More WWE wrestlers are posting to social media regarding Asuka.
Asuka is said to be semi-retired following her match against IYO SKY at WWE Backlash on Saturday.
While several WWE wrestlers have been posting tributes to her online, nobody from the company has explained why they are doing so right now.
AJ Styles wrote that he “doesn’t know the facts,” but knows Asuka will be in the WWE Hall of Fame someday.
“I don’t know the facts, but I know @wwe_asuka will be a Hall of Famer.”
Michin, Nattie, Bayley, TNA’s Ash By Elegance, and others have been sharing tributes to Asuka as well.
Michin wrote, “We love Asuka around here 💙”
Rhea Ripley, Nattie, and others commented on the match between IYO SKY and Asuka at Backlash:
Ripley wrote, “Iyo Sky vs Asuka 👏🏽Phenomenal! Best of the best! You did it @Iyo_SkyWWE 🥹🖤✨Proud of you!”
Nattie wrote, “Iyo and Asuka had such an incredible match tonight. You can feel their passion and how both are true leaders in the ring wanting to GIVE the most to eachother.”
Bayley wrote, “No matter what, where, or when…Iyo Sky and Asuka are two of the rarest wrestlers in the entire world.”
Ash By Elegance wrote, “Blessed to have been Asuka’s first match in @WWE! Honored… Legend! ➡️ Sexy muscle friend”
Iyo and Asuka had such an incredible match tonight. You can feel their passion and how both are true leaders in the ring wanting to GIVE the most to eachother. https://t.co/bVgctatBiH
Some STARDOM fans were quite angry with Thekla over the angle she did before leaving the company.
Following her loss to Sayaka Kurara at All Star Grand Queendom in 2025, Thekla attacked STARDOM president Taro Okada, who was seated at ringside. The angle was that Thekla was fired from STARDOM, which led to her signing with AEW.
During a recent interview with Daily Express US, the AEW Women’s World Champion said she received death threats after the initial angle.
“When the death threats came in and everybody was like, ‘Hey, somebody call the police, she needs to leave the country,’ and people started spitting at me at the shows,” Thekla said, “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think this is actually really working.'”
The angle has been followed up on twice since the initial attack. She also had altercations with Okada at Arena Mexico in October and again at STARDOM’s American Dream show in Las Vegas over WrestleMania weekend.
Thekla also spoke about her preference for being a heel during the interview.
“I just love being a little prick,” she said. “I call everybody dumb b——, you know,” she said, laughing. “And people are just like, yes.”
Thekla also addressed her and WWE’s Gunther both coming from Austria, a country that doesn’t have much of a wrestling scene.
“What are the odds that we both come from a very small country with basically no wrestling scene? What are the odds that that two people make it this far, him and WWE and me and AEW? It’s it’s really remarkable,” she said.
Following WWE Backlash on Saturday, several WWE wrestlers posted messages regarding Asuka to social media.
Asuka was defeated by IYO SKY on the PLE and after the match hugged her former mentee/rival, bowed to her, and appeared to end their program conclusively.
Following the show, IYO SKY posted a message to Asuka on social media. She wrote:
“Our story comes to its final chapter with today’s match. The moment the match ended, my heart was filled with all sorts of emotions.
Meeting ASUKA-san, Spending the same time together, Being able to learn so much up close— These are irreplaceable treasures to me.
Thank you so much ASUKA-San
We love you ASUKA-San❣️”
Both Charlotte Flair and Shinsuke Nakamura also posted images of Asuka to social media after Backlash. When Flair was asked what her post means, she responded that she’s “just a fan!!!”
On the post-WWE Backlash edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, our own Dave Meltzer noted that he’s been told Asuka is considered to be semi-retired now. However, it was also noted that it’s not really clear what semi-retired means or what could come next for the 44-year-old.
The social media posts from Charlotte Flair, Shinsuke Nakamura, and IYO SKY are below.
