Report: Asuka’s Tag Partner for WWE TLC Revealed

Asuka will face Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at TLC on Sunday and based on new reports from the Wrestling Observer her mystery partner has been revealed. “The Empress” was originally supposed to team with Lana, but “The Ravishing Russian” was written out of the match after suffering the latest attack from the heel champions. The outlet reports Charlotte Flair is currently in Florida for tonight’s event and will team with Asuka.

While it may seem like a last-minute swap, it actually pays off a story from months ago. Back in June Flair had to be written off television in order to undergo surgery, so WWE had Jax attack her backstage and injure her after “The Queen” failed to beat Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship.

Flair has been posting photos throughout the week on Twitter that have helped stoke the speculation — with the latest coming via Andrade on Sunday morning.

The 12-time women’s champion explained her absence in a Twitter thread back in July.

“At that time, I had a few options to fix the issue,” she wrote. “Each option had a specific recovery time. I love this job more than anything, so I picked the option that allowed me to return the soonest. That was the choice I made. Fast forward to a few months ago. Something felt off, so I went back to the doctor. Same issue again. This time, I’m going with an option that I believe will solve the issue long time, even though the recovery period is a little longer than I would like. To clarify: I do not have silicone poisoning this time. The surgery is cosmetic to fix an issue from a prior surgery.”

“I’ll be back when I’m ready,” she added. “The body will be rested, and the mind still focused on legacy. Focused on this job. Focused on being better. Always being better.”

If Flair and Asuka were to win, it would make Flair the fourth woman in WWE history to become a Grand Slam Champion, holding the Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Women’s Tag Team Championships at least once. Bayley was the first to accomplish the feat in 2019, while Asuka and Sasha Banks both made the list earlier this year.

Do you think bringing Flair back like this is the right call? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments!