Kana had made some appearances for Pro Wrestling Wave in 2008,[17][18][19] but did not start working regularly for the promotion until the end of 2010, when NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling folded.[15] On July 24, 2011, Kana defeated Ayumi Kurihara in the finals to win the2011 Catch the Wave tournament.[20] On October 30, Kana and Kurihara defeatedRan Yu-Yu andToshie Uematsu to win theDual Shock Wave 2011 tournament and become the first everWave Tag Team Champions.[21] While a tag team champion with Kurihara, Kana also regularly teamed withMio Shirai as Triple Tails.S and on February 1, 2012, Kurihara, Mika Iida andShuu Shibutani were made official members of Triple Tails.[22] Four days later, Kana and Kurihara lost the Wave Tag Team Championship to Ran Yu-Yu and Toshie Uematsu.[23] On March 6, the new incarnation of Triple Tails was named White Tails, in reference to Wave's topvillainous alliance, Black Dahlia.[24] On November 27, Kana defeatedYumi Ohka in a singles match, after which she declared herself the new "ace" of Wave.[25][26][27] On February 17, Kana, as the 2011 Catch the Wave winner, was granted entrance into theWave Single Championshiptournament, defeating Mio Shirai in her semi-final match.[28][29][30] On March 17, Kana was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Yumi Ohka.[31][32][33]
On April 21, Kana and Mio Shirai defeatedMisaki Ohata andTsukasa Fujimoto to win the Wave Tag Team Championship, bringing Triple Tails.S its first title.[34][35][36] They made their first successful defense on July 7 against Fujimoto and Kyusei Sakura Hirota.[37] On July 12, the White Tails stable produced their final event before the group's dissolution, during which Kana wrestled the soon-to-retire Ayumi Kurihara to a ten-minute time limit draw.[38] Three days later, Kana and Shirai lost the Wave Tag Team Championship to Shidarezakura (Hikaru Shida and Yumi Ohka) in their second defense.[39][40][41] From September 1 to October 6, Kana took part in the2013 Dual Shock Wave tournament, where she teamed with Yumi Ohka.[42] The team made it all the way to the finals of the tournament, before losing toLas Aventureras (Ayako Hamada and Yuu Yamagata) in a three-way match, which also included Muscle Venus (Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto).[43][44] In July 2015, Kana made it to the semi-finals of the2015 Catch the Wave tournament, but was defeated there by eventual tournament winner Yumi Ohka.[45]
Japanese independent circuit (2010–2015)
On April 29, 2010, Kana held her first self-produced event, titled Kana Pro, which saw her lose toMeiko Satomura in the main event of the evening.[2][46] On June 19, Kana formed the Triple Tails stable withIo and Mio, the Shirai sisters, and together the three of them worked for several promotions across Japan.[47][48] Kana Pro's second event on January 10, 2011, saw Kana and Yuki Ishikawa lose toCarlos Amano and Yoshiaki Fujiwara in the main event.[2][46] Triple Tails also put together their own shows on February 13 and May 8, 2011.[46] Kana Pro's third event logang on September 24 saw Kana lose toKengo Mashimo in the main event.[46] On October 29, Kana was elected the eighthpresident of 666, a small independent promotion for which she had wrestled for the past year.[49] On November 5, Kana took part in the final event held by theBattlarts promotion, defeatingAki Shizuku in a singles match.[50]
On March 11, 2012, Kana made her debut for theDDT Pro-Wrestling promotion, taking part in an eight-person ten-minutebattle royal for theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship, which she won five minutes into the match by pinning Michael Nakazawa, before losing it with just 50 seconds remaining in the match to Antonio Honda, only to regain it via submission with just 22 seconds remaining in the match.[51] On April 8, Kana defended the title in another ten-minute battle royal, during which she lost the title twice to Michael Nakazawa and once toKeita Yano, but each time managed to regain it and left the match with it, now as a five-time champion.[52] On April 25, Kana made her first appearance for Ice Ribbon in three years, when she teamed with Aki Shizuku to defeat April Davids andICE×60 Champion Hikaru Shida.[53] On April 30, Kana lost the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship to Ayumi Kurihara at a Pro Wrestling Wave event in the opening match of the2012 Catch the Wave tournament.[54][55] On May 5 at Ice Ribbon'sGolden Ribbon 2012 event, Kana defeated Hikaru Shida in a non-title singles match.[56] On May 12, Kana made herMexican debut, when she took part inToryumon Mexico'sDragonMania VII event, defeatingSyuri in a singles match.[57] In early July, Kana and Mio Shirai took part in the2012 Japan Expo inParis, France.[58] Kana returned to Ice Ribbon on October 20, when she teamed with new ICE×60 Champion Mio Shirai in a tag team main event, where they defeatedMaki Narumiya and Tsukasa Fujimoto.[59]
