Has WWE handled Asuka's debut poorly?

Down: Unwelcome comparisons

This isn't exactly what we got, but it felt like it to a lot of people.

Earlier this year, Shinsuke Nakamura debuted in a match against Dolph Ziggler that most thought was underwhelming. While I don't buy the sentiment that Shinsuke Nakamura is "ruined" at all (he's still one of the most over talents on SmackDown), the important thing is that many other people believe that he is, and the comparison with Asuka was inevitable.

Add that to confirmation bias (which is how people view the world almost all of the time) and you have an element that would have been best to be avoided. Even though Asuka's match with Emma was significantly shorter than Nakamura's with Dolph Ziggler, and Asuka never looked to be in the danger of losing in her match that Nakamura was in his, the comparisons hit home anyway.

Asuka's aura isn't just based on the way she's booked. People have to believe in it for it to really be effective. The result of the two matches is that fewer people believe in it now than they did on Sunday morning.