Following her emotional loss to IYO SKY at WWE Backlash, Asuka shared a heartfelt in-ring embrace with her former protégé, which seemed extra emotional. And now, on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has revealed that the veteran is considered “semi-retired” after the match. What exactly this meant wasn’t clear, but as those backstage were saying goodbye to her, it suggests the 44-year-old could be gone for the foreseeable future.
“So, the story I heard is that she is semi-retired. I haven’t really gotten an exact meaning of what semi-retired means, but I guess people were wishing her goodbye and things like that backstage. So I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle. I don’t know if that means she’s going to still do stuff here and there, but I was told semi-retired.” – Dave Meltzer
Asuka, real name Kanako Urai, joined WWE in 2015 and immediately dominated NXT, capturing the Women’s Championship and holding it for a record 510 days while protecting an undefeated streak. After her 2017 main roster call-up, the Japanese star achieved remarkable success as a three-time Raw Women’s Champion, one-time SmackDown Women’s Champion, five-time Women’s Tag Team Champion, and 2020 Women’s Money in the Bank winner. Widely regarded as one of the greatest female wrestlers ever, Asuka proved that a Japanese women’s wrestler could excel in WWE, opening the door for IYO SKY and Kairi Sane.
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