Asuka teases a drastic action ahead of major change in WWE

Asuka has quietly stepped away from weekly televised WWE shows and live events owing to a severe knee injury. Although she supposedly underwent a successful surgery, her return timeline is unclear as of this writing.

The Empress last worked Backlash: France in May 2024, when she and Kairi Sane lost the Women's Tag Team Championship to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. She has since been active on her socials, sharing updates frequently and interacting with the WWE Universe. However, a more recent tweet confused the fanbase.

On X/Twitter, Asuka claimed that she would not hesitate to disappear from the face of the earth if she had to. What this is about is unclear. But so many of her followers have reacted to her post urging her not to.

"I don’t mind shutting down all the social media accounts I have," Asuka wrote.

Meanwhile, WWE is heading towards a major change in its programming. Although 'the dawn of a new era' is so commonly used these days that the sentiment may have lost its luster, the company's shows moving to the Netflix streaming platform truly is one such situation for all of professional wrestling. WWE RAW will premiere on Netflix on January 6, 2025.

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Will Asuka reunite with Damage CTRL upon WWE return?

One of the noteworthy ongoing storylines on Monday Night RAW is a plethora of young talents gunning for the Women's Intercontinental Championship, which was introduced by General Manager Adam Pearce a couple of weeks ago.

So far, Dakota Kai has managed to power through in the tournament. The New Zealand native will take on Lyra Valkyria on January 13, one week after RAW moves to Netflix. This match is the final and will determine the inaugural Women's IC Champion.

Damage CTRL continues to work together on the red brand despite losing Bayley and Asuka in the same year. The Empress was present during the 2024 WWE Japan Tour two months after her injury. She reunited with her stablemates at the event. It remains to be seen where the former Women's Champion fits in upon her return to the squared circle.