Asuka’s approach to promos is exactly what you think it is

Asuka is on a lot of people’s list of favorite WWE performers, including mine. A big reason for that is the energy she brings to everything she does on-screen, from wrestling to just standing around.

For a variety of reasons, she’s gotten a lot more microphone time during the pandemic era. It’s allowed her to remind fans that she brings that energy to her promos, too. Even when you don’t know exactly what she’s belting out in her native Japanese, you know what’s she’s saying. And more importantly, what she’s feeling.

She explained her approach to promos in an interview with the New York Post, and her answer probably won’t surprise you...

“It’s just show-me kind of stuff — Japanese, English. I don’t think about it, just talk.”

Asuka says the idea to start using the green mist came about the same way - it just happened spontaneously. The dance she does on the announce table? You guessed it...

“Don’t think about it. Just dance. I’ve asked myself where this dance came from.”

Hey, it works. If you’ve seen her charming YouTube videos, you know this is just another example of the old pro wrestling truisms that the best characters are just the wrestler’s real personality turned up to 11.

Check out the whole interview on the Post’s website here, where Asuka also talks about missing Kairi Sane, possibly bringing her evil clown persona to WWE, and teases a run at the Women’s Tag titles with Shayna Baszler.