The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com… -A video package aired with highlights of Drew McIntyre’s win over Brock Lesnar last night -Phillips and Saxton introduced the show and said this is the most unpredictable night of the year for Raw Austin Theory & Angel Garza in a rematch for the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles The announcers talked about what mood Asuka would be in after having “failed” at WrestleMania Morgan leg scissored Asuka off the ring apron to the floor “Can Morgan can get back in it on Monday Night Raw?” They cut to a break Morgan dropped back for a leverage two count arm dragging Morgan and cinching on the hold for the tapout Asuka celebrated with her over-the-top dancing to her music afterward You can tell who was around and available for the Raw pre-tapes last month as we’re getting a lot of Asuka and Street Profits Asuka is good for providing organic crowd-free energy and noise and her entrance is among the most dynamic when it comes to distracting from the lack of crowd I worry a match with no backstory or pre-match hype going that long is going to test the patience of some viewers early since WWE didn’t exactly give anyone watching a strong hook to stay tuned other than the generic promise of this being the most unpredictable Raw of the year.) -Phillips threw to a video package on Becky Lynch vs -Charly Caruso interviewed Becky backstage Becky said it feels good to be a champ for nearly a year Caruso asked if Becky rolling Baszler back was her last gasp Becky said everything she does is calculated and she’s always looking for a counter She said she’s the longest combined NXT Champion and has a great MMA resume She said her resume is perhaps unmatched in WWE today Becky said Baszler can knock on her door if she thinks her win was lucky (Keller’s Analysis: The camera stayed on Caruso too long as she awkwardly gazed toward Becky with a smile for several seconds as Becky walked away Becky is being herself here and reacting like an athlete would to a win I think that’s plenty for Becky’s character as long as the structure around her is fundamentally sound – which is framing the title as important making sure the way contenders are determined seems to have integrity making sure her challengers are presented as wrestlers fans don’t want to see take over as champion and the way matches play out and conclude seems to have credibility that’s where overly bombastic trying-to-hard promos tend to come in to try to make up for it -Baszler talked about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat backstage with at white towel over her head She yanked off the towel and said she is promising Becky “the agony of my defeat.” She stared into the camera threateningly (Keller’s Analysis: It seems more steam was taken out of the legend of Baszler at WrestleMania than was put back in by this promo but at least Baszler didn’t just curl up into a ball of self-pity and instead vowed to dish out some pain I’m not fully condemning Baszler’s initial loss against Becky as necessarily bad since Becky holding the title for over a year has some real value.) -Phillips hyped that the Street Profits vs Saxton said they’d take a look at the “unorthodox and ultra-personal WrestleMania Boneyard Match between Undertaker and A.J -A commercial aired for the Edge “24” special on WWE Network (2) THE STREET PROFITS (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs ANGEL GARZA & AUSTIN THEORY (w/Zelina Vega) Saxton talked about what a big deal it was for the Profits to successfully defend their tag team titles at their first WrestleMania but I liked it.” Dawkins checked Theory hard to the mat after a leapfrog Dawkins tagged in Ford who landed a signature high dropkick The Profits slammed an interfering Garza onto Theory Saxton said this is a new team of Theory and Garza so it’d be unheard of to win the tag team titles that quickly He said they are showing they learned already from their loss at WrestleMania given how well they were doing here Saxton said Charlotte becoming NXT Champion in 2020 in “one of the OMG” moments of the year Eventually Dawkins hot-tagged in Ford just as Garza also tagged in Ford hit a flurry of moves against Garza including a dropkick and a DDT Vega held Ford’s leg as he stood on the top rope WINNER: Street Profits in 12:00 via DQ to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles and the lack of any sensible reaction by Phillips and Saxton was annoying Phillips said “the official is going to throw out this match.” Doesn’t Phillips mean the referee is going to DQ Garza & Theory And shouldn’t the announcers say that the interference backfired and cost Theory & Garza a coveted chance at the Raw Tag Team Titles It just totally undercuts the idea that wrestlers value title matches