Asuka hasn't had the perfect run during her time in WWE, but her character and charm remain largely untouched from her days as an NXT superstar. The Empress of Tomorrow has been a member of the main roster since getting called up for the WWE: TLC event in October of 2017. She defeated Emma on that night, but greater things were in the works for Asuka.
She isn't technically considered one of the Four Horsewomen of the WWE, but Asuka's impact has been every bit as important. While Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair set out to show that women inside the squared circle could tell fantastic stories, Asuka had been proving that overseas for years. When she signed with NXT, she was heralded as the biggest acquisition in the company's history, and she went on a Goldberg-like tear through the division. Asuka never lost a match on the gold and black brand and was one of the most protected stars to ever compete in WWE's developmental territory.
As impressive as her 510-day run as NXT Women's Champion was, perhaps the most incredible thing about her WWE career is that she's managed to actually work on the main roster and never got repackaged. Both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown are littered with stars from NXT who had their gimmicks reworked or were never able to make it to, and stay at, the top of the card. Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, Kassius Ohno, Authors of Pain, Nikki ASH, Ruby Riot, Karrion Kross, Ty Dillinger, Andrade Almas, Shayna Bazler, Finn Balor... the list of talented NXT performers who simply didn't pan out or had their characters dramatically reworked on the main roster is staggering.
Yet Asuka has remained largely unchanged throughout her entire WWE career. She was the Empress of Tomorrow in NXT, a charismatic and physical force of nature, and that's exactly what she's been on both Raw and SmackDown. She recently returned to the red brand—generally, time away gives Vince McMahon more than enough time to overthink a gimmick that doesn't need changing—but Asuka was still Asuka. And no one on Raw was ready for her.
After beating Becky Lynch on the most recent edition of the show, she's set to square off with Bianca Belair at the Hell In A Cell premium live event next month. There were complicated circumstances concerning Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on that show which led to Asuka's victory, but the fact that WWE leaned on her in this time of need was telling. Whenever they book Asuka, creative always know what they will get from her. That's a testament to her outstanding portrayal of her character and how steady of a hand she's been for the company since arriving in NXT.