japanese wrestlers wwe

[346] In 2021, WWE named her as one of the top 5 of the greatest female superstars of all time. Jeff Hardy has traveled a rocky road when it comes to some of his personal decisions, and at points, it has greatly affected his career. He worked under the ring name of Punisher Dice Morgan for NJPW. [88], On October 5, 2014, Kana made a special appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Mika Iida in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Shuu Shibutani and Yumi Ohka. Sasha Banks to become the new Raw Women's Champion", "WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 19", "SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks def. Muto sends Austin into the barricade and goes for his handspring elbow again, but this time Austin dodges and Muto hits the barricade himself. These sort of six-man matches were All Japans bread and butter but the real novelty here is seeing Dory wrestle so well and Andr share the ring with two of the best in-ring workers ever in Kawada and Kobashi. There wasnt anything really wrong with this match aside from Muto getting too excited and faceplanting on the floor when climbing a turnbuckle. [145], On April 5, 2012, Tajiri named Kana as part of the roster of Wrestling New Classic (WNC), the follow-up promotion to Smash. 9 WWE Wrestlers Who Went To Japan (And Failed), 9 Ex-WWE Wrestlers Who Found More Success In Japan, 10 Current Wrestlers Who Made Their Name In Japan. [211], On the January 13, 2016, episode of NXT, Asuka participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for Bayley's NXT Women's Championship; she was eliminated second-to-last by Eva Marie. [153] On June 17, Kana produced her first Kana Pro event in collaboration with WNC, where she and Kenichi Yamamoto were defeated in the main event by Daisuke Ikeda and Syuri. [327] On the Raw after WrestleMania, Asuka faced Ripley for the title in a rematch which resulted in a no-contest due to Charlotte Flair attacking both of them. While a lot of fans would choose Kalisto over Gran Metalik as the best wrestler in Lucha House Party, we must remember that Metalik had a great showing in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament and that he was one of the stronger Junior Heavyweights in NJPW before he jumped ship to WWE. Urai, working originally as a graphic designer, decided to find a new career in professional wrestling after becoming a fan of the likes of Keiji Mutoh, Satoru Sayama, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Antonio Inoki, Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Masakatsu Funaki, Volk Han and Minoru Suzuki. All Japan Pro Wrestling has been around since 1972, Dragon Gate since 2004, DDP Pro-Wrestling since 1997, and Pro Wrestling Noah since 2000. Andr holds Kobashi in a corner as Dory locks in his spinning toe hold. [324] At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Asuka and Charlotte Flair defeat Jax and Baszler to win the tag team titles, making Asuka a double champion. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Kawada tags in and lands his patented stepkicks. New Japan Pro Wrestling have produced a number of epic bouts that WWE have failed to replicate source: prezi.com. Kawada is the top rising star here, Kobashi is his #2, and Kikuchi is the junior heavyweight destined to take the fall because Baba didnt really care about juniors as much as Inoki did in New Japan. Fuji would remain in prominence as a manager in the WWE for many years after retiring from in-ring competition but his tag team with Professor Toru Tanaka was one of the hottest selling acts of the early 1970s. Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese wrestler best known for appearing in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he has won several championships, such as the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, and SmackDown Tag Team Championship. She would go on to wrestler for a few months while there but failed to get over with the crowd. At Backlash, Asuka retained the title against Jax after both were counted out. Austin slams Muto and attempts a diving kneedrop but misses. March 11th 2002, Games: 6 Intriguing Games to Play If You Love Combat Sports. Big Show. In 2011, Jeff Hardy was the TNA World Champion and he took that championship across the world to be defended in Japan. Tsuruta throws Cactus back into the ring and hits both another jumping knee and a Backdrop suplex for the pin and the win. Although Nakanos stint was short in the WWE it was a memorable one, talking in one Womens Title reign and a number of PPV appearances. Other . By Garrett Martin | January 6, 2016 | 9:30am. After another long headlock, Doc elbows out and hits a corner Stinger splash. Most recently he helped provide English commentary for the Wrestle Kingdom 10 show. [224][225] Around this time, WWE began promoting Asuka's "undefeated streak [] since her arrival" in NXT. [317] A rematch was scheduled the following night on Raw, where Asuka again retained the title. Doc gets the pin and the win over Muto! Dreamer sends Taue into the barricade and then once back in the ring he applies an abdominal stretch. Muto escapes and sends Austin into the ropes but Austin holds onto them to avoid a dropkick. [120] The