With the news that Asuka is said to be semi-retired, it feels like an opportunity to review some of the top matches from her WWE career.
For the purposes of this article, we have ranked the top ten matches from Asuka’s time with the company below as rated by our own Dave Meltzer. I used Cagematch rankings as the tiebreaker between matches that received the same star-rating from Meltzer.
1. Asuka vs. Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III: ****1/2
The top-ranked match on this list is Asuka vs. Ember Moon from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III on August 19, 2017.
The match went just under 15 minutes and saw Asuka retain her title. Meltzer rated it four and a half stars.
Elsewhere on the show, Drew McIntyre retained the NXT title over Bobby Roode, and Aleister Black defeated Hideo Itami, better known as Kenta.
2. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair at TLC 2018: ****1/2
Second on this list is a triple threat TLC match that Asuka wrestled against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at the TLC pay-per-view on December 16, 2018.
The match headlined the show, went just over 25 minutes, and saw Asuka take the SmackDown Women’s title off Becky Lynch.
3. Women’s WarGames at Survivor Series 2023: ****1/2
Third on this list is the Women’s WarGames match from Survivor Series 2023.
The match was also rated four and a half stars and saw Asuka team with Bayley, IYO SKY, and Kairi Sane as Damage CTRL in a loss to Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi.
4. Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley on WWE Raw: ****1/2
Number four on this list, also rated four and a half stars, is a singles match between Asuka and Rhea Ripley from the September 22, 2025 edition of WWE Raw.
The match headlined the show and saw Ripley win a bout that went just over 17 minutes.
5. Asuka vs. Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver Orlando: ****1/4
Number five on this list is another match between Asuka and Ember Moon, this one from NXT TakeOver: Orlando on April 1, 2017.
The match was rated four and one-quarter stars and saw Asuka retain the NXT Women’s title over Moon.
Elsewhere on the show, Bobby Roode defended the NXT men’s title against Shinsuke Nakamura, and there was also a match between Aleister Black and Andrade.
6. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania Backlash 2021: ****1/4
Number six on this list was a triple threat with Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley that took place at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16, 2021.
It was rated four and one-quarter stars, went just over 15 minutes, kicked off the PLE, and saw Ripley retain the Raw Women’s title.
7. The Kabuki Warriors vs. IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley at Crown Jewel 2025: ****1/4
Number seven on this list is a tag team match between The Kabuki Warriors and IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley from Crown Jewel 2025 on October 11, 2025.
The match went just under 20 minutes and saw SKY and Ripley come out victorious. The match was rated four and one-quarter stars.
8. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell 2022: ****
Coming in at number eight on this list is a triple threat match between Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair from Hell in a Cell 2022 on June 5, 2022.
The match kicked off the PLE, went 19 minutes, and saw Belair retain the Raw Women’s title.
Elsewhere on the show, Cody Rhodes wrestled Seth Rollins after tearing his pec.
9. Asuka vs. Emma at NXT TakeOver London: ****
Number nine on this list came just months into Asuka’s WWE career at NXT TakeOver: London on December 16, 2015.
On that show, Asuka defeated Emma to kick off the pay-per-view in a match rated four stars by Meltzer that went just under 15 minutes.
Elsewhere on the show, Finn Balor retained the NXT men’s title against Samoa Joe, and Bayley retained the NXT women’s title against Nia Jax.
10. Asuka vs. Nikki Cross on NXT: ****
Coming in at number 10 on this list is the Last Woman Standing match between Asuka and Nikki Cross from the June 23, 2017 episode of NXT.
The match main-evented the show, went 20 minutes and 30 seconds, and saw Asuka retain the NXT Women’s title.
Asuka has 11 matches in her career that were rated four stars by Meltzer. Several matches involving Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch that were rated four stars but do not appear on this list as they were rated below the ones that did on Cagematch.net.
Following her loss to IYO SKY at WWE Backlash on Saturday, Asuka embraced her former mentee after months of feuding.
