Show
Time and location
NEW ORLEANS — Asuka’s streak is over.
After 267 wins over two and a half years, including an unmatched reign as NXT Women’s Champion, a rampage through the Raw roster, winning the Mixed Match Challenge and a historic victory in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match, The Empress of Tomorrow finally met her match in SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. The Queen handed Asuka her first loss, forcing The Empress of Tomorrow to tap out to the Figure-Eight Leglock at WrestleMania 34.
Both competitors exuded confidence as they stepped foot on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Clad in gold, Flair arrived on a throne befitting her position as sports-entertainment royalty, flanked by a fleet of gladiators that escorted the second-generation Superstar to the squared circle. The allusions to Charlotte’s own debut as part of Triple H’s WrestleMania 30 entrance in the same venue were not lost on anyone. Asuka, meanwhile, responded by strutting to the ring with the same swagger that helped her rack up win after win between the ropes.
The two competitors proved to be evenly matched in the opening moments of the bouts. Both competitors traded holds in an athletic display that left the WWE Universe in awe. After sending Flair crashing to the arena floor, The Empress of Tomorrow took control of the match, slowing it down as she wrenched on The Queen’s arm.
Charlotte battled back and had her challenger in position for her picture-perfect moonsault. However, Asuka was ready for Flair, catching the champion in a triangle hold as she landed. The challenger continued to zero in on Flair’s arm and shoulder, perhaps preparing to cinch in the devastating Asuka Lock.
The battle made its way to the ring apron, where The Empress of Tomorrow continued to punish the champion, taking Charlotte to the arena floor with a suplex. But despite Asuka’s grueling offense, The Queen persisted, turning a top rope struggle into a breathtaking Spanish Fly. The challenger did not let Flair’s spirit catch her off-guard, as she immediately locked on a series of vicious submissions before fighting off an attempted Figure-Eight Leglock.
But in the face of peril, The Queen persisted. Charlotte locked on the Figure-Eight, and in a moment that many in the WWE Universe never expected, Asuka tapped out.
As a rush of emotions overcame both competitors and the WWE Universe, The Empress of Tomorrow grabbed the microphone and made a simple proclamation: “Charlotte Flair was ready for Asuka!”
The two competitors embraced in the center of the ring, both knowing that the landscape of WWE’s women’s division had changed permanently. Now, Asuka must learn how to deal with her first defeat in WWE. And Charlotte, having defeated the previously undefeated, must continue to assert her dominance. Will anyone step up to try and dethrone The Queen as SmackDown Women’s Champion?