when the announcers are so unaffected by the heels cheating completely backfiring.) As Vega kicked Ford in the face as Theory and Garza held him She asked Zelina if she really thinks she’s doing something so come on in the ring or does she have to get her herself Saxton and Phillips wondered if that match would take place next (3) BIANCA BELAIR (w/The Street Profits) vs Phillips said Belair is one of the best pure athletes in WWE (That label again is applied to a black wrestler which is a rich tradition in pro wrestling as the default compliment that also implies something if they don’t succeed despite that great pure athleticism It’s time to move on from that “compliment” disproportionately being applied to black athletes and look for another way to frame their characters and describe their strengths.) Ford slid toward the lens of the camera and yelled and made faces Phillips mentioned that Ford is Belair’s husband Theory stood on the ring apron to get in the way of Belair running the ropes -The Profits and Belair stood in the ring after the heel trio bailed out to ringside Ford said they are one day removed from WrestleMania and since they’re all there why not make it a family affair and do a three-on-three match (Keller’s Analysis: This is a real test of the audience’s interest in these six wrestlers It’s just a shame WWE just threw them to the ring and didn’t have them talk ahead of time and put some real passion into stating what was at stake while giving viewers a strong reason to cheer for one side and boo the other and but televised pro wrestling is at its best when promos from good talkers get you excited about a match WWE just forgets to do that for mid-card level matches and they pay the price when they try to hold viewers’ interest when a lot of viewers just don’t have reason to care a lot or think anything is really at stake.) [c] (4) THE STREET PROFITS & BIANCA BELAIR vs ANGEL GARZA & AUSTIN THEORY & ZELINA VEGA Ford tagged in Belair who knocked Theory off the ring apron rather than stopping this time Garza broke up the cover by yanking on her boot Theory caught Ford with a superkick as he turned the corner at ringside Dawkins chased Garza to the back as Belair gave Vega a snake-eyes/Glam Slam followed by her KOD for the win WINNERS: Street Profits & Belair in 6:00 (Keller’s Analysis: Imagine being stuck in an elevator with Montez Ford and Mojo Rawley -Phillips hyped the look back at the Undertaker-A.J as they’d show shocking footage of what happened after Drew won the WWE Title (Keller’s Analysis: It would have been beneficial to mention that earlier as a hook for viewers to stick around The announcers should have excitedly lead with that at the very top of the show and built a sense that you must stay tuned to see this.) It included freeze-frames of Lana yelling instructions from the ring apron at Lashley giving Black a chance to strike with a surprise Black Mass -Caruso asked Lashley what happened to him “Something tells me I need new management or a new wife.” He stared at Caruso who was all smiles and asked what they ere talking about -Clips aired of Aleister throwing Black Mass kicks at various opponents -They showed the exterior of the Performance Center The announcers really talked up Black’s win over Lashley The announcers said Crews is an exciting pick-up for Raw with an “expiring draft pick.” (In other words he was around and available at the tapings and they needed someone to face Black.) About three minutes in after Black got the better of Crews after some running the ropes Black sat down mid-ring and Crews bailed out to ringside to regroup Phillips said this is the exciting part about the “Raw After WrestleMania” because you never know what’s going to happen He referred to Crews and Belair showing up on Raw Phillips said they’d hear from Charlotte later in the show Phillips talked up WrestleMania being the most social show in WWE history with nearly 14 million social interactions (I suppose it helps to have something to brag about since they can’t tout the crowd or ratings or probably WWE Network subscriber levels It lets people know that a lot of people had a lot to say about WrestleMania 36 despite the odd setting and difficult circumstances.) Saxton said Black is beat up from the Lashley match which gives Crews an opening to take advantage of They fought to ringside where Crews kicked Black in the shoulder and then moonsaulted off the ring apron onto Black then took him down with a lariat for a near fall Black rolled out of the path of a Crews top rope splash then took Crews down and applied a kneebar mid-ring Crews cried out in pain and reached for the bottom rope He eventually got there to force Black to release the hold (Keller’s Analysis: Who had their money on an Apollo Crews match on the Raw After Mania that had