Following her December 2012 departure from WNC, Kana began making more regular appearances for both Ice Ribbon and JWP.[60][61][62][63] She was, in storyline, brought into JWP by her friend Arisa Nakajima, much to the chagrin of the promotion's presidentCommand Bolshoi, who was one of the wrestlers upset by her 2010 manifesto.[64] On February 24, 2013, Triple Tails.S held its first self-produced event in nine months, which saw Kana and Mio Shirai wrestleArisa Nakajima and Ayako Hamada in a main event tag team match.[65] On May 5, Kana made another appearance for JWP, submittingJWP Openweight Champion Arisa Nakajima in a tag team match, where she and Rydeen Hagane faced Nakajima and Nana Kawasa.[66][67] Post-match, Kana and Nakajima came to blows, with Nakajima claiming that she was now defending all ofjoshi against Kana.[68][69] Ahead of Ayumi Kurihara's impending retirement, she and Kana came together on July 26 to produce the "kanAyu" independent event, which saw Kana andGenki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! lose to Kurihara andMasaaki Mochizuki in a main event tag team match.[70][71] On August 18, Kana returned to JWP and defeated Arisa Nakajima to become the new JWP Openweight Champion.[72][73] Following the win, Kana, portrayed as the villainous outsider, smeared makeup on Nakajima's face, before gloating over capturing JWP's top title duringPlum Mariko's memorial event.[73][74] Kana made her first successful title defense on September 16 against the reigningJWP Junior andPOP ChampionManami Katsu.[75][76] Kana made her second successful title defense on October 14 againstJWP Tag Team andDaily Sports Women's Tag Team Champion Hanako Nakamori.[77][78] While continuing to badmouth JWP and its wrestlers, Kana also entered a storyline, where she began professing her love for Arisa Nakajima, much to the bewilderment of the former champion.[77][79] As part of the storyline, Kana refused title challenges made byKayoko Haruyama andLeon and instead named Nakajima her next challenger.[80][81] On December 15 at JWP's annual year-endClimax event, Kana lost the JWP Openweight Championship back to Nakajima in her third title defense.[82][83][84][85]
On December 27, 2013, Kana and Mio Shirai disbanded Triple Tails.S, with their final self-produced independent event taking place in early 2014.[86] On February 25, 2014, Kana produced an independent event titledKanaProMania in Korakuen Hall, which saw her defeat Meiko Satomura in the main event.[87] On April 16, Kana took part in a rare women's match promoted byPro Wrestling Noah, defeating JWP representative Rabbit Miu.[88] On May 15, Kana and Mio Shirai produced Triple Tails.S' final independent event before officially dissolving the partnership, which featured a main event tag team match, where Kana and Arisa Nakajima defeated Shirai and Kayoko Haruyama.[46] On the next Kana Pro event on June 16 at Korakuen Hall, Kana andNaomichi Marufuji were defeated by Meiko Satomura and Minoru Suzuki in an intergender main event tag team match.[89]
On October 5, 2014, Kana made a special appearance forAll Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Mika Iida in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Shuu Shibutani and Yumi Ohka.[90] During the next Kana Pro event on October 7 in Korakuen Hall Kana was pinned by Syuri in a tag team match, where she teamed with Minoru Suzuki and Syuri with Yoshiaki Fujiwara.[91][92] Kana announced that she would go on an indefinite hiatus from professional wrestling[93][94] followingKanaProMania: Pulse on September 15; in her last match she teamed with Hikaru Shida and Syuri in a winning effort against Arisa Nakajima, Rina Yamashita and Ryo Mizunami.[95][96]
Smash (2010–2012)
Kana made her debut forYoshihiro Tajiri's newSmash promotion on June 25, 2010, losing to Syuri in the main event ofSmash.4.[97] After the match, Kana left the arena smiling and later challenged Syuri to a rematch, which was made official on June 30.[98] In the rematch on July 24 atSmash.5 Kana, now a full blown heel, defeated Syuri via submission in just three minutes.[97] As part of the attempt to get herover as the top villain, Kana wrote a manifesto for theWeekly Pro-Wrestling magazine, which was published on August 4 and where she attacked the entireJoshi Puroresu community, claiming it was full of wrestlers with no personality and bad attitudes and who wrestled in an unrealistic manner.[99] The article led to a confrontation between Kana and wrestlers from the JWP Joshi Puroresu promotion on August 30 atSmash.7, but never led to a direct match.[100] Kana then beganfeuding with Tajiri, which led to an intergender match on December 24 atHappening Eve, where Tajiri was victorious.[101] Following the loss, Kana reemerged on January 29, 2011, as the leader of the Triple Tails stable with the Shirai sisters,[102][103] dubbing herselfSekai no Kana (literally "World Famous Kana").[104] Kana then continued working against the opposite sex, teaming with the Shirais to defeat Tajiri, Ken Ohka and Yoshiaki Yago on February 25,[105] but losing toFunaki on March 31.[106]
