Asuka reflects on her difficult recovery and triumphant WWE return.
After being sidelined for over a year with a knee injury, Asuka returned to action and is already one step closer to winning championship gold. On WWE RAW last week, she made a dominant comeback by defeating Stephanie Vaquer, Ivy Nile, and Raquel Rodriguez.
She continued her momentum on WWE SmackDown by defeating Alexa Bliss, securing a spot in the Queen of the Ring final at Night of Champions. On the premium live event this weekend, she is set to face Jade Cargill in the finals of the tournament.
WWE teased a match between Asuka and Iyo Sky this week. Sky mentioned their dream match from their Damage CTRL days, but Asuka shut it down reunion, saying, “See you at SummerSlam.” SKY replied, “I’ll be ready.”
Asuka made it clear she’s coming for IYO SKY’s WWE Women’s Title while preparing for her Queen of the Ring final against Jade Cargill. She also reflected on her recovery journey, revealing the past year tested her both mentally and physically.
Asuka opens about WWE return & recovery
Asuka reflected on her recovery journey in a recent video on her KanaChanTV YouTube channel. She describle how both her body and mind were pushed to their limits. Despite the difficult road, she stayed motivated due to the fan support.
“Hey… welcome to KanaChanTV, and so, we’ve been filming a video in a hurry. This is just a quick video, and I really want to say this: I’m back! I finally made my return to the ring. So, thank you so much for all your support, your kind messages, and your love. It means more than I can say. It really was a great help to me. I can’t even put it into words. Thank you so much for all your messages and support. Being away for almost a year, it wasn’t easy.”
“This was by no means easy. It was really hard. Well, I’d been away from the ring for almost a year, and it really wasn’t easy, and to be honest, there was some tough days, but I managed to get through it… But your voice kept me going, really. Well, everyone’s voices were there, so yeah… I guess you could say it never stopped. I guess the point is that I didn’t stop. Now, I’m here again! My match was always intense. Physically and mentally, it has been pushed to the limit. I really do feel like I was on the edge, both mentally and physically. I was able to win the comeback. I’d like to talk about this, but this is just the beginning…” [H/T: Fightful]