Asuka's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Asuka has been one of the most dominant and successful WWE superstars ever since she joined the company back in 2015. Throughout NXT and then onto the main roster, Asuka has won a whole load of titles and been one of the most prolific winners the promotion has seen in the history of the women’s division.
Randy Orton's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Randy Orton has the reputation for being one of the smoothest workers of all time, and with that comes a list of classic WWE matches.Over that time, she has had some top class matches, and TheSportster’s rating system will determine which is the best of the best. These bouts will also be compared to ratings from both cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here.
10 Asuka Vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Royal Rumble 2019)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 1.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Character Work/Psychology: 1.5
- Crowd Reaction: 2
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.85
Becky Lynch and Asuka have always showcased strong chemistry, and this match at the Royal Rumble 2019 showcased some of their great technical prowess. There were some strong sequences, nice submission counters, and some hard-hitting moves too.
It didn’t have too much storyline to it though, and seeing Lynch lose completely clean was a shock to many fans, especially since she went on to win the Royal Rumble match later on in the night.
9 Asuka Vs. Becky Lynch (WWE RAW 07/04/2022)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 1.75/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 1.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.64
The hatred between Becky Lynch and Asuka in their feud was felt strongly in this match, as there was an extra impact and urgency to everything delivered in this No Holds Barred bout.
One downside was that the match was very rushed, with Asuka and Lynch cramming a lot of spots into just 12 minutes, which did affect the psychology a little bit. The spots were inventive and fun, and whilst the crowd wasn’t red hot, this was still a good back and forth encounter, and the moment in which Lynch blocked the mist with the umbrella was fantastic.
8 Asuka Vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE WrestleMania 34)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.5/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 1.75/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.04
There was a lot of anticipation for this match going in, and for the most part it was terrific. Asuka and Charlotte Flair put in some world class in-ring work, with massive moves, moonsaults, a spanish fly, and more.
It felt like a big time match between two great competitors, but just as it was about to get into the next gear, Flair synched in the Figure Eight and made Asuka submit, much to the shock of the crowd. The booking of this match let things down, with Asuka losing her undefeated streak in such underwhelming circumstances. It was still great, but the ending was poor.
7 Asuka Vs. Bayley (WWE NXT TakeOver Brooklyn 2)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.74
Following on from a fairly underwhelming match in which Asuka dethroned Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship, the pair fought in a rematch at TakeOver: Brooklyn 2. This rematch was much better.
Drew McIntyre's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Drew McIntyre has several great matches and is among the most relied upon and talented names WWE has on their roster.Bayley’s desperation to win back her title, wrestling the match smarter and avoiding the move which led to her loss was great to see, but in the end Asuka was simply too strong to overcome. Not everything was entirely smooth, but the storytelling and character work helped to carry it along.
6 Asuka Vs. Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE TLC 2018)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 1.75/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.60
Like many TLC matches, this did lean on being more of a spot fest than a match with a story, but the three women did their best to create a narrative, and their collective histories and feuds with one another helped with that.
There were some inventive spots, and the finish involving Ronda Rousey was an exciting way to end the match. Asuka’s victory was a great moment, being crowned with her first main roster world title.
5 Asuka Vs. Bianca Belair Vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Hell In A Cell 2022)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.38
Three world class competitors clashed in a triple threat match for the RAW Women’s Championship in 2022, and it ended up seeing a great, fast-paced bout in which every woman shined.
There were some clunky sequences that felt over choreographed, but for the most part it was still technically sound. They got the crowd invested and the false finishes towards the end made the match feel unpredictable.
4 Asuka Vs. Nikki Cross (WWE NXT 06/23/2017)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.30
One of the most fun NXT women’s matches came in the form of this Last Woman Standing match between Asuka and Nikki Cross. Cross’ wild nature was on full display here - perhaps the best example of her character work in WWE.
There were some wild spots including a massive announce table bump, and brawling around the venue which was hard-hitting and chaotic. It did take some time but by the end the crowd were very into this match, cheering at all the major spots.
3 Asuka Vs. Ember Moon (WWE NXT TakeOver Orlando 2017)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.56
Asuka and Ember Moon had more than one great match during their NXT feud, and this one was their first encounter together. Moon proved to be the biggest threat to Asuka so far, even taking advantage of Asuka’s increased cockiness and coming very close to victory.
It was a stiff match that was probably too quick and short, but for the most part it was still very entertaining and the character work especially from Asuka added to this match. The manner of Moon’s loss was a little cheap with her falling from the turnbuckle, but overall it was a very strong match.
2 Damage CTRL Vs. Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, & Shotzi (WWE Survivor Series 2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.04
Out of the two WarGames matches at Survivor Series 2023, the women’s match was the most fun and violent. Of course it wasn’t as brutal as WarGames matches of the past, but there was a great use of weapons and big spots in this one that helped the match stand out.
Kevin Owens' Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Kevin Owens is among the best wrestlers on WWE's roster, with a long list of epic bouts on his resume!Iyo Sky and Charlotte Flair both pulled off high flying moves from the top which were stunning. From a storyline perspective this had some interesting threads such as the renewed friendship between Flair and Becky Lynch, and Bayley putting her body on the line to try and earn respect from her Damage CTRL allies.
1 Asuka Vs. Ember Moon (WWE NXT TakeOver Brooklyn 3)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.77
The best match of Asuka’s WWE career came when she took on Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 3. The development of Asuka’s character into one walking on the heel side was wonderful to see, as she dug deep to try any tactic to keep hold of her title.
The story of Moon trying with her best efforts to hit her deadly finisher, only for Asuka to still kick out when she finally hit it, was great. This was a physical, stiff match with great psychology and a thrilling plot throughout. The crowd loved it, and Asuka and Moon both arguably peaked here in their WWE careers.