On the post-WWE Backlash edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that while he has not received details on what semi-retired means in Asuka’s case, people were wishing her goodbye backstage.
Meltzer said:
“So, the story I heard is that she is semi-retired. I haven’t really gotten an exact meaning of what semi-retired means, but I guess people were wishing her goodbye and things like that backstage. So I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle. I don’t know if that means she’s going to still do stuff here and there, but I was told semi-retired.”
“That sucks, I’m going to miss Asuka,” Bryan Alvarez said.
Later in the show, Dave and Bryan discussed the possibility of Asuka having been part of recent WWE roster cuts.
Meltzer said, “I wonder if she was with other people that was cut. I mean, I don’t know.”
Alvarez said, “I can’t fathom that but I guess it’s possible. But I mean, Kairi was cut and she didn’t even get used to the end of this thing, so.”
The 44-year-old Asuka has been with WWE since the summer of 2015. During her time with the company, she’s been a four-time women’s champion on the main roster, a one-time NXT Champion, and has held the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles five times: three with Kairi Sane, and one each with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. She won the Women’s Money in the Bank in 2020 and the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018.
ROH (Ring of Honor) taped matches for upcoming episodes of ROH TV on May 9 at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Where spoiler alert, a new champion was crowned.
ROH (Ring of Honor) spoilers from Saturday, May 9, 2026
Pre Collision –
Satnam Singh defeated James Tapia and CD Bennett
Josh Woods defeated Angelico with Serpentico in a pure rules match. Post-match, Woods kept attacking Angelico until Serpentico tried to make the save, but was also handled by Woods until Nigel McGuinness made his way to the ring. These two will meet at Supercard of Honor.
Zayda Steel with Christopher Daniels defeated Hyan to advance to the Survival of the Fittest match at Supercard of Honor.
Post Collision –
Blake Christian with Lee Johnson defeated Evil Uno and Alex Reynolds. Post-match Blake Christian said he’s going to become the new ROH world champion when he faces Bandido at Supercard of Honor.
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Kaci Lennox. Post-match Diamante attacked Purrazzo and even used the Fujiwara armbar before holding the Pure Championship ahead of their match at Supercard of Honor.
STP of Shane Taylor, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean w Anthony Ogogo and Christyan XO defeated Mance Warner, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston.
AR Fox defeated Nick Wayne with Mother and Kip Sabian to win the ROH Television Championship. Post-match, Lio Rush was shown, and Tony Khan, off-air, added Fox vs. Lio would be at Supercard of Honor.
Darlon Castle and The Outrunners defeated Baby Keef, Xander Maddox, and Puma Johnson.
Bandido defeated Action Andretti. Post-match, Blake Christian confronted Bandido ahead of their Supercard of Honor title match.
The Premier Athletes of Ari Daivari, Tony Nese, and Stori Denali, with Mark Sterling, defeated Ricky Martinez, Maxx Stardom, and Jacey Love.
Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta w PAC and Jon Moxley defeated Tommy Billington and Adam Priest.
Athena, Billie Starkz, and Marina Shafir defeated Lacey Lane, Yuka Sakazaki, and Maya World when Billie had Lacey beat, and Athena took the pin.
In the second match of the night during La Catalina’s AAA debut, fans saw the triumphant return of Bayley. La Catalina’s AAA in-ring debut took place on the May 9th episode of AAA on Fox, where she secured a win over Jessy Jackson.
Before the match began, AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Lady Flammer joined the commentary team. Following Catalina’s win, she was ambushed by Las Toxicas (Flammer, Maravilla & La Hiedra). Soon, the NXT Women’s Champion and AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion, Lola Vice, showed up to help. However, to make up for the number’s disadvantage, WWE veteran Bayley returned to AAA to help.
Bayley last wrestled for AAA at Rey de Reyes, where she lost her Reina de Reinas championship match against Lady Flammer.