following weekend, Kana made her debut for Chikara, defeating Jessie McKay in her first match on October 7 in Burlington, North Carolina. Tajiri had made a number of appearances for the WWE in 1998, losing to the likes of The Godwinns, Taka Michinoku and Brian Christopher. Neither of the Japanese heels was born in Japan though, both hailing from Hawaii. [237] However, during the match she broke her right collarbone which forced her out of action for six to eight weeks,[238][239] thus Asuka had to relinquish the NXT Women's Championship at the August 24 NXT tapings which aired on September 6, ending her reign at 510 days. 2. They start with some hold exchanges and Muto escapes a waistlock with a backflip kick. MMA/UFC: Top 6 Best Americans in MMA & The UFC, Politics: Harold Wilson: A Case For Britains Best Prime Minister, The Worst Of History: Part 6 The Lobotomy, US History: The Election of 1840 William Harrison; The 31 Day President, US History: The Election of 1836 Martin Van Buren & The Whig Party, Movies: A modern must-see Sci-Fi classic Prey Movie, Cinema: The Folktale Turned Blockbuster Movie; Reviewing The Northman, Movies: The True Horror of Friday the 13th, TV & Film: Jeffs House Of Horror x The 50s aka | 1950s Horror, Movies: The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974). [135][136][137] Later that same day on Volume 55, Kana was defeated by Madison Eagles in another singles match. Yes, that title really did exist. For two guys that never faced each other before one-on-one, this was pretty good, though a tad underwhelming. [287] Throughout her reign, Asuka was able to fend off different challengers such as Naomi on the SmackDown following TLC,[288] Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble[289][290][291][292] and Mandy Rose at Fastlane. Gutwrench powerbomb. Nakamura also won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. [342] In a rematch at Crown Jewel, Asuka and Bliss lost the titles back to Kai and Sky due to an interference from Nikki Cross. [110] On September 8, Kana defeated Serena to become the inaugural Smash Diva Champion. [349] She and Mio Shirai have also released a gravure DVD together, titled Sadistic Tails (2012). Ring name. Current star of NXT, the artist formerly known as Kana has made quite an impression since debuting last year. Review: A very simple match without any real story. New Japan Pro-Wrestling holds show in St. Pete. [81][82][83][84], On December 27, 2013, Kana and Mio Shirai disbanded Triple Tails.S, with their final self-produced independent event taking place in early 2014. After leaving WWE in the early 90s he went over to Japan for a short while. The match went horrible and Hardy has not worked with NJPW since. These WWE wrestlers just couldn't find success in Japan, as they just didn't connect with the Japanese audience. 24. [276] In September, Asuka helped Naomi, who after defeating Peyton Royce was attacked by The IIconics. Winner after 15:16: Dr. During his one-off match with Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom V, Hardy was expected to be experiencing one of these moments. [179] On December 26, Kana defeated Syuri to win the Reina World Women's Championship. Doc dumps Muto ringside and sets up a commentary table against the barricade, and then throws Muto into it. Death Steve Williams. [268] After Flair retained the SmackDown Women's Championship against Ruby Riott on March 11 at Fastlane, Asuka challenged Charlotte for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34. [76][77] 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. He is regarded by some as the best wrestler of his generation. 47 and 48 tapings", "10/27 Shimmer Volume 49 Results: Berwyn, Illinois", "10/27 Shimmer Volume 50 Results: Berwyn, Illinois", "10/28 Shimmer Volume 51 Results: Berwyn, Illinois", "10/28 Shimmer Volume 52 Results: Berwyn, Illinois", "4/6 Shimmer 53 iPPV Results: Secaucus, New Jersey", "Show results 4/6 Shimmer 53 iPPV at WrestleCon: Cheerleader Melissa captures Shimmer Title in steel cage, plus Kong, Serena Deeb, top women's wrestlers in action", "4/13 Shimmer #54 Results: Berwyn, Illinois", "Show results 4/13 Shimmer tapings in Berwyn, Ill.: Two Shimmer Title matches, Cheerleader Melissa, Serena, MsChif, more", "Sun. One, two, Baba kicks out. Asuka. [41] The team made it all the way to the finals of the tournament, before losing to Las Aventureras (Ayako Hamada and Yuu Yamagata) in a three-way match, which also included Muscle Venus (Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto). If you're an Okada, a Tanahashi, or a Naito, you're on a level of pay that would be comparable to most top WWE superstars. Asuka and Becky Lynch", "Former Women's Champion Qualifies For 2022 Money In The Bank Ladder Match", "Liv Morgan def. [216], Asuka remained in NXT[217] and rekindled her feud with Bayley,[218] whom she again defeated on August 20 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. A spinebuster gets Doc a one-count so he starts working over Mutos leg. [303] The title match took place on the July 16 episode of SmackDown, where The IIconics retained after they got themselves countedout. Sato was ringside as a flagbearer for Yokozuna at SummerSlam 1993 and later returned to the WWE as Hakushis manager Shinja. Although there were some stereotypical overtones to the character of Hakushi, the packaging of him with the lighting, the haunting music and the facial tattoos set him apart from everything else. Winners after 14:48: Giant Baba, Dory Funk, Jr. and Andr the Giant. [220] On the January 11, 2017, episode of NXT when Asuka was overpowered by The Iconic Duo (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), Nikki Cross came to her rescue but then herself attacked Asuka. 