5 theories why Asuka lost the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship

#2 Is Asuka moving to Raw?

The TLC pay-per-view in December 2018 ended with Asuka holding the SmackDown Women’s Championship above her head after defeating Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a TLC Triple Threat match. Granted, she received help from Ronda Rousey, but the fact remains: Asuka stood tall at the end of the PPV.

Since then, with the exception of her statement-making submission victory over Lynch at the Royal Rumble, “The Empress of Tomorrow” has been made to feel like an afterthought on SmackDown Live.

She has only defended her title on another two occasions, against Naomi on SmackDown Live and against Mandy Rose at Fastlane, and neither encounters were given sufficient build-up to make the match feel important in any way.

Perhaps WWE realised that Asuka’s reign as champion was not going as planned, due to a lack of viable challengers more than anything, and they are planning to move her to Raw in the post-WrestleMania 35 Superstar Shake-Up.