Urai Kanako, is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Asuka.
Real Name – Urai Kanako
Born – September 26, 1981 in Osaka, Japan
Height – 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
Weight – 137 lb (62 kg)
Major Titles Held:
NXT Women’s Championship (1)
Mixed Match Challenge (Season 1)
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (1)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (1)
WWE RAW Women’s Championship (2)
Women’s Royal Rumble (1)
Asuka started her professional wrestling career in the AtoZ promotion in June 2004, where she remained until retiring in March 2006. She returned to the ring a year and a half later, starting to work as a freelancer for promotions such as JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Wave, Reina Joshi Puroresu, Smash and Wrestling New Classic (WNC). Her achievements include winning the JWP Openweight Championship, NEO Tag Team Championship, Reina World Women’s Championship, Smash Diva Championship and Wave Tag Team Championship.
In August 2015, Asuka signed a developmental deal with WWE, making her the first Japanese female wrestler signed with the company in over 20 years. After spending two years in WWE’s developmental branch NXT, where she is a former NXT Women’s Champion (with her reign of 510 days being the longest in that title’s history) as well as the Female Competitor of the Year (2016, 2017) and Overall Competitor of the Year (2017) NXT Year-End Award winner, Asuka was moved to the promotion’s main roster in September 2017.
2017–2018 – Main roster debut and undefeated streak
After multiple vignettes in the upcoming weeks, it was revealed on the September 11, 2017, episode of Raw, Asuka was assigned to the Raw brand. A month later, on October 22, at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Asuka defeated her old rival Emma in her in-ring debut. On November 19 at Survivor Series, Asuka represented Team Raw in a Survivor Series match against Team SmackDown and was the sole survivor, lastly eliminating Tamina and Natalya. Throughout the next few months, Asuka continued her streak by defeating the likes of Dana Brooke (whom she defeated in three seconds, setting a new WWE record for the fastest submission win in a women’s match), Alicia Fox and Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss in a non-title match.
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. Throughout January and February, Asuka started a feud with Nia Jax, who attacked her during and before her matches and wanted her title opportunity at Wrestlemania. Asuka defeated Nia Jax on February 25 at Elimination Chamber and again on the March 5 episode of Raw. In parallel, she also took a part of the Mixed Match Challenge tournament, with The Miz as her partner in support of the charity Rescue Dogs Rock. With wins over Carmella and Big E, Sasha Banks and Finn Bálor, Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman and finally Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode, they won the tournament. 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. At the event on April 8, Asuka submitted to Charlotte Flair, ending her WWE undefeated streak at 914 days.
2018–2019 – SmackDown Women’s Champion
On April 17, Asuka was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, making her first appearance by saving Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch from an attack by The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) and then—SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella. On the May 15 episode of SmackDown Live, Smackdown General Manager Paige interrupted Carmella, to announce that she would be defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Asuka at Money in the Bank. 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. Paige then granted Asuka a rematch, that took place on July 15 at Extreme Rules, which Asuka lost as well after another distraction from Ellsworth, who was hanging above the ring in a shark cage, which Carmella used to win the match.
Towards the end of November, Asuka won a battle royal to enter her way into the first ever women’s Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. On December 16, at the namesake 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 after Ronda Rousey interfered and pushed both Lynch and Flair off a ladder. Throughout her reign, Asuka was able to fend off different challengers such as Naomi, Becky Lynch and Mandy Rose. On the March 26 episode of SmackDown, Asuka dropped the title to Charlotte Flair in an impromptu match, ending her reign at 100 days.
2019 – The Kabuki Warriors
On the April 16, 2019 episode of SmackDown Live, Paige announced that she would be managing a newly formed women’s tag team, consisting of Asuka and the debuting Kairi Sane from NXT. The team of Asuka and Kairi Sane, later dubbed as “The Kabuki Warriors”, was immediately put in a feud with The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) over the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. After weeks of avoiding them, The IIconics lost to The Kabuki Warriors during WWE’s tour in Tokyo, which earned The Kabuki Warriors a title match. The title match took place on the July 16 episode of SmackDown, where The IIconics retained after they got themselves counted–out. In August, The Kabuki Warriors failed to capture the titles from then–champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
After a short hiatus, The Kabuki Warriors returned in September and defeated Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. On October 6, at the Hell in a Cell pay–per–view, The Kabuki Warriors finally won the Women’s Tag Team Championship from Bliss and Cross, after Asuka used a green mist on Cross. The next night on Raw, 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. As part of the 2019 Draft in mid-October, Asuka and Sane were both drafted to the Raw brand. The duo further solidified their heel turn after Asuka spit green mist on their manager Paige, signifying that duo no longer needs Paige. Then, she got into A rivalry with Lynch because Lynch challenged Asuka to a title match but, at the contract signing she spit Japanese mist into her eye. She is slated to face Lynch at Royal Rumble (2020).
2020 – RAW Women’s Champion
At the Royal Rumble (2020), Asuka failed to win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship after Lynch kicked Asuka causing her to spit her green mist in the air and into her own face. On the February 3, 2020 episode of Raw, Asuka demanded a rematch for the title, in which Lynch accepted, but a week later on Raw, Asuka again failed to win the title.
On the first night of Wrestlemania 36, The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) lost their Women’s Tag Team Championship to the team of Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss. This ended their reign at 181 days, the longest reign so far. On the April 13, 2020 episode of Raw, Asuka qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match after defeating Ruby Riott. At the event, Asuka won the Women’s Money in the Bank contract.
On the episode of Raw immediately following Money in the Bank Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch revealed that she had vacated the title due to pregnancy, and that the ladder match was in fact for the vacated Raw Women’s Championship rather than a contract, making Asuka the new champion, and showing signs of a face turn, as she celebrated with, and hugged Lynch. The Empress of Tomorrow has now made WWE history by becoming the first Superstar to win the WWE NXT Women’s Title, the RAW Women’s Title, the SmackDown Women’s Title, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, the Women’s Royal Rumble Match and Money In the Bank. She also won the Mixed Match Challenge.
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