Is WWE's Asuka Set for a Royal Rumble Return?

By Brian Jones

It looks like WWE could be getting a big Superstar back very soon. According to Andrew Zarian of The Mat Men Podcast, Asuka "should be cleared now" for a return to WWE. This news comes less than two weeks before the Royal Rumble, which is one of WWE's biggest events of the year. The former women's champion hasn't been seen on WWE since competing in the Women's Money in the Bank match last July, as mentioned by Wrestling Inc. In August, it was reported that WWE creative didn't have any plans for Asuka and that she isn't injured. 

In September, Asuka shared a picture of her in an arm brace, confirming she has missed action due to an injury. She also underwent dental surgery after Shayna Baszler kicked her in the mouth during a match on Raw in February. WWE has already announced the majority of the competitors in the Women's Royal Rumble match. But there are always a few surprises, and Asuka could be one of them. 

Asuka, 40, has had a lot of success in WWE since joining the company in 2015. She has won the NXT Women's Championship, the Raw Women's Championship twice, the SmackDown women's Championship, the Women's Tag Team Championship twice, the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2020 and the Royal Rumble Match in 2018. Asuka is the third Women's Triple Crown Champion and Second Women's Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. 

"I want to say to Asian girls, don't give up on your dreams!" Asuka told ET Canada in May. "When I was 16, I wanted to be a WWE superstar. One day I asked my mom can I be a WWE superstar, and she said, 'No, you have to go college! I also told my high school teacher, 'I want to be a WWE superstar.'

"She laughed and said, 'Don't be silly.' I was shocked. I had no choice. I gave up on my dream once. I went to college and after graduating from college, I started training. I couldn't give up on my dream. My friends gave me confidence, 'You can do it, you can do it!' I called a wrestling company in Tokyo. I left my hometown of Osaka, Japan. Now I am a WWE superstar. "

0comments
Start the Conversation

of