If there is one reason I still sometimes bother with the MR shows it has to be to be able to see Asuka wrestle.

Despite being a heel  Asuka is still incredibly creative with some of the submissions and transitions she throws into her matches. Compare her work to say Shayna, or Bayley's recent heel work and  they're not even remotely on the same level. Her wrestling is more interesting  to watch than most of the pushed female faces in WWE currently.The main roster would be in a horrible place without her. 

On the flip side, Sane's cheerleading and non wrestling mannerisms are some of the best in the business. Insane team they are.

Never mind the Asuka Lock, that should be her finish.

Jan 28, 2020 7:03:19 GMT Emperor said:

Never mind the Asuka Lock, that should be her finish.

I think Asuka ahs like 100 different submissions that she's busted out  that she could use as finishers .


In other news the Kabuki's WwE Japan twitter promos continue to be a highlight "get away from us!"  :lol:

Also from the Royal Rumble yesterday

I love their character work, I’ve mentioned it before it’s all the little things they do, they are almost like over the top villains with the evil laughing and just winding their opponent up, especially Kairi and I’m loving Asuka’s EZPZ catchphrase. Her submission work last night on Raw really stood out, lots of different holds one after an other, that’s what a submission specialist should look like!

I feel like they are one face run away from cementing themselves as one of the all time great WWE tag teams. Both can be amazing faces and I am sure could easily transition into an idol gimmick. Still want Io with them to make them a threesome. Io and Asuka are great together as are Io and Kairi. Real pity Mio did not stay around for the ride.

Easy to forget how good Asuka is sometimes when she is working mostly WWE matches.  But she was a top joshi star for a reason, she always had great character work and a rock solid skill set.  Also, she got the most out of NXT, as she continues to get better.  Sane as well.

That Sane umbrella poke gif is the stuff of legends.

I appreciate the Kabuki Warriors.

I don't get quite as worked up as Dex about the way they are treated, but Kairi getting eliminated so quickly in the Rumble was one of the major lowlights of many from that match. She didn't need to be in the final five or six necessarily but was the perfect person to put in the 20+ minute workhorse role, not lasting less time than some of the NXT midcard girls.

Apparently she was eliminated by Alexa so I guess that could be used to set up a tag team title feud - but they made such a little deal about it that is being overly optimistic.

Jan 28, 2020 22:59:11 GMT @admin said:

I don't get quite as worked up as Dex about the way they are treated, but Kairi getting eliminated so quickly in the Rumble was one of the major lowlights of many from that match. She didn't need to be in the final five or six necessarily but was the perfect person to put in the 20+ minute workhorse role, not lasting less time than some of the NXT midcard girls.

Apparently she was eliminated by Alexa so I guess that could be used to set up a tag team title feud - but they made such a little deal about it that is being overly optimistic.

My thing is they've carrying Raw basically on their backs for the past couple months , and yet they don't really get rewarded for it. Sure Asuka got a program with Becky , but ti was never going to be one she had a chance of winning and didn't really elevate her past where she has already been .

 Now they're going back to the non-existent tag division where they will be lucky to get a pre-show match.

Same with Io in NXT without her how memorable would 2019 be for NXT's women's division? She was a part of basically all the memorable moments and matches from last year, and got incredibly over with the audience , and what does she get for it ? She get's to be pushed aside for the new PC success story, despite the fact that Io as the star of the division would do way more to elevate it, and create a buzz around it .

It is just very frustrating for me to see WWE sign these elite level talents, see them succeed and get over with for the most part not nearly as much help and strong booking as other talents have received, yet consistently only get used to elevate less talented women.  

Jan 28, 2020 23:48:59 GMT dex said:

Jan 28, 2020 22:59:11 GMT @admin said:

I don't get quite as worked up as Dex about the way they are treated, but Kairi getting eliminated so quickly in the Rumble was one of the major lowlights of many from that match. She didn't need to be in the final five or six necessarily but was the perfect person to put in the 20+ minute workhorse role, not lasting less time than some of the NXT midcard girls.

Apparently she was eliminated by Alexa so I guess that could be used to set up a tag team title feud - but they made such a little deal about it that is being overly optimistic.