7/10 Matt Striker. But then Kawada comes in and he just doesnt give a f**k. He kicks Andr so hard that Andr can clearly be heard bellowing OWWW in response. Kobashi regains control with some kicks to Dorys head and tags Kikuchi. On the October 5 episode of Raw, Asuka teamed with Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose to defeat Zelina Vega, Natalya and Lana. Muto tries a crossbody press but Austin catches him and hotshots him against the top rope for a two-count. [283][284][285][286] On December 16 at the namesake event, in what was also the first ever women's championship match to main event a dualbranded event, Asuka won the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time in her career after Ronda Rousey interfered and pushed both Lynch and Flair off a ladder. As youd expect from this era, it was all about the salt throwing into their opponents eyes, but you cannot underestimate the heat that they provoked (as evidenced by headlining shows against the team of Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales). [354], Urai is a graduate of the Osaka University of Arts Junior College. Kanako Urai. [181][182] 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 and La Comandante and male wrestlers Hercules Senga and Yuko Miyamoto. She had her ups and downs throughout her life and one of the worst parts of her wrestler career took place in Japan. Although her stint in the WWE lasted less than a year, it made a lasting impression on your writer. [111] On November 24 at Smash.23, Kana lost the Smash Diva Championship to Tomoka Nakagawa in her first defense. [140][141] Upon her return to Shimmer on October 19 at Volume 58, Kana and LuFisto were given another shot at the Shimmer Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by the defending champions, the Global Green Gangsters. After an injury he was drafted to Raw in June 2005 but was fired just a few weeks later without ever having debuted for that brand. New Japan Pro Wrestling Figure. Originally he was set to debut as Hirohito, an Anti-American heel, on Raw but instead he kept his real name, added his real life wife Hiroko as a valet and was sent to Smackdown. While Inoki won the WWF Championship title, the WWE did not officially recognize the title. [166][167] On November 9, Kana and Makoto produced the first MakoKana Pro event. Background: Doc returned to Japan after his failed WWE run. Of course this being the mid 1990s WWE he wasnt really used to his full potential. Austin double-legs Muto but Muto avoids an elbow drop. [119] The following day on Volume 43, Kana was defeated by Cheerleader Melissa in a match to determine the number one contender to the Shimmer Championship. Join in the debate at TWM.com and on our Twitter and Facebook pages. It was a groundbreaking moment. WWE Hall of Famer and legendary tag team wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart spent the majority of his career as a member of The Hart Foundation. My goal is to share my love of the sport with as many fans as I can. This was not something that fans wanted to see. [242][243] A month later, on October 22, at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[244] Asuka defeated her old rival Emma in her in-ring debut. 45 and 46 tapings", "Results of Shimmer Vol. View All or Current WWE 2K22 Superstars' Ratings! Cactus gets a quick two-count off a back elbow and throws Tsuruta into a ringpost. Hiroyo Matsumoto. There is just one problem with arguably the most famous Japanese wrestler in WWE history. Out of the underground parking garage comes a sleek-as-fuck all-white Land Rover with Suzuki behind the wheel wearing his black hat. Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943, Inoki spent much of his youth in Brazil where he was a national star in the shot put and discus throw. [56] In early July, Kana and Mio Shirai took part in the 2012 Japan Expo in Paris, France. Kawada hits stiff chops but Dory hits harder with another elbow. WWE Hall of Famer and legendary tag team wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart spent the majority of his career as a member of The Hart Foundation. [272][273][274] At the event on June 17, Asuka lost to Carmella after an interference from the returning James Ellsworth, suffering her first official pinfall loss in WWE. A star of the Japanese wrestling scene has announced they have signed with WWE and will soon be moving to the United States. [127][128][129] The following night on Volume 51, Kana defeated Athena in a singles match. Ringside Exclusive! Devil Masami. This answers first letter of which starts with S and can be found at the end of S. We think SUMOS is the possible answer on this clue. [146][147] 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. He only had two matches