Asuka’s FIRST EVER SmackDown Live Match CONFIRMED

Published: Apr 21, 2018 by Liam | Last Updated: Apr 21, 2018 by Liam

Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news since early 2018. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles and led WrestleTalk.com's coverage from 2022 until mid 2026.

Asuka’s FIRST EVER SmackDown Live Match CONFIRMED

On this past Tuesday’s edition of the SmackDown Live, the ‘Empress of Tomorrow’ Asuka was drafted from Raw to over to the blue brand in the 2018 ‘Superstar Shake-up’, and via Twitter, WWE has confirmed she will compete in her first ever match for team blue this Tuesday.

BREAKING: @WWEAsuka will compete in her first-ever #SDLive match THIS TUESDAY when she teams up with @BeckyLynchWWE to face The #IIconics @WWEPeytonRoyce & @BillieKayWWE! https://t.co/wQf0AfwP51

— WWE (@WWE) April 20, 2018

Asuka will partner with Becky Lynch in a tag team match against Billie Kay and Peyton Royce of the IIconics, who are also new faces on the blue brand, having been called up from NXT a week prior to Asuka’s switch, on the SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 34.

The now-defeated ‘Empress’ made her mark last week by saving Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair from a three-on-two assault at the hands of the IIconics and WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, Carmella. This came after Charlotte Flair had defeated Billie Kay in singles competition.

Asuka had made a few sporadic appearances on SmackDown Live in the lead-up to WrestleMania 34, where she challenged Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, in a match which was rated four stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Charlotte Flair came out the victor at ‘Mania and ended Asuka’s 914-day undefeated streak.

Two days later, and as mentioned earlier, the IIconics made their SmackDown Live arrival by conducting a vicious assault on the ‘Queen’, therefore allowing Carmella to cash-in her Money in the Bank contract and defeat Charlotte Flair to win WWE gold for the first time in her career.

It has also been rumored and even teased on WWE.com, that WWE may be introducing Women’s Tag Team Championships, so could this match play into that at all, or will it just play a supporting role in continuing the feud between Carmella and Charlotte Flair?

No doubt we’ll be seeing a six-woman tag team match involving all these women at some point… because we don’t get enough of them, do we?

What are your thoughts on Asuka’s SmackDown Live debut match? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter here, and as always, have a spiffing Rusev Day.