5 times WWE fans were told that Asuka is not a priority

#2 SmackDown Women’s Championship reign

Asuka held the SmackDown Women’s Championship high above her head after winning the title in a TLC Triple Threat match against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at the TLC pay-per-view in December 2018.

Although the match was largely about her opponents, as Ronda Rousey interfered to further her storyline with Lynch and Flair before WrestleMania 35, it was still a special moment when “The Empress of Tomorrow” won her first title since joining WWE’s main roster.

However, with the exception of her victory over Lynch at the Royal Rumble, it has felt like WWE has treated the former NXT star like just another member of the women’s division ever since she became SmackDown Women’s champion.

For large spells of her three-month reign as champion, she was the fifth-most important woman on SmackDown Live, with Lynch, Flair, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose often featuring more prominently on Tuesday nights, and her title defences against Naomi (SmackDown Live) and Rose (Fastlane) hardly had any build-up.