Asuka has proven that she is a bona fide Superstar. The Japanese sensation has run rough shot over the NXT women’s division and has defeated every opponent that has been placed in front of her.
Nia Jax, Bayley and most recently Mickie James have all fallen victim to Asuka inside the squared circle. The question is, to quote Goldberg, who’s next?
Asuka now finds herself in an NXT women’s division which is void of true challengers to the gold around her waist. Until now there was always an obvious feud for her to move onto, but that is no longer the case.
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Let’s break down five ways NXT creative can book Asuka going forward.
#1 Bring back more legends
Asuka is on another level from the rest of the current NXT Women’s division, so why not bring back another all-time great to challenge her?
Mickie James proved at NXT TakeOver: Toronto just how beneficial a victory over a legendary Superstar can be. It added another dimension to Asuka’s Championship reign and made her look even more unstoppable than previously thought.
She was of course helped by James, who showed that she can still deliver quality matches in-between the ropes.
If Asuka is to stay in NXT for a while longer, then this is a path that could prove to be fruitful. Not only does it help build her as a huge force in women’s wrestling, it makes for potentially great matches and also taps into an element of nostalgia that wrestling fans love.
There are still a number of legendary female wrestlers who could put on a great match with Asuka. I can’t imagine anyone complaining if we saw Asuka against the likes of Victoria or Trish Stratus at a future NXT TakeOver special.
#2 Face Billie Kaye and Peyton Royce
Of all the booking options outlined in this article, for many this may be the least desirable. Sure Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have upped their game and shown some signs of good heel work recently, but they’re still a long way off from being considered Championship material.
That said, with the Australian duo racking up more TV time this could make for an interesting stopover feud.
Of course, you have the option of singles competition, but you could also go with a Handicap Match.
Arguably the best option would be to have a Triple Threat Match where Kay and Royce could work together in order to have the numerical advantage. This is the only believable way that they would stand a chance of winning the gold.
You could then have the tried and tested outcome where the two friends turn on each other the moment they realise that only one of them can pin Asuka and become the new NXT Women’s Champion. This would lead to the heels being distracted and Asuka overcoming the odds to continue her Championship reign.
Alternatively, if you really wanted to take the Championship off Asuka you could take a leaf out of LayCool’s book. Have both Kay and Royce pin Asuka at the same time and become Co-Champions.
That way the Japanese Superstar is free to continue her WWE journey on the main roster whilst also giving a massive rub to Kay and Royce in the process.
#3 Let her face Ember Moon
Armed with a unique look and one of the coolest finishing moves in wrestling today, Ember Moon can certainly be viewed as a potential threat in the NXT women’s division.
That said, as much as she has impressed so far, we still don’t know enough about this enigmatic Superstar. The NXT Universe needs to witness more character development and be given the reasoning behind Moon’s persona for them to be fully invested in her.
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The fact she got a significant pop at NXT TakeOver: Toronto proves that the NXT Universe are intrigued despite her current lack of character.
She’s certainly solid enough inside the ring and could have a decent match with Asuka in the near future. However, a feud with Asuka would only be worthwhile if Ember Moon is given more exposure and depth for her character.
There would be no harm in them having a series of matches, but more needs to be done if WWE want Moon to be the one that ends Asuka’s reign.
Luckily there isn’t another TakeOver special until April, so the powers that be have plenty of time to give Moon an opportunity to shine and truly get over until then.
#4 Vacate the Title
It might be slightly anti-climactic, but if there’s nobody left for Asuka to face then why not let her leave NXT undefeated and on a high?
Having her lose the gold to someone below her level would only diminish her standing and what she has achieved since arriving in NXT.
It also gives the Japanese star a ton of momentum heading into her main roster debut. She could be billed as the most dominant NXT Women’s Champion of all time and someone who has yet to be defeated in WWE.
Vacating the NXT Women’s Championship would be a neat way of Asuka saying she’s achieved everything she could in NXT and that it’s time to move on. Moreover, it would allow for the new generation of female NXT Superstars to battle it out for supremacy.
#5 Have her battle Nikki Cross and SAnitY
Nikki Cross may not have had many matches in NXT, but she’s a talented worker and has a resume filled with numerous matches from a variety of independent promotions to back that up. She has also looked dangerous when helping the rest of SAnitY beat down on their unsuspecting victims.
If creative want to remove the NXT Women’s Title from Asuka then there’s an opportunity to do so by using Nikki Cross and SAnitY.
Have the two battle it out only for Cross to pick up the win through unfair means. Members of SAnitY could distract Asuka and cost her the Championship, that way Asuka is free to leave NXT without looking weak.
It would also help build Cross as a formidable force in the women’s division, knowing that she has the help of her surrounding faction. We’ve seen it hundreds of times before, where a heel Champion can’t retain their title unless they get help from others.
Furthermore, there’s also the option of eventually having SAnitY pick up tag team gold, thus making them the dominant stable of NXT.
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