WWE Extreme Rules 2020: Asuka Must Retain Women's Title to Set Up Baszler Feud

Asuka defends her Raw Women's Championship against Sasha Banks Sunday night as part of The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, and as appealing as the idea of The Boss capturing the title and holding all the gold alongside partner Bayley may be, the potential for a high-profile match between The Empress of Tomorrow and another top challenger is even more appetizing.

Shayna Baszler's return on Monday's episode of Raw brought with it a sudden desire for the one match fans have not seen on a grand stage of any sort to this point in WWE.

It has been teased, but those women have never met in a one-on-one showdown of any real significance.

With Baszler heating back up, and Asuka enjoying what may be her last shot at a real run as champion, now is the time to pull the proverbial trigger on the epic encounter.

A Dominant History Followed By Main-Roster Disappointment

Asuka reigned over the NXT brand as its women's champion for 522 days, utterly dominating against all who crossed her path. Bayley, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott and Nikki Cross all fell at the feet of The Empress as she carved out a legacy for herself as that brand's greatest star.

Regardless of gender.

Baszler picked up the ball and embarked on her own reign of dominance. Though she hit a speed bump in the form of Asuka's Kabuki Warriors tag team partner, Kairi Sane, she would stand tall atop the women's division as its undisputed face.

Like Asuka, she was seemingly unconquerable, a wrestler and fighter at a different level than her opposition for the 416 days of her second reign.

Neither of those impressive streaks translated to the main roster, though.

For reasons that only WWE CEO Vince McMahon and his creative team will ever know, any and all momentum the competitors built for themselves during their time with the black and gold brand was extinguished upon their arrivals on Raw and SmackDown.

Asuka's aura was inexplicably diminished, first via her loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34 and then by her losing series of matches against Carmella over the blue brand title. She quickly became just another face in a crowded division rather than the transcendent champion she should have been.

Baszler entered WWE like a buzzsaw, tearing through everyone between her and the Raw women's title, held at that time by Becky Lynch. She even turned in the most dominant performance in the history of the Elimination Chamber to cash her ticket to WrestleMania, tapping out five opponents—including Asuka.

But she lost to Lynch at WrestleMania and then disappeared off WWE television beginning in May.

According to a report by Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Chairman of the Board was not a fan.

Redemption Stories

The arrival of empty-arena wrestling because of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it opportunities for Superstars to reinvent themselves or seize television time they may not otherwise have gotten. Asuka is one such star.

Going bigger, louder and more animated with her character, she embraced the challenges that the silence of a fan-less arena presented and thrived. She became one of, if not the most entertaining performer on any show and was rewarded accordingly.

When Becky Lynch left to be a mom, Asuka was awarded the Raw Women's Championship just 24 hours after winning Money in the Bank.

She has channeled all of her energy into her performance, and the result is the type of run most had hoped she would enjoy when she was called up two years ago.

Monday on Raw, Baszler returned after a monthslong hiatus and issued a warning to everyone in her path. After a career misstep beginning at WrestleMania, she appears poised to enjoy a run that could finally net her that main-roster gold.

And fans of both WWE and the women involved deserve it.

Who is more dominant? Who had the better NXT run? Who is the face of women's wrestling on the flagship?

Those are three questions that could be answered and, more importantly, could serve as the foundation of the program.

But it all starts with Asuka successfully retaining Sunday night against Banks.