In April, Kana entered a feud withSerena, stemming from a comment she made, calling Kana a talented "amateur" wrestler, while she herself had worked for the top promotion in the world.[107] In response, Kana vowed to make Serena respect her.[13] In the first encounter on April 30 atSmash.16, Serena teamed withMakoto and Syuri to defeat the Triple Tails in a six-woman tag team match, when Serena pinned Kana with her finishing maneuver, thespear.[108] On May 3 atSmash.17, Serena defeated Kana with a spear in the first singles match between the two.[109] At the following event on June 9, Smash started a tournament to crown the inauguralSmash Diva Champion, which saw Kana defeatLin "Bitch" Byron in her first round match.[110] On August 11 atSmash.20, Kana defeated Syuri to set up a rematch with Serena in the finals of the tournament.[111] On September 8, Kana defeated Serena to become the inaugural Smash Diva Champion.[112] On November 24 atSmash.23, Kana lost the Smash Diva Championship toTomoka Nakagawa in her first defense.[113] On January 19, 2012, atWe Are Smash, Kana defeated Nakagawa in a rematch to regain the title.[114] Kana's second reign ended also in her first defense, when she lost the title to Syuri on February 19 atSmash.25, after which the two longtime rivals hugged and made peace with each other.[115][116] On March 14, Smash heldSmash.Final, the promotion's final event before ceasing operations, during which Kana teamed withÚltimo Dragón to defeat Mentallo and Syuri in a tag team match.[117]
American independent circuit (2011–2014)
In 2013 KANA adopted the visual aesthetic of a multi-colored clown, which would become a staple of her persona for several years to come.
On April 5, 2012, Tajiri named Kana as part of the roster ofWrestling New Classic (WNC), the follow-up promotion to Smash.[122][123] For the first time since 2006, when she was affiliated with AtoZ, Kana signed a contract to make WNC her new home promotion, ending her freelancing days, though the deal allowed her to continue working for Pro Wrestling Wave and producing her own independent events.[124] On April 26 at WNC's first event,Before the Dawn, Kana teamed with Mio Shirai in a tag team match, where they defeated Makoto and Syuri, with Kana pinning Makoto for the win.[125] Post-match, Kana verbally assaulted Makoto, which led to Shirai turning on her and siding with Makoto.[126] At WNC's second event,Starting Over on May 24, Kana submitted Makoto in a tag team match, where she teamed with Syuri and Makoto withRiho, a replacement for an injured Mio Shirai.[127][128] Two days later atGo! Go! West: Osaka, Kana submitted Makoto again, this time in a singles match.[129] On June 17, Kana produced her first Kana Pro event in collaboration with WNC, where she andKenichi Yamamoto were defeated in the main event byDaisuke Ikeda and Syuri.[130] The rivalry between Kana and Makoto continued at WNC's following event on June 22, where Makoto ended her losing streak by pinning Kana in a tag team match, where Kana teamed with Syuri and Makoto with Mio Shirai.[131][132] On July 15, Kana defeated Shirai in a singles match, after which she had another heated exchange with Makoto, who had been sidelined from in-ring action with a fractured wrist.[133]
Later that same event, Kana's uneasy alliance with Syuri came to an end, when Syuri turned on her, after losing to Ayako Hamada, and joined a new villainous stable formed by Akira andStarBuck.[134] The first match between Kana and Syuri since the latter's turn took place at a WNC event on August 2; Syuri, Akira and StarBuck defeated Kana,Hajime Ohara and Tajiri.[135] On August 30, Kana, Mikey Whipwreck and Tajiri were defeated in aBarbed Wire Board Deathmatch by Syuri, Akira and StarBuck.[136][137] Kana, Whipwreck and Tajiri were also defeated in a rematch the following day in Osaka,[138] before coming back to win the second rematch on September 1 inToyohashi, ending the villainous trio's win streak in the process.[139] In the main event of a WNC event on September 17, Kana earned a big win over Syuri, defeating her via submission in a tag team match, where she and Tajiri faced Syuri and Akira.