AAA on Fox results | May 9, 2026
While tonight’s AAA on Fox episode aired on May 9, 2026, the original taping took place on May 2, 2026. AAA on Fox aired shortly after WWE Backlash.
The UFC announced two new entrants into the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame class in former middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former UFC editorial director and combat sports writer Tom Gerbasi who passed away in 2025.
Weidman, a New Jersey native, rose to prominence in July 2013 for his upset win over then-champion Anderson Silva at UFC 162. In their rematch in December 2013, Silva famously snapped his leg on a low kick, giving Weidman another win. He defended the title two more times before losing it to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 in December 2015.
After a rematch with Rockhold was canceled, Weidman never got a shot at the title again, losing four of his next five with finishes in all of the defeats. After picking up a win in August 2020, he lost three of his last four. In one of those defeats, he notably broke his leg in similar fashion to the Silva fight.
Weidman retired from MMA in January 2025, but will compete against Colby Covington for Real American Freestlyle wrestling later this month. He currently does broadcast work for UFC.
Gerbasi passed away in September 2025 at 56 years old after suffering a massive heart attack. He spent decades writing about boxing, MMA, and even pro wrestling which he did for this website. He contributed to UFC publications, UFC.com, and other areas for the promotion, and was a member of the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame as a writer. He will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Our Dave Meltzer said about Gerbasi, “Everyone in the MMA world on the inside had nothing but great things to say about him. He was one of the hardest working reporters you would find.”
The ceremony will take place on Thursday, July 9 as part of International Fight Week.
AEW has announced several new segments for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
With the Owen Hart Foundation set to return, AEW announced that the brackets for the tournament are set to be revealed next week. Both the men’s and women’s brackets are scheduled to be shared on the May 13 episode of Dynamite in Asheville, NC.
In addition to this, Will Ospreay is set to return to in-ring action in a match against Ace Austin. Kazuchika Okada has now also been replaced by Konosuke Takeshita in the AEW World title match against Darby Allin. Also, a ten-man tag match is set to take place alongside an appearance by former champion MJF.
AEW Dynamite | Next Wednesday | Asheville, North Carolina
Darby Allin (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW World Championship
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Tommaso Ciampa, War Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Christian Cage, Adam Copeland & Orange Cassidy
MJF to make an appearance
Will Ospreay vs. Ace Austin
Men’s and Women’s AEW Owen Hart Foundation brackets to be announced
Could a match between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes happen again? It’s possible.
During the WWE Backlash post-show, fans in the background began to chant for the former United States Champion as Williams and Lil Yachty sat with the post-show panel following his win against Sami Zayn. Williams reacted to the crowd, not dismissing another future match between the two.
“Y’all wanna see Trick versus Melo?” he asked the crowd, which responded positively. “The people have spoken. I mean, shoot. Let’s see what happens.”
“Melo can get it too,” Yachty added.
The two friends have a long history
Williams and Hayes have an extensive history with one another, with Williams first being introduced as Melo’s associate years ago in NXT. Hayes eventually turned against his former friend leading to a bitter rivalry that lasted months. Williams eventually emerged as one of NXT’s biggest stars following the feud, winning the NXT Championship as well as the TNA Championship during his time on the brand.
Hayes and Williams have already met on the main roster, with the former beating the latter in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match back in February. Hayes hasn’t been on television since losing a United States title rematch to Sami Zayn on SmackDown prior to WrestleMania 42.
Thekla is set to defend her Women’s World Championship at AEW Double or Nothing in a four-way match.
It was announced during the May 9 episode of AEW Fairway to Hell that Thekla’s AEW Women’s World title will be on the line at the Double or Nothing PPV.
The Austrian pro-wrestler will defend her championship against Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Jamie Hayter in a four-way match at AEW Double or Nothing 2026.
Thekla has been the champion since February 2026 and has held the title for almost 88-days now. The upcoming match at Double or Nothing will mark Thekla’s sixth title defense.
