Asuka Headed To WWE Main Roster, Hands Over NXT Title

Asuka’s reign as NXT Women’s Champion came to an end on Thursday night during the NXT television tapings at Full Sail University.

A segment was filmed with NXT General Manager William Regal and Asuka in mid-ring with the longest reigning women’s champion in NXT history relinquishing her title. The move was announced by WWE via their app alerts and website.

Asuka’s latest title defense occured at NXT Booklyn III this past Saturday night when she defeated Ember Moon. During the bout, Asuka suffered a broken collarbone. The injury will keep her out of action, at minimum, at least a couple of months. Possibly longer.

The segment filmed on Thursday night is expected to air during the September 6 edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network. Regal put over Asuka’s reign and noted how she has been one of the best champions in company history. He then announced that he and Asuka have begun negotiations with both RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle about a move to the main roster.

Asuka then handed over the title as the NXT roster came out on the stage. Her latest opponent, Ember Moon, came out to shake her hand. Instead, she and Asuka embraced in a hug.

Following that, Triple H was out in front of the crowd and introduced Asuka one final time as the undefeated, 523 day NXT Women’s Champion. She was also presented a bouquet of flowers.

There is no word yet on which brand Asuka will be heading to this fall. An announcement could surely be made soon, with videos being played for weeks to hype up her debut. However, you likely won’t be seeing her in action on Monday or Tuesday nights until the end of October, at the very earliest, due to her injury.

WWE’s official announcement, posted on WWE.com, is as follows:

“NXT Women’s Champion Asuka relinquished her title to NXT General Manager William Regaltonight at Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla. After her dominant performance and historic 500-plus day reign as NXT Women’s Champion, The Empress of Tomorrow looks to her future for new opportunities in WWE, though no specific details are known at this time. Her reign will officially end on the date that her historic announcement airs.

To see this monumental shift in the landscape of NXT, tune in each Wednesday to the award-winning WWE Network.”