[140] During a press conference the following day, Kana and Makoto announced that they were coming together to produce an event atShinjuku Face on November 9, celebrating their common birthday, respectively.[141] On September 20, Kana was defeated by Akira in an intergender match atKorakuen Hall.[142][143] On November 9, Kana and Makoto produced the first MakoKana Pro event. Early in the event, the two teamed to defeat the Ice Ribbon team ofHamuko Hoshi and Hikaru Shida.[144][145] Later, in the main event, Kana teamed withSendai Girls' Pro Wrestling's Kagetsu, wrestling Syuri and JWP's Arisa Nakajima to a thirty-minute time limit draw.[144][145][146] The match was billed as the first confrontation between Kana and Nakajima, who both started their careers in AtoZ.[145][146] On November 26, Kana entered theWNC Women's Championshiptournament, defeating Makoto in her first round match.[147] Two days later, Kana was eliminated in the semi-finals of the tournament byNagisa Nozaki, following interference from her Kabushiki gaisha DQN stablemateJiro Kuroshio.[148][149] Following the match, Kana quit WNC and once again became a freelancer, claiming that she had not been paid for months and had not been able to get in contact with the promotion's president Tsutomu Takashima.[150] WNC officially released Kana from her contract on December 4.[151]
Reina Joshi Puroresu (2014–2015)
On August 30, 2014, Kana began working for Reina Joshi Puroresu as a storyline consultant.[152] After Kana used her power to strip Ariya and Makoto of theReina World Tag Team Championship,[153][154] she and Arisa Nakajima became the new champions on November 20 by defeating Lin Byron and Syuri in a tournament final, when Syuri was betrayed by her own partner, paid off by Kana.[155] On December 26, Kana defeated Syuri to win the Reina World Women's Championship.[156][157] Following the win, Kana reformed Reina as the promotion's new "general producer" (GP).[157][158] In early 2015, Kana launched her own stable, originally named Kana-gun (Kana Army), but later renamed Piero-gun (Clown Army) due to all members adopting Kana's clown makeup; members of the stable included native wrestlers Makoto and Rina Yamashita, foreigners Alex Lee,Cat Power andLa Comandante and male wrestlersHercules Senga andYuko Miyamoto.[159][160][161] On January 12, 2015, Kana and Nakajima made their first successful defense of the Reina World Tag Team Championship againstGoya Kong and Muñeca de Plata.[162][163][164] On February 25 atKanaProMania: Advance, Kana and Arisa Nakajima lost the Reina World Tag Team Championship to Hikaru Shida and Syuri.[165][166] On March 25, Kana lost her position as the Reina GP to Shida after she and her stablemates Cat Power and Yuko Miyamoto were defeated in a six-person tag team match by Shida,Shiro Koshinaka andZeus.[159] In May, Kana made her first successful defenses of the Reina World Women's Championship against visiting Mexican wrestlers, defeating Gitana on May 17[160][167] and Reyna Isis on May 29.[161][168] On June 13, Kana made her third successful title defense against Yako Fujigasaki.[169][170] On August 31, ahead of her impending departure from the promotion, Kana relinquished the Reina World Women's Championship.[171] She wrestled her final match for the promotion on September 4, when she and Syuri defeated Konami and Makoto in a tag team match.[172]
WWE
NXT Women's Champion (2015–2017)
On August 22, 2015, Urai attendedWWE'sNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event inBrooklyn, New York,[173] Rumours about her having signed with WWE[174][175] were soon confirmed[176] at a press conference on September 8 in Tokyo; this made her the first female Japanese wrestler to sign with the company sinceBull Nakano in 1994.[177] She joined WWE'sdevelopmental brandNXT,[178][179] and adopted the ring name Asuka.[1] Her debut appearance, which aired on September 23, ended in a confrontation withDana Brooke andEmma.[180] In her debut match on October 7 atNXT TakeOver: Respect, Asuka defeated Dana.[181] Asuka continued racking victories over various wrestlers[182][183] including main roster wrestlerCameron[184] and continued her feud with Dana Brooke and Emma.[185] AtNXT TakeOver: London, Asuka defeated Emma.[186] Both wrestlers' performance was highly praised by critics such asDave Meltzer, who called the match "fantastic".[187]
Asuka in 2016
