Hey look, it’s Asuka.
The last time WWE fans saw Asuka on television, the SmackDown women’s champion was tapping out Becky Lynch at the 2019 Royal Rumble. WWE turned Asuka’s momentum into her being taken off of TV for nearly a month.
Bold strategy.
This week on SmackDown, Asuka returned to the ring only to be interrupted by Mandy Rose. To top all of that off, the impromptu match between Asuka and Rose was interrupted by Lacey Evans
.@LaceyEvansWWE just came to say hey. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/2WIj6fT7YT
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2019
The only thing stranger than whatever Evans’ gimmick is, was Rose taking Asuka to the limit.
If ever there ever was a time for Asuka to blow her opponent out of the water it was tonight (Feb. 19) on SmackDown. Instead Rose took a ton of Asuka’s best offense and just kept coming.
One thing to keep in mind, @WWE_MandyRose... Don't mess with @WWEAsuka. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/44gCNfzvjv
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2019
Not only did Rose hang around blow for blow with the SmackDown women’s champion, she pinned her.
Wait, what?
Sure, Rose faked an eye injury to cause a brief distraction, but still. This is Asuka. Asuka shouldn’t lose by a roll-up to Mandy Rose. Yet, here we are.
Thoughts on Asuka’s first appearance in three weeks being a loss to Mandy Rose?
Get complete SmackDown results and coverage here.