On Monday’s episode of Raw, Asuka seemingly said goodbye to the WWE Universe after a tearful backstage segment with IYO SKY.
Michael Cole revealed during the broadcast that The Empress of Tomorrow’s future with the company was up in the air.
Speaking on Fightful Wrestling’s Post-Raw Show, Sean Ross Sapp shared details of Asuka’s status within WWE. SRS confirmed that the legendary star is still with the company and is taking some time off due to personal matters.
“I was straight up told tonight she was not a part of any cuts,” Sapp said, via Ringside News. “She was not a part of any (releases), she wasn’t asked to take a pay cut. As best I know, WWE did not want Asuka to be gone for a while, so to speak.”
The pro wrestling insider added, “Here’s what I heard: Asuka had approached WWE and said, ‘There’s stuff I’ve got to attend to,’ which we’re not going to elaborate on. It’s back in Japan. She’s going to be spending some time there. I don’t know how much time that’s going to be, but obviously it’s not what WWE wanted to hear. It’s something that they felt was important to honor and all that.”
Sapp further explained that Asuka is very popular within the company. She’s well respected by her peers, and some even can’t speak highly enough of her.
Initial Backstage Report Tagged Asuka as Semi-Retired
After a tearful moment with IYO SKY at Backlash, there was plenty of speculation about Asuka’s future. It didn’t help that she shared a cryptic post on Instagram, and IYO SKY had a heartfelt message to her mentor on X, formerly known as Twitter, after their match.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that Asuka was saying goodbye backstage and her status was thought to be “semi-retired.”
“The story I heard is that she is semi-retired,” Meltzer said, via WrestlePurists. “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.”
Meltzer added, “I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle. I don’t know if that means she’ll do stuff here and there, but I was told semi-retired.”
At 44 years old, Asuka has done it all in WWE. She’s a five-time WWE Women’s World champion, a five-time WWE Women’s Tag Team champion, a Money in the Bank winner and a Royal Rumble winner.
The Empress of Tomorrow is also the longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion in WWE history.
Asuka Signed An Extension in 2024
According to Fightful Select, Asuka signed an extension with WWE in 2024. It was reportedly a five-year deal, which means her contract runs through sometime in 2029.
With reports of TKO wanting some WWE stars to take a pay cut, some people assumed that Asuka was one of those who were asked, like The New Day. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turned down the suggestion and asked for their releases earlier this month.
Nevertheless, after what happened on Raw, it’s safe to assume that Asuka is still signed to WWE.
Backstage Details on Asuka’s WWE Status Following Raw: Report