Asuka (wrestler)

2.1. Background and Initial Career

Trained by Yuki Ishikawa, Urai made her professional wrestling debut under the ring name "Kana" for the all-female promotion Major Girl's Pro-Wrestling AtoZ on June 16, 2004, in a match against Leo-na. Her early career saw her compete fiercely, including reaching the finals of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling's The Best Tag Tournament in December 2004 with Yumiko Hotta, though she suffered a left wrist fracture on the same day. She engaged in intense battles against veteran wrestlers like Jaguar Yokota, Dump Matsumoto, Manami Toyota, and Kumiko Maekawa, becoming a prominent figure in AtoZ.

On March 19, 2006, Kana temporarily retired from professional wrestling due to chronic nephritis. During her hiatus, she resumed her work as a graphic designer and established her own graphic design agency. After a year and a half away from the ring, Urai announced her return to professional wrestling on August 4, 2007, and made her comeback match on September 22, facing Nanae Takahashi in Pro Wrestling SUN.

2.2. Independent Circuit Activities

Upon her return, Kana began working as a freelancer across various Japanese independent promotions. In NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling, she formed the "Passion Red" stable with Nanae Takahashi and Natsuki Taiyo in 2008. On October 10, 2009, Kana and Takahashi captured the NEO Tag Team Championship, her first professional wrestling title, holding it for two months before losing it on December 31. She departed from Passion Red on January 24, 2010, citing differences with Takahashi.

On April 29, 2010, Kana held her first self-produced event, "Kana Pro," featuring male and female wrestlers, including Tatsumi Fujinami. On June 19, she formed the influential "Triple Tails" stable with sisters Io Shirai and Mio Shirai, performing across various promotions. In August 2010, Kana stirred controversy by publishing a "Manifesto" in Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine, where she criticized the entire Joshi Puroresu community for lacking personality and realistic wrestling. This led to a confrontation with wrestlers from JWP Joshi Puroresu at a Smash event, though no direct match ensued. She adopted the moniker "Sekai no Kana" ("World Famous Kana") following this.

Kana debuted for Yoshihiro Tajiri's new Smash promotion on June 25, 2010, losing to Syuri. She later became a prominent heel in Smash, defeating Syuri in a submission match. She feuded with Tajiri, culminating in an intergender match on December 24, 2010. After the Triple Tails formed, they continued to work against male wrestlers in Smash, notably defeating Tajiri, Ken Ohka, and Yoshiaki Yago. Kana also feuded with Serena Deeb, who called her an "amateur" wrestler, leading to a tournament for the inaugural Smash Diva Championship. Kana defeated Syuri in the finals on September 8, 2011, becoming the first champion. After losing and regaining the title, she eventually lost it to Syuri on February 19, 2012, marking an end to their long rivalry.

In Pro Wrestling Wave, Kana won the 2011 Catch the Wave tournament. On October 30, 2011, she and Ayumi Kurihara won the Dual Shock Wave 2011 tournament and became the first-ever Wave Tag Team Champions. She later reformed Triple Tails as "White Tails" and, on April 21, 2013, with Mio Shirai, won the Wave Tag Team Championship again. She declared herself the "ace" of Wave in November 2012.

Kana made her debut for DDT Pro-Wrestling on March 11, 2012, where she famously won and lost the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship multiple times in a single night, ultimately leaving as a five-time champion. She also appeared in Ice Ribbon and made her Mexican debut in Toryumon Mexico.

In April 2012, Kana signed a contract with Wrestling New Classic (WNC), Tajiri's new promotion, ending her freelancing status, though still allowing her to work for Wave. In WNC, she feuded with Makoto and later with Syuri, who turned on her and joined a villainous stable. This led to a series of hardcore matches. Kana eventually left WNC in November 2012, citing unpaid wages.

Kana frequently worked for JWP Joshi Puroresu, winning the JWP Openweight Championship from Arisa Nakajima on August 18, 2013. She portrayed a villainous outsider, smearing makeup on Nakajima's face after her victory and publicly professing her love for Nakajima as part of the storyline. She defended the title twice before losing it back to Nakajima on December 15, 2013.

In 2014, Kana produced her own independent event, "KanaProMania," at Korakuen Hall, defeating Meiko Satomura. She also made a rare appearance for Pro Wrestling Noah and teamed with Naomichi Marufuji in an intergender match. In Reina Joshi Puroresu, she became a storyline consultant, and on November 20, 2014, with Arisa Nakajima, won the Reina World Tag Team Championship. On December 26, she defeated Syuri to win the Reina World Women's Championship, subsequently taking on the role of the promotion's "general producer" and forming the "Piero-gun" (Clown Army) stable. She relinquished the Reina World Women's Championship on August 31, 2015, ahead of her impending departure from the promotion. On September 15, 2015, Kana wrestled her final match in Japan before going on an indefinite hiatus from professional wrestling in her home country.