three commercial breaks in it?) [c] Black swept Crews and landed a running knee He kicked Crews in the face and scored another two count Phillips said after this match they’d take a look back at the Randy Orton-Edge match at WrestleMania Crews and Black battled on the ropes leading to Crews superplexing Black for a near fall Crews pressed Black in the air and then landed a sitout powerbomb for a near fall Saxton said sometimes there is no substitution for pure power Crews pressed Black again and dropped him behind him then landed a standing moonsault and a standing shooting star press for a two count which he had been selling most of the match but Black caught him mid-air with a knee to the chin Black sunset-flipped Crews to counter his powerbomb set-up Black then finally caught Crews with the Black Mass for the win who was knocked out cold for a while after the match (Keller’s Analysis: This match was designed to fill a lot of TV time first and foremost with limited options for WWE at their pre-WrestleMania tapings to get them through the stay-at-home order in Florida where the Performance Center is Black and Crews made the most of it with a really good lengthy match The downside is there was no crowd to win over and react big which would have enhanced the enjoyment of the match for viewers at home there was no crowd to get bored and thus not react in case they didn’t buy into Crews as a threat against Blacks  which would worked against the enjoyment of the match for viewers at home While it helped Crews show the kind of match he can have Crews has been so diminished with how he’s been utilized by WWE for years now Black needing nearly a half hour to beat him takes more away from Black than it does to help Crews This defines Black down as a slightly-above-mid-carder rather than something really special I wish they did more to stress that Black was hobbled from the Lashley match at WrestleMania while Crews was resting a little heel-face dynamic would have added some edge We’ll see if this showcase match for Crews is the start of a new push for him or a one-off to fill TV time on a weird week.) -A three minute video package aired highlights of the Edge-Orton Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania -Philips plugged Cedric & Ricochet would be in action next Saxton said they’d be taking a look back at the Undertaker vs -An NXT commercial aired hyping Johnny Gargano vs Tomasso Ciampa and the six-woman ladder match to become no Phillips noted that Lorcan & Burch are from 205 Live and NXT with a chance to shine against the new team of Cedric & Ricochet Phillips again teased that what happened after the Lesnar-Drew match was stunning and they’d show it later it looked like someone hit the 2x button on the remote Black and Ricochet finished Lorcan after a sequence concluding with the Recoil (Keller’s Analysis: It’s good they didn’t go too long with this although it wasn’t a great moment for Burch & Lorcan to go down so easily to two wrestlers who didn’t even make the cut to be part of WrestleMania and apparently the start of the Lashley babyface turn is noteworthy on this episode.) [c] -Phillips touted the social activity for WrestleMania and showed various mainstream headlines about the event -A two minute video package recapped the Kevin Owens-Seth Rollins match at WrestleMania -A post-match promo aired with KO in the parking garage speaking about how in the last five months He said all he wanted for five months was to get Seth in the ring one-on-one and all he got were multiple attacks by three and four at a time He said it got so bad he began to ask himself if it was worth it when he jumped off the sign and crashed onto Seth and the table he realized it was worth it to have a WrestleMania Moment he could finally be proud of He said it’s time to move on to bigger and better things He said he used to call himself a prize fighter or maybe there are more people in WWE like Seth who deserve a stunner or two the message and mentality will be the same he is there to stay and it will be the Kevin Owens Show (Keller’s Analysis: KO can give an interesting promo when he has nothing really new to talk about I like accentuating the win and what it means to him It gives fans a chance to bask with him during his celebration I was left feeling Owens has no idea what’s next for his character so he covered all bases in a generic sense – maybe I’ll chase a champion and be a prize fighter maybe I’ll take out another irritant on the roster.) Phillips wondered what mood Seth would be in Seth walked very slowly with small steps to the ring Phillip said the look on Seth’s face tells the story of what happened at WM Phillips: “That’s the look of a very ticked off Monday Night Messiah.” Saxton said maybe he’s despondent Seth stomped away at Dejournette early