Asuka’s top-10 WWE matches as rated by Dave Meltzer
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.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.