3.1. NXT Women's Champion Era

Urai's signing with WWE was announced on September 8, 2015, in Tokyo. She joined the developmental brand NXT and adopted the ring name "Asuka". Her debut appearance, which aired on September 23, immediately set the stage for a confrontation with Dana Brooke and Emma. In her official in-ring debut on October 7 at NXT TakeOver: Respect, Asuka defeated Dana Brooke. She quickly accumulated victories, remaining undefeated and earning critical acclaim for her dominant performances.

On April 1, 2016, at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, Asuka defeated Bayley by technical submission to win the NXT Women's Championship, becoming the first Japanese wrestler to hold the title and maintaining her undefeated streak. She successfully defended the title against formidable opponents such as Nia Jax at NXT TakeOver: The End and Mickie James at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. In summer 2016, Vince McMahon considered moving Asuka to the main roster during the 2016 WWE draft, but NXT head Triple H convinced him against it, calling her "the one person NXT could not afford to lose" and the brand's "anchor."

Asuka's reign as NXT Women's Champion continued to break records. In early February 2017, she became the longest-reigning singles champion in NXT history, male or female. She surpassed Goldberg's widely promoted (though internally disputed) 173-match undefeated streak in May 2017 and later surpassed Rockin' Robin's 502-day WWF Women's Championship reign, becoming the longest-reigning champion in WWE history (as recognized by WWE). Her title defenses included a fatal four-way match against Nikki Cross, Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, and a triple threat match against Cross and Ruby Riott at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. She also decisively defeated Nikki Cross in the first-ever women's Last Woman Standing match to retain her championship.

At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III on August 19, 2017, Asuka successfully defended her title against Ember Moon. However, during the match, she suffered a broken right collarbone, which forced her out of action. Consequently, Asuka relinquished the NXT Women's Championship at the August 24 NXT tapings (aired September 6), ending her historic reign at 510 days. During her farewell segment, NXT General Manager William Regal lauded her as "one of the greatest champions in WWE history."

3.2. Main Roster Debut and Undefeated Streak

Following a series of promotional vignettes, Asuka was officially assigned to the Raw brand on September 11, 2017. She made her highly anticipated in-ring debut on October 22 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, defeating her former NXT rival Emma. Her undefeated streak continued on the main roster, with victories over various opponents, including a record-setting three-second submission win against Dana Brooke. At Survivor Series on November 19, Asuka was the sole survivor for Team Raw in a Survivor Series match against Team SmackDown.

On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, Asuka made history by winning the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match. Entering at number 25, she eliminated Ember Moon and ultimately Nikki Bella to earn a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34. She also participated in the first season of the WWE Mixed Match Challenge, teaming with The Miz and winning the tournament to support the charity Rescue Dogs Rock. At Fastlane on March 11, Asuka challenged Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34. At the event on April 8, Asuka submitted to Charlotte Flair's Figure-Eight Leglock, marking her first official loss in WWE and ending her undefeated streak at 914 days.

3.3. SmackDown Women's Championship Reign

On April 17, 2018, Asuka was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, immediately aligning with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch against The IIconics and then-SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella. She challenged Carmella for the SmackDown Women's Championship at Money in the Bank on June 17, but lost due to interference from the returning James Ellsworth. She again failed to capture the title from Carmella at Extreme Rules in a rematch.

Towards the end of 2018, Asuka's momentum surged. On November 27, she won a battle royal to earn a spot in the first-ever women's Tables, ladders, and chairs match for the SmackDown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. At the namesake event on December 16, which notably main evented a dual-branded pay-per-view, Asuka made history by winning the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time after Ronda Rousey interfered, pushing both Lynch and Flair off a ladder. This victory made her the second Japanese woman to hold a main roster WWE women's championship after Bull Nakano. She successfully defended the title against Naomi and Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble in January 2019, and against Mandy Rose at Fastlane in March. However, her reign ended abruptly on March 26, 2019, on SmackDown, when she lost the title to Charlotte Flair in an impromptu match, ending her reign at 100 days.

3.4. Formation of The Kabuki Warriors

On the April 16, 2019, episode of SmackDown, Paige announced that she would be managing a new tag team composed of Asuka and the debuting Kairi Sane from NXT. The duo was later named "The Kabuki Warriors" and immediately began feuding with The IIconics over the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. After weeks of failed attempts, The Kabuki Warriors finally defeated Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at Hell in a Cell on October 6, 2019, with Asuka using a green mist attack on Cross.

