New report details Asuka’s current status with WWE
A report from PWInsider has shed new light on Asuka’s current relationship with WWE.
Following WWE Backlash on Saturday, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that he’s been told Asuka is semi-retired, although specifics on what that entails are not clear.
On Monday morning, Mike Johnson wrote that PWInsider has been told that Asuka is “believed to remain aligned with the company.”
Johnson also wrote that a story has been making the rounds among some at WWE that Asuka is returning to Japan for an extended period of time due to a family matter that Johnson writes he will not disclose and cannot confirm to be accurate.
Johnson is also reporting that Asuka is in Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday, which is where WWE Raw is scheduled for. It’s not clear if Asuka will be on tonight’s Raw, however. Neither she nor IYO SKY has been advertised for it ahead of time.
Asuka’s status with WWE
Fightful Select also put out a report early on Monday, stating that Asuka had signed a long-term contract with WWE in the summer of 2024. While an exact timeframe for the deal is not known, many WWE wrestlers around that time were signing deals for five years.
Several WWE wrestlers have also been commenting or posting tributes to Asuka online. However, none of the tributes mention anything about whether Asuka is retired, semi-retired, or stepping away from the ring.
Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Nattie, IYO SKY, and several others have posted photos or comments to Asuka in the days since Backlash. Some of those posts are available below.
Ian Carey is the editing manager at F4WOnline and a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His work has appeared in award-winning publications including NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and moved into the editing manager role in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.