and then took it to him at ringside Then he threw him back into the ring and landed The Stomp for the win -Saxton excitedly said Nia Jax is returning to Raw tonight (Keller’s Analysis: There’s actually a lot happening on this show but they did a terrible job setting the stage for it They just keep mentioning in passing newsworthy items during extended content that feels like largely dry filler This was a week to open Raw with list of bullet points on how newsworthy the show would be – Seth in action after his loss Kevin Owens speaking about the impact of his win on his mindset and future Charlotte speaking for the first time about regaining the NXT Title Apollo Crews joining Raw and looking to make an early statement reaction from both Becky and Baszler to their WM match a shocking post-match occurrence between Lesnar and Drew and a look back at Edge-Orton and Styles-Undertaker They previewed some of those during match commentary but the first hour or so of this show just felt like it was going to be a phoned in uneventful show of long matches with mid-carders and highlights of other stuff I wonder how many viewers they lost first.) -A commercial aired for Smackdown asking what comes in the wake of WrestleMania with new champions emerging above the rest and changing the landscape Jax outpowered Purrazzo from the very start Saxton said this is her first match in a year Phillips talked about how much has changed since she was last around – Charlotte as NXT Champion Jax landed a Samoan Drop and then a cradle DDT for the win (Keller’s Analysis: I like that they made a big deal out of Jax returning and gave her a decisive win upon her return It presented her as a disruptor to the scene that she’s been away from for a year -A nearly five minute highlight package aired of the Undertaker-Styles Boneyard match Phillips said they’d hear from Charlotte later tonight 260 pound Australian Vink took it to Carillo out of the gate Carillo avoided a suplex and landed a jaw jacker followed by a springboard armdrag He landed a roundkick to the face and then a top rope dropkick Vink slammed Carilllo and scored a two count Phillips said he’s still processing “whatever the hell the Firefly Funhouse match was.” Saxton said he’s had some dreams like that Carillo made a comeback and dropped Vink with a moonsault off the top rope for the win Carillo celebrated on the middle turnbuckle in the corner as if he was being cheered by a large crowd (Keller’s Analysis: Here’s a situation where Carillo’s win would have meant so much more if over the last week or so WWE put together a brief introductory package on Vink to make it seem like he was an intimidated new arrival threatening whatever momentum Carillo has I understand Vink might have been on the show because he was local and they were trying to cram in a Raw taping before sending everyone to quarantine for two weeks so I’m more forgiving of putting him out there with no build or context and he also has a personality they can market.) -Phillips hyped a look back at the Charlotte win over Rhea Ripley and then said they’d hear from Charlotte -Phillips touted the social media activity record for WrestleMania -A two minute highlight video aired of the Charlotte win over Ripley -Caruso congratulated Charlotte on her win Charlotte interrupted her and told her she doesn’t need her to congratulate her and everybody thinks it’s a suit the makes the man “It’s the man that makes the suit.” She said now it’s the woman who makes the title She said she retired the Divas Title and has held the Raw Title but she did what everyone else does – she bowed down to The Queen I’m hoping she thrives as a character in the NXT environment.) -Highlights aired of the Lesnar loss to Drew Phillips said he is the first wrestler born in the U.K to win the WWE Title and he’s the first Scottish champion in WWE history She asked if the magnitude of what he accomplished has hit him yet after just 20 minutes Drew said not yet and he hasn’t had a chance to talk to anyone He said he took the time to get the plate changed with his name on the side of the belt and that is helping it feel real Paul Heyman.” He said during the match he felt ready and he saw a look in Lesnar’s eyes that he was ready to go to war he’s going to stay down,” it showed he said Heyman doesn’t know him very well He said he has never surrendered and has dug himself out from ten feet under all the way back to WrestleMania Show walked out and brought a referee to the ring by the arm Show entered the ring with a big smile on his face You conquered the Conquerer!” He said now there’s an entire locker room of talented competitors with him in their sights He said he’s not asking for a match at Money in the Bank Drew said he just beat Lesnar for the WWE Title 20 minute ago Drew said he’s not afraid