The above interview with Asuka from The Bump this morning (May 13) was interesting for a few reasons.
For one thing, it’s actually subtitled. Most of the time when Asuka is doing her thing on Raw, we don’t need a direct translation. Her meaning comes across from her always engaging delivery. But if she’s going to be one of the main faces of the show, there will be times when we’ll need more than a vibe. It’s worth watching to see if the subtitles make their way to Monday nights.
Speaking of “faces”, this pretty much confirms what a lot of people thought coming out of the May 11 Raw... reacting to Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement was a turn for the Empress of Tomorrow. She’s still got her usual swagger here - like declaring herself a “genius” for her opening gambit in Money in the Bank’s Climb the Corporate Ladder match. But it goes along with talk of wanting to represent for the women’s division, and working harder to make the scene special for fans now that she’s got the belt.
And while there’s enough work being done in the interview that I wouldn’t exactly call it confirmation, the interview definitely plays into the notion that Lynch had a hand in selecting who would take The Man’s mantle after her historic run:
“I had so many matches with her [Becky], and I have a strong connection with her. I think we both felt the same way. I think she likes to have matches with me. I think she was relieved that I got the Money in the Bank, because she knew I could take care of it.”
With this as background, next Monday should be must see for fans of WWE’s women. With the way the way Shayna Baszler was presented on this week’s Raw, we could be gearing up for a match that’s been teased but never delivered... a one-on-one slobberknocker between the two most dominant NXT Women’s champions in history.
Interested?