Asuka is expected to debut on "Monday Night Raw" in October, according to SB Nation’s Cageside Seats. After "The Empress of Tomorrow" vacated the NXT women’s title three weeks ago, WWE released a video teaser on Monday confirming her arrival to the promotion’s flagship show.
Potential feuds and championship aspirations
The 35-year old Asuka set the WWE developmental program NXT on fire over the past two years with her incredible undefeated streak that currently stands at 180+ matches. Formerly known as Kana, she also holds the record for longest championship reign in WWE history, post-national expansion day era.
Asuka captured the NXT women’s championship from Bayley at NXT Takeover: Dallas on April 1, 2015, and defended the crown all the way to her final match on NXT against No. 1 contender Ember Moon at Takeover: Brooklyn III on April 19, 2017. On August 24 taping of NXT, she announced her decision to leave the NXT women’s championship vacant after suffering a broken right collarbone in her title match with Moon, ending her record-breaking reign at 510 days.
Cageside Seats reported that Asuka would be making her much-awaited main roster debut mid-October, with a possible match at the RAW-exclusive PPV event "Tables, Ladders, and Chairs." As for the identity of her first main roster feud, it remains anonymous up to now, but Asuka is expected to run over the entire women’s division before her streak finally ends.
Story-wise, Asuka will be a welcome addition to RAW’s women division that badly needs a break from Alexa Bliss-Nia Jax angle. Her presence also bodes well for excellent workers such as Sasha Banks, Emma, and Bayley, who struggled to regain her connection with the fans ever since she was involved in a botched feud with Bliss early this year.
The Hugger did develop great in-ring chemistry with the Japanese wrestler on her way out of NXT.
Jinder Mahal’s extended reign
Jinder Mahal’s reign as WWE Champion will continue through December. PW Insider reported the "Modern Day Maharaja" will probably be the WWE titleholder when the Raw roster travels to New Delhi, India for a pair of shows on December 7 and 8.
Mahal is currently a SmackDown superstar, but house shows and WWE live events often featured wrestlers from both brands.
Another reason why WWE would include Mahal and the Singh Brothers in the trip is their significance to Indian Wrestling fans. Mahal shocked the WWE universe after winning the WWE Championship from Randy Orton at Backlash in May.
Mahal, who traces his roots from Punjabi ancestry, had several high-profile title defenses during his title run, including a Punjabi Prison match with Orton and a SummerSlam showdown with former NXT champ Shinsuke Nakamura. WWE always wanted to capitalize on the booming Indian market, and they believe Mahal’s ascendance from a jobber to the main event player will be the key to the massive fan base.