On the January 13, 2016, episode ofNXT, Asuka participated in a battle royal to determine the number #1 contender forBayley'sNXT Women's Championship; she was eliminated second-to-last byEva Marie.[188] On the February 10 episode, battle royal winnerCarmella lost her title match against Bayley. Asuka saved Carmella from a post-match attack by Eva Marie andNia Jax and afterwards had a staredown with Bayley, indicating that she wanted a shot at her title.[189] On April 1, Asuka defeated Bayley bytechnical submission to win the NXT Women's Championship atNXT TakeOver: Dallas[190] and successfully defended the title against Nia Jax on June 8 atNXT TakeOver: The End.[191] In summer 2016,Vince McMahon contemplated moving Asuka to the main roster during the2016 draft, but NXT head Triple H dissuaded him, calling Asuka "the one person NXT could not afford to lose" and the brand's "anchor".[192]
Asuka remained in NXT[193] and rekindled her feud with Bayley,[194] whom she again defeated on August 20 atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.[195] After her successful title defense against the returningMickie James on November 19 atNXT TakeOver: Toronto, Asuka displayed the first signs of villainous behavior when she refused to shake her opponent's hand after the match.[196] On the January 11, 2017, episode ofNXT when Asuka was overpowered byThe Iconic Duo (Billie Kay andPeyton Royce),Nikki Cross came to her rescue but then herself attacked Asuka.[197] Asuka demanded to defend her title against all three and won the subsequent fatal four-way match on January 28 atNXT TakeOver: San Antonio.[198] In early February, Asuka became the longest-reigning singles champion in NXT history, male or female.[199] In March, Asuka wrestled on severalhouse shows with WWE's main roster as a replacement for an injuredNaomi, including a show atMadison Square Garden on March 12.[200][201] Around this time, WWE began promoting Asuka's "undefeated streak [...] since her arrival" in NXT.[202] Asuka had never lost a match by submitting or being pinned, though she had come up short in the aforementioned battle royal in January 2016[188] andtag team match and onefatal four-way match on NXT house shows in March and May 2016, respectively, when other wrestlers were pinned.[203][204][205]
In her successful title defense againstEmber Moon on April 1 atNXT TakeOver: Orlando, Asuka again displayed a villainous demeanor, shoving the referee into her opponent to avoid Moon's finishing maneuver (theEclipse) en route to winning the match.[206] Asuka also attacked Ember Moon, Nikki Cross andRuby Riott, who were the final competitors in a battle royal to determine her challenger forNXT TakeOver: Chicago, officially cementing herself as a villainess.[207] Subsequently, Asuka had to defend her title against Nikki Cross and Ruby Riott in a triple threat match (Ember Moon missed out on the match due a shoulder injury), but she managed to retain her title at the event on June 20.[208] In June, Asuka decisively defeated Nikki Cross in aLast Woman Standing match to retain her championship.[209][210] During that time, she surpassedGoldberg's winning streak[211] andRockin' Robin's record-setting 502-dayWWF Women's Championship reign.[212]
On August 19 atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Asuka defeated the returning Ember Moon to retain her title.[213] During the match she broke her right collarbone which forced her out of action for six to eight weeks,[214][215] thus Asuka had to relinquish the NXT Women's Championship at the August 24NXT tapings which aired on September 6, ending her reign at 510 days.[216] During her farewell segment, NXT General Manager William Regal called her "one of the greatest champions in WWE history" and also mentioned negotiations to move Asuka to WWE's main roster.[217]
On April 17, Asuka was drafted toSmackDown as part of the2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, making her first appearance by saving Charlotte Flair andBecky Lynch from an attack byThe IIconics (a duo made of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) and then—SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella.[247] On the May 15 episode ofSmackDown, SmackDown general managerPaige interrupted Carmella, to announce that she would be defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka atMoney in the Bank.[248][249][250] At the event on June 17, Asuka lost to Carmella after an interference from the returningJames Ellsworth, suffering her first official pinfall loss in WWE.[251] Paige then granted Asuka a rematch that took place on July 15 atExtreme Rules, which Asuka lost after another distraction from Ellsworth, who was hanging above the ring in ashark cage, which Carmella used to win the match.[252] In September, Asuka helped Naomi, who after defeating Peyton Royce was attacked by The IIconics.[253] This led to a tag team match between the two teams on October 6 atWWE Super Show-Down, where Asuka and Naomi were defeated.[254][255] Also during that time, it was announced that Asuka and The Miz would take part in the upcoming season two ofMixed Match Challenge.[256] They lasted until the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winnersR-Truth and Carmella.[257] On November 18, Asuka took part in theSurvivor Series as part of Team Smackdown, where she was the last woman eliminated from Team SmackDown.[258]