while with the promotion, one of which was a loss to fellow MMA fighter/wrestler Josh Barnett. [33][34][35] They made their first successful defense on July 7 against Fujimoto and Kyusei Sakura Hirota. That stopped the match dead but he recovered quickly and still finished the match as planned. The Three Time Triple Crown Champion and the first native Japanese wrestler to win that belt and the IWGP Title, Tenryus appearances in the WWE were largely due to the companys business relationship with Super World of Sports, a company Tenryu left AJPW to form. Kawada starts hitting back with kicks and absorbs as many elbows as he can, but he goes for one kick to many as Dory ducks it and drops Kawada. So if you prefer to go into a match completely unaware of what to expect and just see random stuff chained together, youll like this match. Title)", "5/16 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Becky Lynch vs. Asuka for a future shot at the Raw Women's Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos in a steel cage match, Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso, Cody Rhodes addresses Seth Rollins, Mustafa Ali vs. 58 & 59, Cheerleader Melissa and top women's wrestlers featured", "Shimmer 58 & 59 results from Berweyn, IL", "New Shimmer Champion crowned and more: 10/18 Shimmer results from Berwyn, IL", "Syuri retuvo el Campeonato Mundial del CMLL", "WWE NXT TakeOver live results & main card: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, Samoa Joe, Jushin "Thunder" Liger", "Sun update: SummerSlam, Tough Enough, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Rollins", "Thurs. As Kana, her work in Japan, which was full of hard-hitting action and devious bad-guy tactics, showed off her incredible in-ring talent, and . [329] At the event, Asuka was unsuccessful to win the title and was pinned by Ripley. The crowd finally wakes up as Austin suplexes Muto onto the ringside mats and drapes him against the top of the barricade. [253], On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, Asuka won the first women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 25 and eliminating her former rival Ember Moon and lastly Nikki Bella to earn herself a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34. Ospreay also mentioned some of the WWE names he would be interested in facing if he were to find himself in WWE. [45] On October 29, Kana was elected the eighth president of 666, a small independent promotion for which she had wrestled for the past year. [114][115] On March 14, Smash held Smash.Final, the promotion's final event before ceasing operations, during which Kana teamed with ltimo Dragn to defeat Mentallo and Syuri in a tag team match. Though there have been many well-known stars in WWE who have found success in Japan, there are others who didn't find success. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in History, and a Master's in Educational Psychology. Background: Somehow, Paul Heyman convinced Giant Baba that he could lend a few of his ECW guys to AJPW for a tour in early 1995 and Dreamer got signed. [63] On February 24, 2013, Triple Tails.S held its first self-produced event in nine months, which saw Kana and Mio Shirai wrestle Arisa Nakajima and Ayako Hamada in a main event tag team match. There he formed a tag team with NJPW star Kota Ibushi, but after losing a few matches on the promotion, he left to join WWE. [125] Kana then defeated Kellie Skater on Volume 48, in her final match of the weekend. In an era when the Monday Night Wars were really heating up, there was a feeling from both sides of the divide that you had to be doing everything the competition did, but better, in order to ultimately prevail. For the most part, this meant that Japanese wrestlers like Jushin Liger, Tanahashi, Nakamura, and others would wrestle on TNA programming. Its also worth noting that for a period 1982, Tiger Mask held the WWF and NWA Junior Heavyweight titles at the same time, the only man ever to do so. [48] On November 5, Kana took part in the final event held by the Battlarts promotion, defeating Aki Shizuku in a singles match. Someone call Botchamania. Tsuruta plays to the crowd as Cactus paces around frustrated. Doc tries another Dangerous Backdrop but Muto lands behind him and hits DTK #3, followed by a Shining Wizard. There was nothing else quite like Jinsei Shinzaki on WWE TV in 1995. The Untold Truth Of WWE Star Asuka. Miyako Matsumoto. [338] At the event, Belair retained her title. Tsuruta was the company ace and made a quick and easy comeback after everything Cactus threw at him. They would drop the belts five months later. He elbows Mutos collar and lands his own rib breaker for another two-count. He was slow but not methodical; his motions had a snap and smoothness to them that made him look like he was in complete control whenever he was in contact with someone. [72][73] Kana made her first successful title defense on September 16 against the reigning JWP Junior and POP Champion Manami Katsu. They put the IWGP Championship on him, but the fans truly did not care. But Kawadas kicks appear to take their toll so Dory tags Baba. Logan Paul mounted a camel in Saudi Arabia to confront The Tribal Chief he will fight -- yes, even try and frog splash