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Last night on RAW, WWE took advantage of their new brand invitational rule by allowing Sasha Banks to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship, even though The Boss is a SmackDown Superstar.
As Women's Tag Team Champions, Bayley and Banks have the privilege of being able to compete on all three brands, but this doesn't extend to the Women's Championship on brands that aren't their own.
Banks has already lifted the RAW Women's Championship on four occasions, but is yet to win the SmackDown Championship. This makes this narrative somewhat strange, but since Bayley is the one holding the title, WWE has had to hold off on a feud between the two best friends.
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Banks has been moved over to RAW so that she can challenge for the Championship, despite the depth on the roster at present, so what about all the women in the RAW locker room who could challenge Asuka instead?
#5. Kairi Sane
It may sound like an odd one since the two women have been Tag Team Champions together, but Kairi Sane is yet to challenge for the RAW Women's title, despite her best friend currently holding it.
Much like Drew McIntyre allowing Dolph Ziggler a WWE Championship shot at Extreme Rules, it would be an interesting angle for Asuka to defend against her long-time friend and former NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane.
Sane has been through a lot over the past few months after being injured in consistent matches against Nia Jax. Since Asuka has already brushed Jax aside, nothing is stopping her from asking Sane to step up whilst there is no one on RAw to challenger her.
Friends have faced off in the past and it's easy to imagine the two women putting on a fantastic match.
#4. Natalya
Natalya turned a corner last night on RAW when she was able to defeat Liv Morgan with the help of Lana. Natalya has always been one of the most technical female wrestlers in the company, but WWE hasn't known what to do with the graduate of the Hart Family Dungeon.
Natalya has never won the RAW Women's Championship and with a manager by her side and a heel turn, this could be the perfect move for Natalya to challenge Asuka. Both Asuka and Natalya are technically gifted in the ring and would easily steal the show if given the chance.
Natalya is one of the women in the WWE locker room who has been waiting for an opportunity to challenge for a Championship, but WWE has given Sasha Banks the nod instead.
Extreme Rules is a filler pay-per-view on the road to SummerSlam, which means that they could allow any of the women in the locker room to challenge Asuka, much like how Tamina challenged Bayley back at Money in the Bank. Every woman in the locker room would agree that Natalya is the most deserving of a title shot at present.
#3. Nia Jax
Nia Jax came up short at Backlash when she challenged Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship. The match ended with a double count-out before the rematch on RAW then ended in a fast count by referee John Cone.
Instead of this being a reason for Nia Jax to be given another title shot, Jax was moved quickly into a feud with Charlotte Flair, who she injured last night on RAW.
Charlotte is reported to have suffered a suspected broken collar bone, which means that she could be out of action for an undetermined amount of time. Whilst Flair is on the sidelines there would be nothing stopping Jax from looking to challenge Asuka again. This could then lead to Flair interfering in the match and costing The Irresistible Force the Championship, whilst also allowing her to look strong in the process.
The recent matches between Asuka and Jax have obviously been done to protect the former Champion, but there is an easy way for WWE to finish the storyline and keep Nia Jax looking strong.
#2. Shayna Baszler
Despite coming to RAW only a few short months ago, Shayna Baszler has disappeared from WWE TV with reports suggesting that the company had taken the Submission Magician off-screen to allow Jax and Asuka to have a hard-hitting feud.
Whilst this made sense heading into Backlash, there is no reason why Baszler hasn't made her RAW return since. Baszler is easily one of the most popular women in the division at present and next in line for a Women's Championship shot.
Whilst there are women like Baszler in the RAW locker room, WWE shouldn't be calling in SmackDown stars to challenge Asuka. Baszler and Asuka are both technical wrestlers and their paths are yet to cross in a Championship match. So, it would be an interesting way for The Empress of Tomorrow to test her mettle against one of the hardest hitting stars in the current division.
After all, Baszler and Asuka are seen as two of the most dominant former NXT Women's Champions, so this would be a good way to settle the argument of who is better.
#1. Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair is one of the best female wrestlers that WWE has recruited in a long time. Many believed that she would be the woman to finally dethrone Shayna Baszler in NXT or even Rhea Ripley when she was NXT Women's Champion, but this wasn't the case. Instead, Belair came to the main roster without having enjoyed an NXT Women's Championship reign.
Despite this, there was a lot of excitement surrounding her main roster debut back at WrestleMania, even though she disappeared off-screen just a few weeks later.
Much like Shayna Baszler, there is a belief that one day Belair will dominate the RAW Women's Division but at present, the company has nothing for her. At a pay-per-view like Extreme Rules, she could easily have stepped up against Asuka and looked to pick up her first Championship in WWE.
Belair is perhaps the most talented female wrestler of the current generation and at present, she is being wasted on Monday Night RAW. Asuka has defeated Sasha Banks many times, but Asuka has never had to take on the challenge of Bianca Belair.