Towards the end of November, Asuka won a battle royal to enter her way into the first-ever women'sTables, ladders, and chairs match against both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.[259][260][261][262] On December 16 at thenamesake event, in what was also the first ever women's championship match to main event a dual–branded event, Asuka won the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time in her career afterRonda Rousey interfered and pushed both Lynch and Flair off a ladder.[263] Throughout her reign, Asuka was able to fend off different challengers such as Naomi on theSmackDown following TLC,[264] Becky Lynch at theRoyal Rumble[265][266][267][268] andMandy Rose atFastlane.[269][270][271] On the March 26 episode ofSmackDown, Asukadropped the title to Charlotte Flair in an impromptu match, ending her reign at 100 days.[272]Dave Meltzer said she was supposed to defend the SmackDown Women's Championship atWrestleMania 35 against the winner of a fatal four-way match between Carmella, Mandy Rose, Naomi, and Sonya Deville that was cancelled in the last minute.[273]
On the April 16, 2019, episode ofSmackDown,Paige announced that she would bemanaging a newly formed women's tag team, consisting of Asuka and the debutingKairi Sane fromNXT.[274] The team of Asuka and Kairi Sane, later dubbed as "The Kabuki Warriors",[275][276][277] was immediately put in a feud with The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) over theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship. After weeks of avoiding them, The IIconics lost to The Kabuki Warriors during WWE's tour in Tokyo,[278] which earned The Kabuki Warriors a title match.[279] The title match took place on the July 16 episode ofSmackDown, where The IIconics retained after they got themselves counted–out.[280] In August, The Kabuki Warriors failed to dethrone champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.[281][282]
After a short hiatus, The Kabuki Warriors returned in September and defeatedFire and Desire (Mandy Rose andSonya Deville).[283] On October 6 at theHell in a Cell pay–per–view, The Kabuki Warriors finally won the Women's Tag Team Championship from Bliss and Cross, after Asuka used agreen mist on Cross.[284] The next night onRaw, The Kabuki Warriors completed their transition into heels, as they cut a promo on both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair and went onto defeat them in a non–title match, once again using green mist as leverage.[285] As part of the2019 Draft in mid-October, Asuka and Sane were both drafted to theRaw brand.[286] The duo further solidified their heel turn after Asuka spit green mist on their manager Paige, ending their association with Paige.[287] She renewed her rivalry with Becky Lynch after Lynch challenged Asuka to aRaw Women's Championship match[288] at theRoyal Rumble in a rematch from the previous year's event.[289] At the Royal Rumble, Asuka failed to win the title from Lynch.[290] On the February 3, 2020, episode ofRaw, Asuka demanded a rematch for the title, in which Lynch accepted,[291] but a week later onRaw, Asuka again failed to win the title.[292]
On the first night ofWrestleMania 36, The Kabuki Warriors lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, ending their reign at 181 days, the longest of the title so far.[293] On the April 13 episode ofRaw, Asuka qualified for theMoney in the Bank ladder match after defeating Ruby Riott. At theeponymous event, Asuka won the Women's Money in the Bank match.[294]
Grand Slam Champion (2020–2023)
On theRaw immediately following Money in the Bank, Becky Lynch revealed that she had vacated the Raw Women's Championship due to pregnancy, and that the ladder match was in fact for the vacated Raw Women's Championship rather than a championship match contract, making Asuka the new champion. She also became the secondWomen's Grand Slam winner after Bayley and thirdWomen's Triple Crown winner after Bayley and Alexa Bliss. She embraced Becky Lynch after the announcement and chanted her name, thus turning face in the process.[295] On the followingRaw, The Kabuki Warriors officiated their face turn, beginning a feud with the returning Nia Jax. AtBacklash, Asuka retained the title against Jax after both were counted out.[296] A rematch was scheduled the following night onRaw, where Asuka again retained the title.