WWE Rumors: Company Might Have Teased Asuka’s Next Feud After ‘Extreme Rules’
It appears that WWE might have hinted at what’s next for Raw Women’s Champion Asuka after her title defense versus Sasha Banks at Sunday’s The Horror Show at Extreme Rules pay-per-view — a possible feud against her Kabuki Warriors teammate, Kairi Sane.
As recapped by Wrestling Inc., Asuka and Sane sat down with Raw Talk hosts Charly Caruso and Samoa Joe after this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, which saw them lose a match against Banks and Bayley. At one point during the interview, Sane told Asuka that if she retains the red brand’s Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules, she wants to be the next person to face her for the title.
After both women hugged, Asuka said that she does indeed want to defend her championship against her longtime tag team partner. Sane then responded in the affirmative, adding that the match is her “dream.”
Did you hear what we heard?
@KairiSaneWWE says she's READY for @WWEAsuka if #TheEmpress retains her #WWERaw #WomensTitle at The Horror Show at #ExtremeRules! #RAWTalk pic.twitter.com/Alm4YKixAs
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) July 14, 2020
The tease of a possible Asuka vs. Sane feud for the Raw Women’s Championship comes amid rumors that Sane is considering leaving WWE in the near future in order to spend more time with her husband in their home country of Japan. Per Wrestling Inc., reports as of last week have suggested that WWE was, at that time, planning to make the former Mae Young Classic winner a “good” offer that would hopefully convince her to stay with the company.
Given the above rumors, the publication also speculated that if the potential feud gets booked — possibly in the lead-up to SummerSlam in August — Asuka might be the one to send Sane “out of WWE and back to Japan.” This goes against rumors from earlier this month that suggested the promotion might book another member of Raw’s women’s division to defeat Sane in what could be her last WWE match before returning home.
Aside from Sane, several other superstars have been rumored to be in line to face Asuka at SummerSlam, possibly with the Raw Women’s Championship on the line. These include Nia Jax, the currently-on-hiatus Charlotte Flair, and Shayna Baszler, the latter of whom returned on this week’s episode of Raw after a lengthy absence and issued a warning to the other female wrestlers on the red brand’s roster.
Regardless of who her next onscreen rival may be, it appears that WWE still has big plans for Asuka going forward. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the 38-year-old Japanese grappler was mentioned last month as one of the wrestlers who likely won’t be losing their push following Paul Heyman’s exit as executive director of Raw.