AEW Double or Nothing 2026 updated match card
AEW Double or Nothing is scheduled to take place on May 24, 2026, at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
Thekla (c) vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women’s World Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (c) vs. Cage and Cope (Adam Copeland and Christian Cage) in a tag team “I Quit” match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Jack Perry, and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona), Mark Davis, and TBD – Stadium Stampede match
Things are set to get more tense for Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita in AEW.
Despite belonging to the same faction, Don Callis Family, Okada and Takeshita have never seen eye-to-eye. Throughout their time on the roster, a sense of tension has existed between the two.
Before their singles match against each other at AEW Double or Nothing, Okada was set to face Darby Allin for the AEW World title on the upcoming May 13 episode of Dynamite. However, with Okada visiting Japan for a personal reason, the match has been changed. It was announced on AEW Fairway to Hell that Takeshita, representing the Don Callis Family, will take on Allin for the World title next week.
Update: In a report noted by our Bryan Alvarez, it was shared that, “Okada going to Japan on family business is legitimate.” It was reported as the reason behind the change in Allin’s previously scheduled World title defense.
Darby Allin defeats PAC on AEW Fairway to Hell, Retains World title
In the main event of the AEW Fairway to Hell show, fans saw Darby Allin survive all odds to retain his AEW World title against PAC.
From surviving a massive 25ft drop and crashing through four tables to other brutal moments throughout the match, Allin stood tall and defeated PAC after a Coffin drop. The AEW Fairway to Hell episode closed with Allin standing tall before his World title match next week against Takeshita.
Moments before the #AEW World Title match, @TheDonCallis delivers a reminder – and with @rainmakerXokada in Japan for family business, his hand-picked opponent is waiting in the wings: Konosuke Takeshita!
Chris Jericho’s Stadium Stampede match partners for AEW Double or Nothing have been revealed.
After Ricochet interfered and cost Jack Perry his AEW National title to Mark Davis at AEW Fairway to Hell, Perry announced himself in Jericho’s corner. Ricochet’s Demand is set to team up with members of the Don Callis Family to take on Jericho’s team at Double or Nothing.
However, running a few partners short, Perry announced the rest of Jericho’s team for the Stadium Stampede match. In a backstage segment, Perry announced the Elite’s presence in Jericho’s corner.
The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Perry are set to team up with Jericho to face Ricochet, The Demand, Mark Davis, and one other member of The Don Callis Family.
Updated AEW Double or Nothing match card
AEW Double or Nothing is set to take place on May 24, 2026, at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (c) vs. Cage and Cope (Adam Copeland and Christian Cage) in a Tag team “I Quit” match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Jack Perry, and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona), Mark Davis, and TBD – Stadium Stampede match
Jacob Fatu lost, but was standing tall at the end of WWE Backlash.
Throughout his match against Roman Reigns on Saturday in Tampa, Fatu attempted to use the Tongan death grip, something he had established over the course of the last few weeks as a devastating move that could end Roman Reigns’ short run with the World Heavyweight Championship. Despite this, Reigns held on while caught in the hold, managed to send Fatu into an exposed turnbuckle nearby, then scored the win with a spear.
But Fatu wasn’t done after the match, immediately putting the Tongan death grip back on. The referee attempted to stop the assault, but Fatu laid him out then attacked Shane Helms and Adam Pearce who had tried to intervene. Fatu put the hold on again until more officials came in, eventually letting go. He started to leave, but then came back to the ring again and applied it once more. After he finally stopped, he grabbed the World Heavyweight title and held it high to close out the show.
Post-match comments
After the match, Fatu cut a promo on the stage, saying it’s not about how you start but how you finish and pointed out he had left Reigns a mess in the ring.
Reigns, however, saw things differently. In the opening minutes of the post-show, Reigns shared his feelings toward his relative in blunt terms.
“This is why we should have never let Jacob into this family,” Reigns told Cathy Kelley on stage. “You don’t belong here, Jacob. There is no order with you. This is your last night here.”
