Asuka Breaks CM Punk's Championship Record
06/12/2017 07:47 am EDT
The record for longest reigning Champion in the modern WWE no longer belongs to CM Punk. As pointed out recently by GiveMeSport, NXT Women's Champion, Asuka, is now at 437 days and counting. The Empress of Tomorrow captured the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in 2016 and has barely been challenged ever since.
CM Punk had an impressive 434-day reign from November 20, 2011, to January 27, 2013, that was recognized by WWE as the sixth longest of all-time, as well as the longest of the "modern era". We'll have to wait and see if Asuka's accomplishment is acknowledged by the WWE this week.
Punk's Championship record wasn't the only one recently shattered by the NXT star as she also speared Goldberg's record of 173 straight wins earlier this year.
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Since her October 2015 debut in NXT, Asuka, has become the most dominant performer to ever come through WWE developmental. She broke Paige's inaugural title reign of 308 days to become the longest reigning NXT Champion in history.
Next up on her hit list will be surpassing the New Day's 483-day reign as tag team champions. She only needs to carry the belt until SummerSlam to make that happen.
Asuka will be traveling with the main WWE roster for a pair of house shows in Japan on June 30th and July 1st. According to PW Insider, she'll be replacing Mickie James to team up with Bayley and Sasha Banks against the heel trio of Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Emma.
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The inclusion of Asuka on these Japanese dates is a smart move for the WWE. But it could also signal that she's nearing the end of her reign on the developmental brand. Will she drop the NXT title before making the jump? Can we expect to see her debut on Raw, or SmackDown Live? What about the rumors true she'll be a client of Paul Heyman's advocacy? True to her namesake, all eyes are on "The Empress of Tomorrow" for big things in her future.
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