In this edition of Glitter and Slam, we examine what WWE should do to maximize Asuka's forthcoming debut on RAW and discuss predictions for No Mercy.
(Asuka grapples with multiple-time victim Billie Kay on NXT. Source: WWE.com)
Asuka, best known as the Empress of Tomorrow, will be coming to Monday nights and WWE's red brand, RAW. In NXT she became the longest-reigning title holder in the history of the brand as the women's champion for 523 days. She also was booked undefeated for her entire run and – a rarity in a business where wrestlers tradtionally leave on their backs putting over other talent – she was granted the right to abdicate her title and take her unblemished record to the main roster.
WWE has a mixed track record when it comes to pushing talent outside of their usual box of American sports entertainment, but if they are careful to remember what makes Asuka special, the women's division and all of RAW will benefit.
PRESERVE THE MYSTIQUE
(The theatrics, costumes and the masks are all just a part of Asuka's otherwordly persona. Source: @WWEasuka twitter)
WWE in 2017 has shown a serious desire, at least on the Smackdown brand, to make inroads into India, Japan and the rest of middle and far eastern Asia. This is why we have the oddly surreal championship reign of Jinder Mahal and why his main challenger in recent months has been the Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura. On the surface, this shows that Asuka should have every opportunity to eclipse her already outstanding list of accomplishments, but Nakamura's booking as a template is a source of major concern as her debut looms.
(Nakamura has gotten the best push of any Japanese star in the history of WWE and American pro wrestling in 2017, but following the standard babyface template has hurt him. Source: WWE.com)
NXT's format made it easy to safeguard a wrestler's mystique. The hourly weekly format inherently prevented overexposure leading into the brand's Takover specials, which occur every two to three months. Every week there may be a highlight, mention or even a promo, but Asuka didn't wrestle every single night on NXT the way top talent has to on the main roster.
This type of presentation worked for Shinsuke Nakamura, who is the most unique talent to hit the WWE ring in years, but even as they push him to the moon, WWE is trying to fit him into the standard booking track that worked for other proven stars like AJ Styles among others. This approach disregards his uniqueness when we see him wrestle constantly.
(Source: Asukacity.com)
In addition to booking frequency, WWE also needs to make sure not to scuttle the best elements of her branding, which they did with Nakamura when he went from being the "King of Strong Style" to "The Artist" and "Rock Star." Asuka needs to remain the "Empress of Tomorrow," and remain the high energy force of nature of few words that she is now.
Watering down her exotic persona with a mundane, size-fits-all catch phrase that downplays just how unique she is won't do it, even if she is pushed harder and better than any woman that has come before her in WWE.
LET HER DOMINATE AS SHE SHOULD
(The match was exciting, but Asuka's championship victory over Bayley was a show of force that shocked the audience into silence. A rare thing in today's booking, but necessary for Asuka. Source: WWE.com)
Asuka is arguably the best female wrestler in the world. No one in WWE right now strikes better, can wrestle more crisply, or get a great match out of up-and-comers and intermediate talents the way she can.
Her NXT booking embraced her toughness and skill, along with her Ultimate Warrior-like energy. She cannot be booked as anything less on RAW. She needs to dominate Team Red's women's division out of the gate en route to the championship. In the first few weeks of her debut, handicap matches against jobbers would be a good start, but WWE creative needs to find the best match-ups in short order beyond that.
(Mickie James and Asuka had one of the best women's matches of 2016 in WWE. Source: WWE.com)
Before you get into the consistent championship contenders, the RAW women have dependable, solid talents like Alicia Fox, Emma and Mickie James that can give her that first rivalry to showcase her skills while also giving fans something beyond a squash match. After that they must let her dominate the likes of Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and Bayley en route to that first title reign.
In doing so, Alexa Bliss will have to take a back seat, short term. 2017 has deservedly been the year of Little Miss Bliss, but that is due to her great mic skill and storytelling ability, which is notably ahead of her intermediate ring skills.
(Alexa Bliss is great for business, especially locking horns with the ring generals of RAW's women like Banks and Bayley, but her character can't plausibly beat Asuka, perhaps ever. Source: WWE.com)
Bliss's clean title win over Sasha Banks in their recent rematch was implausible enough. There is no way in hell she can believably win even cheating like crazy over Asuka. Booking a Bliss victory would be going into Kevin Nash/Goldberg tasering. We saw how that all panned out with the beginning of the end for WCW.
