Where Asuka's Win at TLC Ranks Among Most Impressive Debuts in WWE History

Asuka made her long-awaited WWE main roster debut Sunday night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in Minneapolis, defeating Emma.

Like numerous others who crossed paths with Asuka, Emma fell victim to the Asuka Lock. Emma had little choice but to tap out, giving Asuka her first win as a member of Raw.

WWE showed the victorious Asuka:

While everybody expected Asuka to win, many believed she'd do so in more dominant fashion:

Vignettes aired on Raw in the weeks leading up to TLC hyping Asuka's first match since getting called up from NXT, and The Empress of Tomorrow delivered in a big way.

Asuka went undefeated in NXT and held the NXT Women's Championship for 510 days before being stripped of it, so it came as little surprise that her winning ways carried over to the main roster.

Sunday's bout was the latest in a long line of memorable debut matches in WWE history, and it can be argued that Asuka's name belongs near the top of the list.

Before it was announced that Alexa Bliss would defend the Raw Women's Championship against Mickie James at TLC, there was some thought that Asuka would debut against Bliss and immediately win the title to signal a continuation of the dominance she displayed in NXT.

That didn't happen, whereas both Gail Kim and Paige won championships in their first main roster matches, respectively.

Kim's win came in a Battle Royal in 2003, while Paige showed up on Raw the night after WrestleMania 30 and beat AJ Lee for the Divas Championship in a match nobody expected.

Although Asuka's debut wasn't as impactful as Paige's due to the lack of a title, it was more impressive since she put on a clinic in the contest itself.

The most comparable debut to Asuka's on a big stage may have been Tazz's first match in WWE at Royal Rumble 2000 when he beat Kurt Angle decisively to open the show.

All things considered, however, the best debut performance in WWE history from a singles perspective was Kevin Owens' win over John Cena at Elimination Chamber 2015.

That match was far from one-sided, as both Superstars got plenty of shots in, but it resulted in KO beating Cena cleanly in the middle of the ring, which is something few can say they have done, especially in their first match.

Since Asuka didn't face someone of Cena's ilk, it is difficult to compare what she did to what Owens was able to accomplish two years ago.

The goal with Sunday's match was to quickly establish Asuka as a force to be reckoned with in the Raw women's division, and that was undoubtedly accomplished.

Although she will likely have many more memorable moments to come—including multiple, long-running title reigns—Asuka's debut will always have an important place in WWE history due to the indelible mark she stands to leave on women's wrestling in the coming years.

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