The following night on Raw, The Kabuki Warriors completed their transformation into villains by cutting a promo on Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair and using green mist again to defeat them in a non-title match. As part of the 2019 WWE Draft, both Asuka and Sane were drafted to the Raw brand. Their heel turn intensified when Asuka spit green mist on their manager Paige, ending their association. Asuka then renewed her rivalry with Becky Lynch, challenging her for the WWE Raw Women's Championship at the Royal Rumble and again on Raw, but failed to win the title on both occasions.

At Night 1 of WrestleMania 36, The Kabuki Warriors lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, ending their reign at a record 181 days.

3.5. Grand Slam Achievement and Subsequent Title Reigns

On the April 13, 2020, episode of Raw, Asuka qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Ruby Riott. At the eponymous event, Asuka won the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The following night on Raw, Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy and vacated the Raw Women's Championship, revealing that the Money in the Bank contract was actually for the championship itself. This made Asuka the new Raw Women's Champion. With this win, Asuka became the second WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion (after Bayley) and the third WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion (after Bayley and Alexa Bliss). She embraced Lynch, signifying a face turn.

Asuka successfully defended the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax at Backlash and in a rematch on Raw. She lost the Raw Women's Championship to Sasha Banks at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules due to controversial circumstances involving green mist and Bayley, but the decision was later reversed. However, a week later, Asuka officially lost the title to Banks via countout when she chose to save Kairi Sane from an attack by Bayley. This marked Sane's final WWE appearance, disbanding The Kabuki Warriors.

At SummerSlam, Asuka competed in two championship matches on the same night: first losing to Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship, then defeating Sasha Banks to regain the Raw Women's Championship, marking her first time winning a WWE title more than once. She continued her reign, defending successfully against Zelina Vega at Clash of Champions and on Raw. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Asuka and the returning Charlotte Flair defeated Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, making Asuka a double champion. They lost the titles back to Jax and Baszler at the Royal Rumble. Asuka also lost the Raw Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37, ending her second reign at 231 days.

After a nine-month hiatus due to injury, Asuka returned on the April 25, 2022, episode of Raw, confronting Becky Lynch. She earned a Raw Women's Championship match at Hell in a Cell by defeating Lynch, but the match was later changed to a triple threat including Lynch and champion Bianca Belair, where Belair retained. At Money in the Bank, she was unsuccessful in winning the ladder match. On October 31, 2022, Asuka and Alexa Bliss defeated Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, but lost them back at Crown Jewel due to interference from Nikki Cross. At Survivor Series: WarGames, Asuka, Belair, Bliss, Lynch, and Mia Yim defeated Damage CTRL, Cross, and Ripley in a WarGames match.

3.6. Alliance with Damage CTRL

In January 2023, Asuka returned with a new look, reminiscent of her "Kana" character, and participated in the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble match, finishing third. At Elimination Chamber the following month, Asuka won the Elimination Chamber match to earn a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 39. This victory made her the first and only woman to win the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber matches. She failed to win the title from Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.

As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Asuka was drafted to the SmackDown brand. She reignited her feud with Belair, attacking her with green mist on SmackDown, leading to a rematch at Night of Champions, where Asuka defeated Belair to win the Raw Women's Championship for the third time, ending Belair's record-setting 420-day reign. On the June 9, 2023, episode of SmackDown, the title was officially renamed the WWE Women's Championship, and Asuka was presented with a new championship design. She then lost the title to Belair at SummerSlam in a triple threat match also involving Charlotte Flair, ending her reign at 70 days. She failed to regain the title at Fastlane in a triple threat match against Iyo Sky and Charlotte Flair.

On the November 10, 2023, episode of SmackDown, during a six-woman tag team match, Asuka betrayed her teammates, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair, to reunite with Kairi Sane and join Damage CTRL. At Survivor Series WarGames, Damage CTRL lost to Belair, Flair, Lynch, and Shotzi in a WarGames match.

On the January 26, 2024, episode of SmackDown, Asuka and Kairi Sane, again competing as The Kabuki Warriors, defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the second time (Asuka's record-setting fourth reign individually). They successfully defended their titles against Chance and Carter on Raw, against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell at Elimination Chamber: Perth kickoff show, and against Tatum Paxley and Lyra Valkyria at NXT Roadblock. At Night 1 of WrestleMania XL, Damage CTRL (Asuka, Sane, and Dakota Kai) were defeated by Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill in a six-woman tag team match. In the 2024 WWE Draft, Asuka, as part of Damage CTRL, was drafted to the Raw brand. At Backlash France on May 4, Asuka and Sane lost their titles to Belair and Cargill, ending their second reign at 99 days. Two days later on Raw, Asuka revealed that she had been suffering from a knee injury for months and had successfully undergone surgery, leading to a hiatus from in-ring competition.

