Last night, WWE NXT featured the goodbye of their most dominant champion. They said goodbye to their best in-ring performer and said goodbye to someone who was the blood and sweat of that show. Asuka relinquished the championship that she held for 510 days to seek new challengers. An undefeated streak is so hard to pull off anymore because the fans will turn on them quickly. As much as I love wrestling and the fan base it brings, there are so many negatives to them that usually hurt the progression or development of very talented performers. It is amazing to see that Asuka was never in this category from the fans, heel or face. She towed the line and created so many historical moments that changed the landscape for NXT. Asuka will go down in history as the greatest NXT Superstar of all-time and there are many reasons why.
Asuka Climbed The Ranks In Fast, but Logical Order
Asuka came into NXT in 2015, but was not given a golden ticket right off the bat. She would be shown in the crowd at NXT Takeover and then slowly work her way into storylines. She would have her first match against Dana Brooke at NXT Takeover: Respect in which she showed flashes of brilliance. Brooke, a decent worker, was overshadowed by how precise and developed Asuka was in the ring. Soon after, Asuka would work her way up the ladder, defeating the likes of Emma, Cameron and others. She would get a chance to face off against Bayley, who was a fan favorite and held the NXT Women’s Championship after defeating Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. When Asuka became champion, she continued to show her dominance by beating Bayley, Nia Jax and whoever else stepped in her way. She worked her way up the ladder like a great superstar should and she became the face of the company, one that saw the likes of Charlotte, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks gone. Asuka was the anchor of NXT and the anchor of every change in the women’s division.
