Latest Rumors on Asuka, WWE Tapings; Mick Foley Talks Undertaker Documentary

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

When Asuka Reportedly Knew About Winning Raw Women's Title

Asuka was named the new Raw women's champion on Monday's episode of Raw in conjunction with Becky Lynch announcing her pregnancy, and while it came as a surprise to fans watching at home, it reportedly was a surprise to Asuka as well.

According to PWInsider's Mike Johnson (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Asuka was not aware that she had become champion until Monday.

Lynch revealed that the women's Money in the Bank ladder match, which was taped a few weeks ago at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, was actually for the Raw women's title rather than a contract for a title match.

Johnson noted that Asuka didn't know at the time of the match that it was for the title and that since she wasn't informed of the situation until she arrived at the Raw tapings on Monday, her on-screen reaction was "legitimately shocked and excitement."

After Lynch handed the title over to Asuka, she danced all around the ring and up to the top of the ramp. It was then that Becky said she was pregnant, which elicited another joyful response from Asuka, as she sent The Man off with a hug.

With that, Lynch's 399-day reign as Raw women's champion was over, and a new era started with Asuka reigning over the Raw women's division.

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Asuka has essentially already seen and done it all in WWE, and now that she has been rewarded for all the fine work she has done in recent weeks, she is a Grand Slam champion having held the Raw Women's, SmackDown Women's NXT Women's and WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Latest on WWE Taping Schedule

The coronavirus pandemic has forced WWE to alter its taping schedule multiple times over the past couple of months, and it reportedly will result in a busy day for talent on Tuesday.

According to PWInsider (h/t Upton), Tuesday's taping schedule at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, has been described as "grueling," as it will feature the taping of next week's Raw and SmackDown episodes, as well as episodes of 205 Live and Main Event.

The tapings reportedly won't end until "very late in the evening" on Tuesday. This comes after this week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown were taped Monday.

While Raw and SmackDown are usually live shows, WWE has made adjustments in an effort to prevent its talent and staff from having to be present every week. Cutting down on travel and close interaction as much as possible is a smart move on WWE's part given the dangers of COVID-19.

Raw and SmackDown will undoubtedly be back live at some point in the near future when a sense of normalcy returns, but WWE is taking a more measured and cautious approach for now.

Foley Comments on The Undertaker's Documentary

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley praised the first episode of Undertaker: The Last Ride, which debuted on WWE Network Sunday night after the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Foley took to Twitter to express his belief that the documentary added to The Undertaker's mystique:

The Last Ride is akin to ESPN's The Last Dance docu-series, which chronicles Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98. Like Jordan, Taker is reaching the end of the line and wanted to have the late stages of his career documented.

The first episode of The Last Ride was primarily focused on The Undertaker's match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. The Undertaker and most WWE fans were convinced at the time that it was the final match of his career.

Taker was dealing with many physical ailments at the time and had accomplished so much in professional wrestling that he had nothing left to prove. Even so, The Deadman has continued to perform.

The coming episodes will undoubtedly delve deeper into that with looks at his WrestleMania 34 and 36 matches, the latter of which saw him beat AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match, which was universally beloved by the WWE Universe.

The Undertaker has pulled back the curtain and let his guard down more than ever over the past year or so, The Last Ride will give fans a chance to see the man behind the character like they never have before.

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