Asuka Gets Huge Win in WWE Return (With Some Help From Rhea Ripley)

After a year away from the ring, Asuka finally made her return to the ring on tonight’s WWE Raw, and she was not wasting any time mixing it up with some of the best in WWE. Asuka’s first match back was a Fatal 4-Way match in the Queen of the Ring tournament against Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile, and Stephanie Vaquer, and the crowd got hyped every single time Asuka and Vaquer faced off one-on-one. Asuka not only came back ready for a fight but would walk away with the win, though she would get some key help from a certain Rhea Ripley.

Vaquer and Asuka would have a face-off in the ring one-on-one early on in the match but it got cut short by Nile, though they would collide again a short time later as Asuka got hit with the vicious dragon screw from Vaquer. Vaquer then hit Nile with a back suplex, and then it was time for the Devil’s Kiss, but Rodriguez brought a stop to it mid-move.

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Vaquer responded by countering a move and then hitting Rodriguez with the Devil’s Kiss, but that backfired momentarily. Then Vaquer countered and somehow hit the Devil’s Kiss on the ring apron for a full 10-count. Vaquer and Asuka collided again, only for Nile to break that up, and that led to Nile almost getting the 3-count twice in a row.

Back from break, Asuka knocked over everyone else with a dropkick from the top rope, and she was now clearly in control. Asuka connected with brutal kicks on everyone, and then Rodrigeuz got especially lit up with strikes and a big kick to the face. Vaquer would break up a pin attempt by Asuka, and then they would battle one-on-one. Asuka wasn’t fazed by Vaquer’s strikes, but Vaquer came back with a quick knee strike and a suplex that evened things out.

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Vaquer seemed to hurt her knee a bit with another kick, and it only worsened on the next move. Nile broke things up and almost got a quick 3-count on Asuka, but Vaquer came in for the save. Rodriguez delivered a huge kick to Vaquer and followed with a powerbomb, but then Rhea Ripley pulled her out of the ring and hit Rodriguez with a Riptide on the floor.

Ripley rolled Rodriguez back in the ring, and Asuka hit her new finisher, the Empress Impact, and that was it for Rodriguez, giving Asuka a huge win in her return to action. Now, Asuka will face Alexa Bliss on this week’s SmackDown as the next match in the tournament.

What did you think of Asuka’s return, and would you like to see her win the whole Queen of the Ring tournament? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!