Brian Damage
This Week in Wrestling Week 19 of 2026
The big news this week appears to be the retirement or semi-retirement of one of WWE’s biggest female stars…The Empress of Tomorrow Asuka. The news seemed to catch most fans off guard, as Asuka was involved in a detailed storyline that included had Kairi Sane. When Kairi was released, the storyline jumped to Iyo Sky and felt a bit rushed to a conclusion. After Asuka’s match with Sky which she lost, Asuka and Sky embraced and bowed to each other out of respect. It felt like a goodbye and as it turned out….it was indeed.
Some reports suggest that Asuka had some personal family issues to attend to back in Japan. Whether that is true or not who knows? Asuka definitely has so much more left in her gas tank. She wasn’t showing signs of slowing down or aging in the ring. That is why this came off more of a shock than anything else. Asuka reportedly had signed a new long-term contract with WWE back in 2024. To go from that, to just two years later saying her goodbyes and walking away doesn’t seem right.
One thing is for sure; she is a true WWE hall of famer. A woman who burst onto WWE’s landscape and took over. After a successful career in Japan wrestling as Kana, she signed with WWE and took the moniker of Asuka (A tribute to Lioness Asuka) She won and held the NXT women’s title for 510 days. Only to relinquish it due to “injury.” Asuka had an undefeated streak in WWE that apparently broke Bill Goldberg’s record. She won world titles on both Raw and Smackdown as well as several tag team titles. Asuka wasn’t just a wrestler, but a presence who exuded charisma and personality.
For her to walk away from wrestling or simply from WWE, is a loss for the company for sure. While she passed the torch to Iyo Sky, there is no question the void that her absence will have on the entire women’s division in WWE. If this is a final goodbye of seeing Asuka in WWE, she has accomplished so much. The only thing she never did do in her tenure was score a Wrestlemania victory. In fact, Asuka was 0 wins and 6 losses. Other than that dismal fact, she should be regarded as one of the very best to lace up her boots in a WWE ring. Who was ready for Asuka? Everybody.
Photo Gallery
Liv Morgan
Lei Ying Lee
Trish Stratus
Karissa Rivera
Kiana James
Jade Cargill
NXT’s Adriana Rizzo (Center) with sister and mother
Lola Vice
Mandy Rose
Charlotte Flair
Lacey Evans
Video Gallery
The Road Warriors selling sneakers in 1990
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Asuka was a great character and added a lot to any storyline she was in. There are not enough “wrestlers” left, and she could put on a match that was fun to watch and tell a story, not just a do bunch of moves for the sake of doing them.