[297] Asuka presumably lost the Raw Women's Championship to Sasha Banks atThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules after she indirectly blinded the referee with the green mist and Bayley removed the referee's shirt, put it on herself and counted the pinfall, which was unofficial.[298] The next night onRaw,Stephanie McMahon ruled that the result was reversed to a no-contest, meaning that Asuka retained the championship, despite Banks having taken possession of the actual belt.[299] The following week, Asuka officially lost the title via countout in their rematch, where the belt could change hands by pinfall, submission, countout, disqualification or interference. Sasha Banks won the title when Asuka chose to get herself counted out to save Sane from an attack by Bayley.[300] This also marked Sane's final appearance in WWE, as she left the company to be with her new husband in Japan, therefore disbanding the Kabuki Warriors.[301]
AtSummerSlam, Asuka competed against both Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship, and later Banks for the Raw Women's Championship; she lost the first match, but later defeated Banks to regain the Raw Women's Championship, marking her first time winning any WWE title more than once.[302][303] AtClash of Champions, Asuka defeatedZelina Vega to retain her championship and, later in the night, answered Bayley's open challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship, which she won via disqualification.[304] The following night onRaw, Asuka faced Zelina Vega for the Raw Women's Championship and again successfully retained.[305] On the October 5 episode ofRaw, Asuka teamed with Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose to defeat Zelina Vega, Natalya, andLana.[306] On the October 19 episode ofRaw, Asuka successfully retained her title against Lana.[307] Asuka then faced Sasha Banks atSurvivor Series in a losing effort.[308] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Asuka and the returning Charlotte Flair defeated Jax and Baszler to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, making Asuka a double champion.[309] They lost the titles back to Jax and Baszler at theRoyal Rumble.[310] Asuka also lost the Raw Women's Championship toRhea Ripley on Night 2 of atWrestleMania 37, ending her second reign at 231 days.[311] On theRaw after WrestleMania, Asuka faced Ripley for the title in a rematch which ended in a no-contest after Flair attacked both of them.[312] On the May 3 episode ofRaw, another rematch between Ripley and Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship was scheduled forWrestleMania Backlash. Later that night, WWE official Sonya Deville added Flair to the championship match to make it a triple threat match.[313] At the event, Asuka was unsuccessful to win the title and was pinned by Ripley.[314]
On the June 21 episode ofRaw, Asuka and Naomi qualified for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating the team of Eva Marie andDoudrop (Piper Niven).[315] AtMoney in the Bank, she was unsuccessful in winning the match.[316] It was her last match in 2021 before becoming inactive due to an injury.[317] During the2021 WWE Draft, Asuka was not drafted and was declared a free agent.[318] After 9 months of inactivity due to her injury recovery, Asuka made her return on the April 25, 2022, episode ofRaw, confronting Becky Lynch.[319] On the May 9 episode ofRaw, WWE officialAdam Pearce gave Asuka a championship contender's match against Raw Women's ChampionBianca Belair. Lynch became upset and later attacked both of them during their match.[320] The following week, Asuka defeated Lynch using green mist and earned a title match for the Raw Women's Championship atHell in a Cell.[321] Lynch defeated Asuka in a rematch on the next episode ofRaw and she was added to the title match.[322] At the event, Belair retained her title.[323] On the June 20 episode ofRaw, Asuka defeated Lynch to qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match.[324] AtMoney in the Bank, she was unsuccessful in winning the match.[325] On the October 31 episode ofRaw, Asuka and Alexa Bliss defeated women's tag team championsDakota Kai andIyo Sky in a title match and won the championship.[326] In a rematch atCrown Jewel, Asuka and Bliss lost the title back to Kai and Sky due to interference from Nikki Cross.[327] AtSurvivor Series: WarGames, the team of Asuka, Belair, Bliss, Lynch, andMia Yim defeated the team ofDamage CTRL, Cross, and Ripley in aWarGames match.[328]