The business landscape is different now, but serious damage could be done to the credibility of women's wrestling on RAW and bring back the negative memories of Kelly Kelly and Bella Twin magic whether it's deserved or not. She can do everything Sasha Banks and Bayley do, but better.
(Asuka has been the only woman booked as dominant over Nia Jax and it needs to stay that way as her first arc unfolds on the main roster. Source: WWE.com)
She's only woman of average size who Nia Jax can't beat on any given night. Even Sasha Banks comes to the ring against Jax, who she has beaten clean on several occasions, with a very real possibility of kissing canvas hard. En route to her first RAW Women's Championship she must plow through them all and it will be up to WWE's uneven scripting to find a way to keep all the women relevant and fresh as they chase Asuka.
The only way Bliss should be booked over the Empress is with a RAW Money In The Bank contract. In light of this, it is up to WWE to give Asuka's peers every chance to look like they were worthy opponents and let the champ do what champions in the business must, lift up the roster around them.
(The famous triple German suplex from Asuka's title defense against Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross. Source: WWE.com)
BOOK THE WOMEN STRONG BEYOND ASUKA
The Empress of Tomorrow destroyed most of her opponents in NXT, but after over 500 days of championship dominance, she leaves a division that is stronger than when Bayley passed the torch before her own exit to RAW.
The Iconic Duo of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are great devious opportunists who look for any advantage to avoid actually wrestling their opponents legitimately. Nikki Cross, who has worked gloriously stiff with Asuka got the showcase to build up into the scary dystopian buzzsaw that makes people take notice.
(Nikki Cross was the first to give Asuka a real beating, even in defeat, and she is reaping the rewards on NXT right now. Source: WWE Network)
Ember Moon was the one woman who had shown she was plausibly on Asuka's technical level in two epic title matches within a slow-burn feud and now she is in position to become the new standard bearer among NXT's women.
Asuka is leaving the NXT women's division rebuilt and in good hands with these talents as well as up-and-comers like Ruby Riot and homegrown Performance Center talents like Lacey Evans and Bianca Belair.
(Moon got the rub from the champ in a hard-fought defeat to become the new dominant force in NXT's rebuilt women's division. Source: WWE.com)
A dominant champ can be used to raise the bar for the entire roster around her. Give the rest of the women's roster the chance to shine against one another and make the most of their opportunities beyond the title.
Alexa Bliss can still wreak havoc her way, Banks can fight like a Boss and Emma can take every opportunity between the ropes to prove it's about her with or without gold on the line. If WWE creative can get back to that in booking, then Asuka will be free to be the dominating force of nature she has been for most of her career.
Will WWE do these things? Will they learn from the mistakes they have made with Nakamura? Time will tell.
NO MERCY PREDICTIONS!
(source: WWE Youtube)
Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman: I think they'll pull the trigger on Strowman, maybe see if he has the stuff to be champ going into Mania season. WINNER: Strowman
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns: The rancor between them and Cena's gleeful mic burial of the Big Dog indicate a solid, rough match is on the horizon. WINNER: Reigns
RAW Women's Championship - Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. Emma vs. Bayley: Banks put Bliss over clean after a one-week title reign because Vince was mad or something, and now we have an overly clogged championship match in part because Bliss wins through deceit (not a bad thing for the top female heel on the show) and can't plausibly beat anyone without cheating. She is simply not a wrestler on the same level as Banks, Emma or even Bayley who was thrown into this match for no good reason at all after a burial. I think Banks should have retained going into No Mercy and lost the title clean to my predicted WINNER: Nia Jax
RAW Tag Team Championship - Ambrose & Rollins (c) vs. Sheamus and Cesaro: For another month it looks like the Shield semi-reunion is best for business. WINNER: Ambrose and Rollins
Intercontinental Championship - The Miz (c) vs. Jason Jordan: This has the look more of being Jordan's first notable feud as a singles competitor. The Miz has done a great job of bringing out the best facets of his booked opponents since the brand split. This is more of an opening chapter than a coda. WINNER: The Miz
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt: They couldn't find anything else for either guy to do? Unbelievable, but the match itself should be very good. WINNER: Balor
Cruiserweight Championship: Neville (c) vs. Enzo Amore: Considering Neville has evolved into a violent sadistic asshole who looks at the rule book more as suggestions than the law, I don't see the Certified G winning the title in what looks to be a probable squash with more to come in the future. WINNER: Neville
In the next edition of Glitter and Slam, we'll take a look at the women of the Blue Brand as they head into Hell in a Cell, as well as where women's booking in general is compared to a year ago in WWE.
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