4.1. In-Ring Style

She incorporates elements of shoot-style and mixed martial arts, evident in her use of sharp kicks, precise knee strikes, and a wide array of submission holds. Her matches often feature hard-hitting exchanges and a relentless pursuit of submissions, earning her a reputation as a dangerous and legitimate competitor. Her aggressive and sometimes unhinged demeanor in the ring adds to her unique appeal.

4.2. Signature Moves and Finishers

Asuka's most recognizable and impactful wrestling maneuvers include:

• Asuka Lock (formerly Kana Lock): A ground-based chickenwing with a body scissors or sleeper hold. This is her primary finishing maneuver, known for its various setups and tight application.
• Hip Attack (formerly ビリケン_Billiken^Japanese): A jumping or running hip attack, often delivered to opponents in the corner or seated.
• Spin Kick: A powerful roundhouse kick used as a finisher during her NXT tenure.
• Green Mist: A forbidden tactic where she spits green liquid into her opponent's face, often used as a dirty trick during her villainous phases.
• Pop-up Knee Strike: A knee lift to the face delivered as she lifts her opponent into the air.
• Buzzsaw Kick: A hard-hitting roundhouse kick to the head of a kneeling or rising opponent.
• Henkai Zombie-Katame (変形ゾンビ固め_{Henkai Zonbi-Katame}^Japanese): A leg-trap camel clutch.
• Kanagon (カナブン_Kanabun^Japanese): A grounded dragon sleeper.
• Seated Fujiwara Armbar: A variant of the Fujiwara armbar.
• She also extensively uses various types of kicks (low kicks, middle kicks, high kicks, rolling somersault kicks), elbows, backhand chops, open-hand slaps, backhand blows, Russian hooks, dropkicks (including low dropkicks), enzuigiris, German suplexes, DDTs (including reverse DDTs), and suplexes (including snap suplexes and superplexes).

4.3. Persona and Catchphrases

Asuka is known by her moniker, "The Empress of Tomorrow," which reflects her dominant and futuristic persona. Her distinctive look often includes colorful, clown-like makeup, particularly around her eyes, which she adopted in her independent career. Her popular catchphrase, "No One Is Ready for ASUKA!", became a hallmark of her undefeated streak and confident demeanor. She has also incorporated elements of her native Osaka dialect into her promos, adding a unique and sometimes humorous touch to her character.

5.1. Influence on Women's Wrestling

In December 2015, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Urai "may be the best worker in WWE, man or woman," highlighting her exceptional in-ring abilities. In 2017, Urai became the first Japanese wrestler to top Pro Wrestling Illustrateds annual PWI Female 50 list, a testament to her global recognition and dominance. She was also named Pro Wrestling Illustrateds Woman of the Year in 2017. In 2018, Sports Illustrated ranked her No. 5 in its top 10 women's wrestlers of the year.

Asuka played a pivotal role in the "Women's Revolution" in WWE, contributing to a fundamental shift in the perception of female wrestlers from "Divas" (who often emphasized sex appeal) to legitimate athletes and competitors. Her impactful style and credible performances helped solidify the movement towards presenting women's wrestling on par with men's.

Her unparalleled achievements in WWE include being the first person in company history to win the NXT Women's Championship, Raw Women's Championship, SmackDown Women's Championship, WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, Women's Royal Rumble match, Women's Money in the Bank ladder match, and Women's Elimination Chamber match. This collection of accomplishments underscores her comprehensive dominance across multiple eras and divisions within WWE. In 2020, she reportedly competed in more WWE matches than any other superstar, further emphasizing her consistent presence and work ethic. In 2021, WWE itself named her among the top five greatest female superstars of all time, solidifying her legendary status within the company.

6.1. Media and Business Ventures

Outside of professional wrestling, Kanako Urai has engaged in various media and business ventures. She has released three gravure DVDs titled Manifesto (2011), Manifesto II (2012), and Manifesto Final (2015). She also released a gravure DVD with Mio Shirai titled Sadistic Tails (2012).

Leveraging her background as a graphic designer and video game journalist, Urai launched her own popular YouTube channel, "KanaChanTV," in September 2019. The channel features bilingual (English/Japanese) content, including video game playthroughs and lifestyle vlogs, and has garnered hundreds of thousands of subscribers. She also performed motion capture for several characters in the video game Virtua Fighter 5. Demonstrating her passion for video games, Urai began building her own arcade in Japan in July 2023, which will house a collection of classic arcade game boards, including some from a famous Kyoto arcade. She previously owned a hair salon in Yokohama named Another Heaven.

6.2. Personal Aspects

Kanako Urai is a mother, a detail that has been publicly mentioned by fellow WWE superstars like Becky Lynch and Naomi. In an interview in 2021, Urai spoke about her personal experiences with racism and shared her thoughts on the rise of anti-Asian sentiment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that "it's a waste of time to be hateful." Before her professional wrestling career, Urai had a background in badminton and figure skating.