My thing is they've carrying Raw basically on their backs for the past couple months , and yet they don't really get rewarded for it. Sure Asuka got a program with Becky , but ti was never going to be one she had a chance of winning and didn't really elevate her past where she has already been .

 Now they're going back to the non-existent tag division where they will be lucky to get a pre-show match.

Same with Io in NXT without her how memorable would 2019 be for NXT's women's division? She was a part of basically all the memorable moments and matches from last year, and got incredibly over with the audience , and what does she get for it ? She get's to be pushed aside for the new PC success story, despite the fact that Io as the star of the division would do way more to elevate it, and create a buzz around it .

It is just very frustrating for me to see WWE sign these elite level talents, see them succeed and get over with for the most part not nearly as much help and strong booking as other talents have received, yet consistently only get used to elevate less talented women.  

Dunno if there's any truth to it, but I keep reading ratings are highest for Io so that makes it even more troublesome.

Jan 28, 2020 23:54:24 GMT @ness said:

Jan 28, 2020 23:48:59 GMT dex said:

My thing is they've carrying Raw basically on their backs for the past couple months , and yet they don't really get rewarded for it. Sure Asuka got a program with Becky , but ti was never going to be one she had a chance of winning and didn't really elevate her past where she has already been .

 Now they're going back to the non-existent tag division where they will be lucky to get a pre-show match.

Same with Io in NXT without her how memorable would 2019 be for NXT's women's division? She was a part of basically all the memorable moments and matches from last year, and got incredibly over with the audience , and what does she get for it ? She get's to be pushed aside for the new PC success story, despite the fact that Io as the star of the division would do way more to elevate it, and create a buzz around it .

It is just very frustrating for me to see WWE sign these elite level talents, see them succeed and get over with for the most part not nearly as much help and strong booking as other talents have received, yet consistently only get used to elevate less talented women.  

Dunno if there's any truth to it, but I keep reading ratings are highest for Io so that makes it even more troublesome.

That's my point you have wrestlers who produce great work, and are really popular seemingly drawing in viewers to the shows they're on  yet they aren't treated any better than your  average mid-card woman for the most part.
Just look at Kairi's run in NXT, her  sole purpose her entire run there was basically to put Shayna over, her pathetic  title reign basically served as a short intermission
between Shayna's title reigns. She didn't even get a pity successful title defense, she even spent most of time as champ losing on house shows. This was while being one of the most popular and over NXT talents male or female. Kairi won the fan voted NXT awards for both the top female talent and the overall talent.


I think in hindsight a longer Kairi reign would have worked better for the division , you could have done a Kairi vs Lacey takeover match to give Lacey some big match experience before her main roster call up, and Kairi vs Bainca would have been way better than Shayna vs Bianca. 

I'm getting sick of the KW's constantly having to make Becky look good over nad over. We're getting Becky vs Asuka again which she'll lose, and Becky made Kairi look like a chump again. Becky is just really unlikeable at this point.

I am fine with it. They are using them as they have faith they will keep Becky looking strong. It is more than most girls get. Most girls it is one and done with Becky. They have a lot of faith that the Warriors will keep her interesting though.

Feb 4, 2020 9:58:52 GMT c said:

I am fine with it. They are using them as they have faith they will keep Becky looking strong. It is more than most girls get. Most girls it is one and done with Becky. They have a lot of faith that the Warriors will keep her interesting though.

?
Lacey had 3 ppv matches with Becky and Sasha had 2 . I'm also not a fan of Becky looking this strong at the expense of other talents she could stand to show a little vulnerability .
The KWs are also  tag champs and it does the division no favors for them to be Becky's personal job girls. 

Is anyone else surprised the KWs have gotten so much mic time over the past several months? They have literally talked more in this time frame than most women do in WWE throughout their entire careers. For the most part, it is has worked.

Mar 10, 2020 4:23:14 GMT dex said:

Is anyone else surprised the KW"s have gotten so much mic time over the past several months? They have literally talked more in this time frame than most women do in WWE throughout their entire careers. For the most part, it is ahs worked.

They must have someone backstage advocating for them because it is surprising - maybe Paul Heyman? 