through a table, if he must -- and attempt in just his third pro wrestling match to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The following fifteen wrestlers are the best Japan has to offer today. He dives for his snap moonsault but somehow lands on his feet as Austin rolls away. [183][184][185] On January 12, 2015, Kana and Nakajima made their first successful defense of the Reina World Tag Team Championship against Goya Kong and Mueca de Plata. This week, we're voting on nationally televised and internet streaming pro wrestling shows that took place Oct. 30-Nov. 5 Raw, Dark: Elevation, Dark, NXT, Dynamite, Fusion, Powerrr, NXT UK, Impact, SmackDown, Rampage, Level Up, NJPW Strong, New Japan's Battle Autumn shows, WWE's Crown Jewel PLE, and anything else I'm forgetting. Never to be seen again. Kanako Urai (born September 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under the ring name Asuka. [175], On August 30, 2014, Kana began working for Reina Joshi Puroresu as a storyline consultant. Asuka saved Carmella from a post-match attack by Eva Marie and Nia Jax and afterwards had a staredown with Bayley, indicating that she wanted a shot at her title. Natalya Neidhart Actress | Clash Time Natalya Neidhart was born on May 27, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Here, Austin took on one of NJPWs biggest rising stars in New Japans big annual tournament. Many in the industry have reached out to him and donated money to his treatment. [307] On October 6 at the Hell in a Cell payperview, The Kabuki Warriors finally won the Women's Tag Team Championship from Bliss and Cross, after Asuka used a green mist on Cross. lose to Kurihara and Masaaki Mochizuki in a main event tag team match. [213] On April 1, Asuka defeated Bayley by technical submission to win the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas[214] and successfully defended the title against Nia Jax on June 8 at NXT TakeOver: The End. [195] She wrestled her final match for the promotion on September 4, when she and Syuri defeated Konami and Makoto in a tag team match. Though he was a large spectacle of a star, NJPW fans just could not get behind his in-ring style. Hana Kimura, a Japanese pro wrestler and reality show star, died Saturday at the age of 22, the World Wonder Ring Stardom wrestling promotion announced on social media. 1 of the top 50 female singles wrestlers in the, Ranked No. He continues to wrestle to this day and has had a successful career in AJPW. Of course the WWE ignored this back home and the title change was never officially recognised. He had a hard time getting over on his own, which is why he came back to the states to work in WCW. Then Kobashi slams Baba and hits his diving moonsault. Kanako Urai ( , Urai Kanako, born September 26, 1981)[1][2] is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Asuka ( or , /sk/).[9]. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon", "Asuka joins Team Blue and bulldozes The IIconics", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: MORE QUALIFIERS FOR MONEY IN THE BANK, NAKAMURA ANNOUNCES HIS STIPULATION, BIG MATCH NEXT WEEK, AND MORE", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: A CONTRACT SIGNING, BEST FRIENDS FACE OFF IN THE RING, ASUKA IN ACTION, AND MORE", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: A SUMMIT THAT TURNS INTO A MATCH, HARDY VERSUS NAKAMURA, AJ TALKS TO LAWLER, AND MORE", "ASUKA VS. CARMELLA: LIVE, ONGOING WWE MONEY IN THE BANK COVERAGE", "COMPLETE WWE EXTREME RULES PPV COVERAGE: IRON MAN MATCH, TITLE CHANGES, KURT GIVES BROCK AN ULTIMATUM, FORMER WWE CHAMP RETURNS AND MORE", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: R TRUTH IN THE MAIN EVENT, JOE HAS A MESSAGE FOR WENDY, RANDY AND JEFF TALK HELL IN A CELL, AND MORE", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: TELL US A STORY MR. SAMOA JOE, WE HAVE OPPONENTS FOR THE NEW DAY, AND MORE", "WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: DADDY'S HOME, R TRUTH HIJACKS MIZTV, AIDEN LAYS OUT A BOMBSHELL, AND MORE", "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT: DANCING, MEDITATION, AND SOME WRESTLING TOO", "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? [133][134] Kana returned to singles action a week later on April 13 at the tapings of Volume 54, where she defeated Jessie McKay. Kikuchi reverses into an inside cradle and Kawada goes after Baba. WWE Reportedly Signing Four Top New Japan Wrestlers AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are reportedly WWE-bound. [212] On the February 10 episode, battle royal winner Carmella lost her title match against Bayley. [263][264] With wins over Carmella and Big E, Sasha Banks and Finn Blor,[265][266] Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman[267] and finally Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode, they won the tournament. Known for her multi-colored hair, she is a Grand Slam Champion, and holds the NXT, Raw, and SmackDown Womens titles. [nb 1][240] 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. [215] In summer 2016, Vince McMahon contemplated moving Asuka to the main roster during the 2016 draft, but NXT head Triple H dissuaded him, calling Asuka "the one person NXT could not afford to lose" and the brand's "anchor".