For the first time in five years, WWE is gearing up to head back to Japan for their upcoming live tour which will take them through Osaka and Tokyo at the end of July. Several high-profile WWE stars are scheduled to appear, including Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre, IYO SKY and Bobby Lashley among others. With the monumental return it appears WWE is pulling out all the stops for fans in attendance of the shows, as former WWE Women’s Champion Asuka and Meiko Satomura are being advertised.
Fans were confused when the company promoted a currently injured Asuka for the dates and she was soon removed from the Japanese promotional material entirely. However, she’s since been added back and is now advertised to accompany Damage CTRL to the ring as they go up against Satomura, Belair and Cargill. Additionally, Meiko hasn’t appeared in a WWE ring since March of 2023 in a match against Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship. She had been out of the ring for over a year, only recently returning in June.
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Asuka sustained a knee injury back in March but she opted to work through it, wrestling at both WrestleMania 40 and WWE Backlash back in May. Following The Kabuki Warriors’ loss to Cargill and Belair, Asuka took time off to heal her body and undergo surgery on the injury. Before the huge six woman match was announced, internet sleuths pointed out that the former Women’s Champion may be in Japan if her photos in what appears to be a cat cafe were any indication.ย
It’s unclear when Asuka will be ready to return to the ring but having her back by Damage CTRL’s side is certainly a start. Since Asuka’s absence, Dakota Kai has filled in alongside SKY and Kairi Sane as they are currently in a feud with former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance as well as WWE Draft pick Lyra Valkyria. Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler have also become part of the story after attacking the group on Monday Night Raw a few weeks back.
WWE has been building upon their global relationships, including the ones in Japan. At the beginning of 2024 it was reported that they were interested in a “female group ally” which has become Marigold. They also consistently work with Pro Wrestling NOAH, recently sending AJ Styles over which marked his first time in Japan in eight years.ย
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