Their's really is the only main roster stuff worth watching. Asuka handles the the What? chants better than anyone since the Undertaker's classic "sleep with your own sister" line.

Letting them run free on the mic without giving them a manager or trying to do a full English promo has been such a godsend. It’s like they’re an amped up version of themselves which is always a good way to go. Asuka’s antics in particular are awesome, and it’s a shame she won’t get a singles title match at WM, because I think this current Asuka vs Meme style Becky would be hilarious, at least the potential Asuka/Sane vs Bliss/Cross should provide some fun moments and get some good screen time considering Alexa is involved.

I find it hilarious that even people who speak Japanese cannot understand Asuka most of the time. But yeah the Japanese promos are amazing. WWE really needs to invest in this division more.

Mar 15, 2020 18:27:56 GMT c said:

I find it hilarious that even people who speak Japanese cannot understand Asuka most of the time. But yeah the Japanese promos are amazing. WWE really needs to invest in this division more.

That isnt that uncommon. Shinsuke said he couldnt understand her that well in the past.

Am I the only one who kind of wants the KWs to join the commentary booth for some of Raw if they do a similar laid back format to how they did SD? It would be entertaining imo.

Another reason I want Io to join them.

Mar 16, 2020 3:08:44 GMT dex said:

Am I the only one who kind of wants the KWs to join the commentary booth for some of Raw if they do a similar laid back format to how they did SD? It would be entertaining imo.

Your wish came true.

I'm coming to the conclusion that going back to NXT would be a great thing for Asuka and NXT. I really want to see more of her versus the likes of Kayden and others . Their short matches on Raw and ME were fun.

So their Mania match will just be against Bliss and Cross? How uninspired.

Mar 31, 2020 10:01:30 GMT surrender said:

So their Mania match will just be against Bliss and Cross? How uninspired.

If the Asuka/Alexa match on SD is anything to go by, it will be a very entertaining match. They, along with Nikki certainly made the most of the empty arena with their antics and Kairi is no slouch either with it comes to her character work. Looking forward to what all 4 do, as all their characters have come some way since The Kabukis took the titles from them.

Also - Asuka for MVP of the Empty Area era?

Oh look Asuka brought the best out of a less experienced talent yet again. Great match between her and Liv. Liv deserves a ton of credit too, she is by far the most exciting main roster babyface to watch in the ring.

Apr 7, 2020 0:21:16 GMT dex said:

Oh look Asuka brought the best out of a less experienced talent yet again. Great match between her and Liv. Liv deserves a ton of credit too, she is by far the most exciting main roster babyface to watch in the ring.

That was a fantastic performance from Liv Morgan and Asuka. Would love to see them face off again in a longer match. Liv might want to consider using that springboard codebreaker as a finisher.

They just really need to polish Liv's character more - they never did a good job discussing her motives in the Lana storyline.

I hope Asuka finds herself back in title contention soon, even if it's for the tag team championship again.

Apr 7, 2020 1:04:43 GMT LS said:

Apr 7, 2020 0:21:16 GMT dex said:

Oh look Asuka brought the best out of a less experienced talent yet again. Great match between her and Liv. Liv deserves a ton of credit too, she is by far the most exciting main roster babyface to watch in the ring.

That was a fantastic performance from Liv Morgan and Asuka. Would love to see them face off again in a longer match. Liv might want to consider using that springboard codebreaker as a finisher.

They just really need to polish Liv's character more - they never did a good job discussing her motives in the Lana storyline.

I hope Asuka finds herself back in title contention soon, even if it's for the tag team championship again.

It's really disappointing that they kind of just dropped the Liv vs Ruby feud too. Part of that maybe has to do with Corona and maybe Ruby is one of the talents that aren't comfortable coming into work (but I think she still lives in Florida so who knows) but they didn't even interact in the EC match.

If they had turned Ruby face and kept the belts on the KWs, Ruby and Liv vs Asuka and Kairi would have been really fun. 

Really hadn't seen any Kabuki Warrior stuff until Mania.

They're fucking awesome.

Wish we could teleport Jumping Bomb Angels through time for an epic dream match.