In January 2023, after a brief hiatus, Asuka returned and participated in the2023 Women's Royal Rumble match with a new look, more reminiscent of her Kana character.[329] She finished in third place, being eliminated by eventual winner Rhea Ripley.[330] AtElimination Chamber the following month, Asuka defeated Carmella,Liv Morgan, Natalya, Nikki Cross, andRaquel Rodriguez in anElimination Chamber match to earn a Raw Women's Championship match against Bianca Belair atWrestleMania 39.[331] This also made her the first woman to win the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber matches and one of five people in general.[332] Asuka failed to win the title from Belair on Night 2 of WrestleMania 39.[333]
As part of the2023 WWE Draft, Asuka was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[334] She appeared on the May 12 episode ofSmackDown and used her green mist to attack Belair.[335] Their feud led to a title rematch atNight of Champions, where Asuka defeated Belair to win the Raw Women's Championship for the third time, ending Belair's record-setting title reign at 420 days.[336] On the June 9 episode ofSmackDown, the title was renamed to the WWE Women's Championship and Asuka was presented a brand-new championship design before being interrupted byCharlotte Flair, who challenged Asuka to a title match, which Asuka accepted and won via disqualification after Belair attacked her.[337] AtSummerSlam, Asuka lost the title to Belair in atriple threat match also involving Flair, ending her third reign at 70 days.[338] She then failed to regain the title against Sky and Flair in a triple threat match atFastlane.[339]
On the November 10, 2023 episode ofSmackDown, during a six-woman tag team match pitting Asuka with Belair and Flair againstDamage CTRL's Bayley, Sky and Kairi Sane, who returned atCrown Jewel and had joined the stable earlier that night, Asuka turned on her teammates to reunite with Sane while joining Damage CTRL at the same time.[340] AtSurvivor Series WarGames, Damage CTRL lost to Belair, Flair, Lynch, andShotzi in aWarGames match.[341]
In the2024 WWE Draft, Asuka (as a part of Damage CTRL) was drafted to the Raw brand.[343] AtBacklash France on May 4, Asuka and Sane lost their titles to Belair and Cargill, ending their second reign at 99 days.[344] Two days later onRaw, Asuka later revealed that she was suffering from a knee injury for months and had successfully undergone surgery.[345][346][347] During Asuka's hiatus, Damage CTRL quietly disbanded after the release of memberDakota Kai.[348]
After over a year of inactivity, Asuka made her return on the June 16, 2025 episode ofRaw, entering the2025 Queen of the Ring tournament and winning a fatal four-way in the first round, before making it to the finals atNight of Champions where she lost to Cargill.[349][350] On the July 7 episode ofRaw, the Kabuki Warriors reunited after Asuka came to the aid of Sane from an attack by WWE Women’s Tag Team ChampionsRaquel Rodriguez andRoxanne Perez.[351] AtEvolution on July 13, the Kabuki Warriors competed in a fatal four-way tag team match for the tag titles but were unsuccessful.[352] On the September 22 episode ofRaw, after weeks of tension between Asuka, Iyo Sky andRhea Ripley, both Asuka and Sane attacked Ripley and Sky, thus turning heel.[353] AtCrown Jewel on October 11, Asuka and Sane faced Sky and Ripley in a losing effort.[354] On the November 10 episode ofRaw, Asuka and Sane defeatedAlexa Bliss andCharlotte Flair to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship for the third time (Asuka’s fifth reign individually).[355] On the January 5, 2026 episode ofRaw, Asuka and Sane lost the titles to Ripley and Sky, ending their reign at 56 days.
Urai has released threegravure DVDs, titledManifesto (マニュフェスト,Manyufesuto; 2011),[360]Manifesto II (マニュフェストII,Manyufesuto II; 2012)[citation needed] andManifesto Final (マニフェスト Final,Manifesuto Final; 2015).[361] She and Mio Shirai have also released a gravure DVD together, titledSadistic Tails (2012).[362][363][364] In September 2019, Urai launched her own gaming and cooking channel onYouTube,KanaChanTV.[365] She had teased the channel with several posts on her Twitter account before formally announcing the channel.KanaChanTV features playthrough videos with her own bilingual English/Japanese commentary as well as lifestyle content.[366]
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^Johnson, Mike (September 11, 2017)."Asuka officially heading to Raw".Pro Wrestling Insider.Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2017.
^Johnson, Mike (September 24, 2017)."Asuka's Raw debut will be..."Pro Wrestling Insider.Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2017.
^Benigno, Anthony (December 4, 2017)."Asuka def. Alicia Fox".WWE.Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. RetrievedDecember 19, 2017.The Empress of Tomorrow followed up on her instantaneous defeat of Dana Brooke last week (setting a record for fastest submission victory in a women's match)...
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