WWE superstar Asuka has been off television for over a month, last teaming with Kairi Sane against Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair at WWE Backlash. She had been battling a knee injury sustained during a March episode of SmackDown, so after their Tag Team Championship loss, she revealed she’d be taking some time away to heal.
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She recently shared a photo to social media of herself in a brace, confirming suspicions that she had undergone surgery on the injury. On her YouTube channel Asuka confirmed the news while also sharing that she’s in the early stages of starting her rehabilitation. Asuka isn’t the first WWE wrestler to suffer an injury that has set them back this year.
Many of the company’s top stars like Charlotte Flair, CM Punk and Seth Rollins are currently in recovery, though Punk is potentially the closest to an imminent in-ring return, or at least a clearance. Asuka held the tag team championships with Kairi for a little under five months, first winning them for the second time back in January. She’s had an incredibly successful run in her WWE career, first signing with the NXT brand where she became the longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion. She’s held many main roster titles since and is currently part of the dominating Damage CTRL stable.
Asuka Undergoes Successful Knee Surgery
In the video, Asuka explains that her procedure took about 90 minutes to complete and that afterward she was in extreme pain. While her surgery made her very anxious, she says the hospital staff were incredibly hospitable toward her which made things a lot easier. She was held in the hospital overnight for monitoring and discharged the next day, still in a lot of pain, but she states she can take pain killers for that. It’s still unclear what operation Asuka had, but at least the hardest part is over.
“Discharged the next day. I could not walk on my own. My knee hurts, but I can take painkillers and I’m fine. Pity I can’t walk freely. Now I am going to be moved to a rehabilitation center for my rehabilitation. My knee hurts,” Asuka said. “I’ve never used crutches before. Difficult to use them. The airport staff got me a wheelchair when they saw how hard it was for me to get around. If I had not used the wheelchair, it would have been difficult to arrive at the airport in time for my flight. I’ve been taking painkillers for the past few days, but my knee still hurts. I’m fine.”
Comicbook wishes Asuka the best in her recovery.
