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In a year summed up by uncertainty, one thing you could guarantee was an entertaining effort from Asuka every time she appeared on television. Asuka is my WWE Most Valuable Artist of 2020, and here’s why:
A triumphant Charlotte Flair, who had missed a substantial part of 2020 due to injury, stood alongside her new team champion, Asuka. Charlotte, microphone in hand, referred to Asuka as “the heartbeat of this division.”
She is correct. While I was out, Charlotte was watching, as were the rest of us.
While Sasha Banks and Bayley were the most prominent figures in the women’s division in WWE this year, it was Asuka who operated like a Swiss Army knife on screen. Do you need a threat to Becky Lynch? Asuka can do that. Do you need someone to energize your tag team division? She can do that too. Do you need a top babyface now that Lynch is gone? She can certainly do that. Do you want to make people laugh in this hell of a year? Asuka is ready for homework.
She * did * that, she did everything.
Could you believe that there was a time in 2020 that was not engulfed by a pandemic and subsequent economic and emotional crises? Crazy, I know. Asuka’s incredible year began in front of over 40,000 Royal Rumble attendees, where she challenged Becky Lynch for her Raw Women’s Championship.
A rematch of their match on the same show the year before, Asuka and Lynch entered this match in entirely new roles. This time, Asuka was a mean bastard instead of the babyface champion, and Lynch was the champion with a lot to prove rather than a rising superstar.
Asuka started the year as heel and half of the Kabuki Warriors tag team champion with Kairi Sane; what career they had together. For the first time in her WWE career, Asuka played the bad boy. As you read this, Asuka is probably the most mainstream and prominent babyface in WWE’s women’s division. My point is, he played both roles exceptionally well this year. More on his career as a babyface later in this article.
Becky was forced into this match, but something ate her no matter how much she had accomplished over the last calendar year, she still had to defeat Asuka. This dynamic between them allowed Asuka to play with that insecurity that Becky had. She had nothing to lose, and what we saw of her in this match was arrogance and a strong belief that Becky had to beat her despite being the champion.
Asuka was calm, cold and conspiratorial, in this match and in the early part of 2020. One fateful night put Asuka from head to toe with ease. The night after the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View, in what was supposed to be a victory ceremony for the recovery of Asuka’s MITB briefcase, he was shocked by the revelation of the contents of the case.
Becky Lynch announced to Asuka that by virtue of winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, she was now officially the Raw Women’s Champion. Lynch was giving up her championship to become a mother. Asuka’s reaction to that reveal helped create one of the most beautiful moments ever captured on WWE cameras.
In a year marked by so much emotional anguish, this moment was a celebration of life in the midst of a global pandemic that had taken so much from many. Asuka was left in the dark about Lynch’s pregnancy, which means that what we saw in this opening segment of Raw was as organic as any time in WWE could be.
Asuka’s face lit up and her humanity shone, turning her into a baby face by default after months of evil and taking the easy path. If WWE is in the business of “putting smiles on people’s faces,” I don’t see why Asuka wouldn’t be the Employee of the Year. Asuka’s aggressively upbeat personality jumps off the screen every time she appears.
Asuka is very funny by nature and that trait was used repeatedly and provided a boost to whatever stream she was a part of. It is important to note that his wrestling ability did not decline this year. In her prime, Asuka was among the best of all the artists in the ring. One thing is unquestionable, its versatility; babyface tag team, heel tag team, domineering / underdog babyface, managed to do it all this year.
On the flip side, her top five in-ring performances (in no particular order) were against Becky at the Rumble, alongside Kairi Sane versus the gold role models on the July 13 edition of Raw, just two weeks later. on Raw against Sasha. her double feature night at SummerSlam, and once again against Sasha at Survivor Series.
Notice the abundance of Sasha Banks and Bayley on my list. They too had a commendable year, and I partially give Asuka credit for elevating them to heights they hadn’t yet reached through their summer-long feud. Banks and Bayley had a great contrast in Asuka; she was someone they can play with and appear as dominant competitors and hilarious cowards.
His entertaining fight with Asuka surely gave WWE bosses the confidence to continue to feature them in the top spots regardless of his conflicts with her. What Sasha and Bayley have done this year has been extraordinary, and their years really took off when they met Asuka.
WWE also instilled their trust in Asuka to help Lana become a more respected and loved babyface, which I think was as effective as it could be before Lana’s injury.
Asuka performed well in a multitude of roles in the span of 12 months, but her greatest achievement was what she accomplished with her enthusiasm and humor. She is my most valuable performer of 2020.
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