How WWE Mishandled Asuka

Going into Wrestlemania 34 Asuka was riding high, boasting a 2 and a half year long winning streak since signing with WWE. She had also just come off the heels of running through the entire Raw roster week after week defeating the likes of Bayley, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. WWE topped that off by producing one of the most generous vignettes in recent memory. It was a highlight package showcasing all of Asuka's accomplishments from NXT to present day.

WWE built Asuka up to be a powerhouse. And it was all erased in 2 nights.

Asuka's match with Charlotte at Wrestlemania was one of the highlights of the night on a very good show. There was great back and forth and a fantastic story told by two top notch wrestlers. To everyone's surprise, though, Asuka lost. And not only did she lose, she tapped out.

Everything, from the long winning streak to Asuka's win at the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble felt like it was leading to a crowning moment at the grandest stage of them all: Wrestlemania. It seemed a tailor made scenario to have Asuka win her first WWE Championship at the biggest PPV of the year.

Instead she tapped out to the Figure Eight Leglock being applied by a one-armed woman. And to make matters worse, she then grabbed a microphone after the match and put Charlotte over again, saying, "Charlotte was ready for Asuka." Was that supposed to be humbling or humiliating?

The puzzling sequence of events would continue two nights later on Smackdown when Charlotte would be beaten down by the debuting Peyton Royce and Billie Kay and then lose her Smackdown Women's Championship in a matter of seconds to Carmella, as she cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. Apparently Charlotte was tough enough to outlast 15 minutes with Asuka, yet being roughed up by two rookies for a couple of minutes and one glancing kick from Carmella was enough to defeat her.

And if the plan was to have Carmella cash in the Smackdown after 'Mania, why have Charlotte end Asuka's streak? Why have Asuka face Charlotte at all? Why not have Asuka defeat Alexa Bliss instead? It's not that Charlotte wasn't worthy of the honor of ending the streak, nor that Wrestlemania wasn't the right place to do it at. It's the careless nature in which this was handled and the lack of attention to detail that's mind-boggling.

Asuka losing takes away her air of invincibility. Asuka tapping out makes her look weak. Asuka losing while not being champion means she gets no rematch, which means she cannot even avenge her loss to Charlotte. Charlotte losing her title the next night so whimsically makes Asuka look weak in comparison. Charlotte losing her title the next night makes her win against Asuka look arbitrary, makes it look like WWE didn't really care about Asuka's streak or air of invincibility. And that's the biggest sin of all.