semi-retired.' I haven’t really gotten an exact meaning of what 'semi-retired' means. But I guess, people were wishing her goodbye and things like that backstage so… I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle, I don’t know if that means she’ll do stuff here and there. But I was told 'semi-retired.'"
>>20439382 Don't blame her, she will have nothing to do now that this revionist story is over. Iyo is now considered over in her eyes and she nothing more to give. Though, we all know she will go back to being Rhea Hogan's exotic pet.
>>20439382 Sounds like nobody knows anything and they're just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I don't trust Dave though, he was wrong about Kairi.
>>20439382 So is there a reason most knews about shit in WWE comes from dirtsheet scoundrels just repeating what's been fed to them instead of WWE making an actual fucking statement on certain things? Even for releases, it's always dirtsheet accounts, they can't even be assed to put news on WWE's website.
>[WWE] Huge reaction to the Empress Asuka’s tears after losing to Iyo! Big E makes shocking prediction: “Is this a sign of farewell?”
>At WWE Backlash in the United States on the 9th (10th Japan time, Tampa, Florida), in the first Japanese women’s singles match in PLE history, the “Empress of Tomorrow” Asuka lost after a fierce battle with Iyo Sky. After the match, she tearfully reconciled with Iyo, but on the post-show after the event ended, the possibility that she may leave WWE was pointed out.
>After the match, when Iyo bowed deeply, Asuka was overcome with emotion and sobbed while covering her face with her hands. Regarding that scene, former WWE Champion Big E, who served as a commentator on the post-show, prefaced his remarks by saying, “I don’t want to speculate,” but then predicted, “Could this possibly be a sign of ‘farewell’? I’ve never seen Asuka get this emotional before.”
>He continued, “If this is goodbye, she will be greatly missed. She is a pioneer, and she had already accomplished incredible things before coming to WWE, but here in WWE, she established her status as one of the greatest of all time,” praising the Empress’s accomplishments. But the fact that the word “goodbye” came from a commentator on WWE’s official broadcast shocked the WWE Universe.
>>20440040 >In April, Kairi Sane, her partner in the Kabuki Warriors, was released. In addition to her longtime ally leaving WWE, before the match Asuka posted a photo of herself staring into the distance on Instagram, with Frank Sinatra’s classic song “My Way” as the background music. Because that song is known as a “farewell song,” some see it as Asuka hinting at “the end.”
>It is of course unclear whether “farewell” means leaving WWE or retirement, but on social media, fans have flooded in with posts such as, “Please don’t say you’re leaving too,” “I hope you’re not finished,” and “Please don’t retire.”
>Asuka signed with WWE in September 2015. She changed her ring name from “Kana,” which she used in Japan, to “ASUKA,” and in the third brand, NXT, she recorded 267 consecutive victories as Women’s Champion. After being called up to the main roster, she won the top women’s title four times, with three WWE Women’s Championship reigns and one Women’s World Championship reign. She also won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship five times and achieved the Women’s Grand Slam. With her uncontrollable style, she gained popularity and spent more than 10 years active at the top of the world’s largest promotion.
>Attention is focused on the future of the “Empress of Tomorrow.”
The story is now: >Iyo betrayed /kabuki/ for Rhea >Rhea gets bored of her and just drops her like a sack of shit >Kairi was so heartbroken that she ceased to exist. >Iyo retires Asuka She's all alone, and it's all her own dumb fault. I hope Rhea's spooky skeleton disease causes her to have brittle bones.
>>20440720 My blood boiled listening to Wade read out the horrible retcon job of the story they did, where it's actually all about Rhea Ripley actually, and ASUKA'S BIGGEST RIVAL EVER WAS RHEA RIPLEY WHO SHE COULD NEVER BEAT fuck outta here with that shit
