UPDATE: A couple hours after this news was published, Asuka would tweet out that she’s “fine” and that she injured “neither a concussion nor a neck.” Looks like our champ is A-OK and her Fastlane match is still on.
It would be an understatement to say that Asuka hasn’t had the best SmackDown Women’s Title reign. Since successfully defending her title at Royal Rumble against Becky Lynch, The Empress has been M.I.A. from several SmackDown episodes. Her booking seems generally directionless. However, that all pales in comparison to Asuka’s latest run-in with bad luck.
While Raw was live, the SmackDown brand held a live event in White Plains, New York. Asuka wrestled a match against Mandy Rose. At one point, Rose hit her finisher – a double underhook facebuster – where Asuka landed awkwardly on her neck. The match ended in a no contest.
Per a fan’s account on Twitter, it was a scary sight, but Asuka was responsive. While she still needed help out of the ring, she was able to walk to the back. Granted, the champion left out while clutching her head and neck, but at least she seemed alert enough to stand on her own two feet.
At this point, we don’t know the severity of this injury. Keep in mind that the SmackDown Women’s Champion was booked to defend her title against Mandy Rose this Sunday at Fastlane. Now, it seems that match might be up in the air.
Stay tuned to Diva Dirt for future updates regarding the state of The Empress of Tomorrow’s injury.