of him or anybody but there’s nothing he could say to convince him to fight him tonight (Keller’s Analysis: I think Drew trying to avoid defending the title when Show challenged him was framed better It was unreasonable of Show to challenge Drew so quickly after the Lesnar victory but having Drew’s first segment with the title talking his way out of a challenge is far from ideal I know they wanted to get from point A to point C Drew could have said he’d love to defend against someone with Big Show’s resume but he wants to do it right where they’re both 100 percent and prepared so they can really find out who the better man is The announcers could have done a much better job acting outraged at Show’s ridiculous timing and shamed him so that Drew trying to step away from the challenge would have seemed totally reasonable.) Phillips wondered if this was a wise decision Phillips said they’ve never seen someone win the title at WrestleMania and then defend it not even 30 minutes later Saxton said this is a good play by Show because he knows Drew isn’t 100 percent Phillips talked about Show’s history including beating Hulk Hogan in his first night and also facing Lesnar in the past A screen graphic said: “After the show last night.” Saxton said Drew worked so hard to win the title Show landed a swing elbow drop out of the corner for a two count this is how I do my best work.” Show continued to beat down Drew methodically and yelled “What are you made of?” Show chokeslammed Drew but Drew ducked and landed a Claymore for the three count WINNER: Drew in 7:00 to retain the WWE Title (Keller’s Analysis: I liked that as a hot ending to the Raw After Mania This was clearly a one-off stunt to give fans who stuck around a sense that they saw something they didn’t expect that fits the “Raw After Mania” reputation It also gave Drew a strong win against a big opponent and while the segment leading up to it was shaky for Drew he ultimate won against a tough foe just 30 minutes after taking a beating from Lesnar.) this felt like a generic drab canned Raw with unnaturally long matches with a collection of (recently overexposed) second-tier and third-tier wrestlers and unknown jobbers between highlight packages of WrestleMania matches and the main event segment satisfying enough (if imperfect) to make this – under less-than-ideal circumstances – a suitable and satisfactory Raw After Mania effort You must be logged in to post a comment Now with three payment method options… Pay Pal… Directly with your Credit or Debit Card… Or with Patreon. 60 second express sign up form •Wade Keller Podcasts & PWTorch Dailycasts with Ads and Plugs removed •Around 75 monthly VIP-exclusive podcasts (Phone Podcast App Compatible!) •Library of around 10,000 podcasts (circa 2004-today) & 100s of retro radio shows (circa 1990s) •Over 1,600 Newsletter Back Issues: Late 1980s thru today (PDF & Text Versions) •New Weekly PWTorch Newsletter w/exclusive articles (PDF & Text Versions) •An ad-free version of PWTorch website with added VIP-Member-Only articles each week –JUMP RIGHT TO EXPRESS SIGN-UP FORM –OR READ A DETAILED LIST OF VIP BENEFITS Become a PWTorch Patreon Supporter and get all of our free podcasts (WKPWPs & Dailycasts) with ads and plugs removed for just $4.99 a month. CLICK HERE PRIVACY POLICY CLICK HERE TO VISIT PROWRESTLING.NET Now with three payment method options… Pay Pal… Directly with your Credit or Debit Card… Or with Patreon… CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF ALL FREE PODCASTS Home » Japan releases image of Railgun installed on naval vessel the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) released an image of its state-of-the-art railgun currently undergoing testing aboard the test ship JS Asuka railgun development is conducted by the Ground Systems Research Center (GSRC) ATLA began full-scale development of the railgun in 2016 Under the name “Research on Electromagnetic Acceleration Systems,” the research was conducted from FY 2016 through FY 2022 The target in this research was a muzzle velocity of 2000 meters per second and a barrel life of 120 rounds the goal was to achieve stable firing up to 120 rounds at a constant muzzle velocity damage to the barrel caused by the pressure generated by the explosion of gunpowder would be a problem but this does not occur in the case of a railgun damage caused by heat from the high current flowing through the rail and wear from contact between the armature and the rail is a problem As the surface of the rail is eroded by this copper was initially used as the material for the barrel rail but was changed to a different blend of metals and other materials throughout the research it was confirmed that no significant damage occurred to the barrel rail even after 120 rounds were fired ATLA achieved the first ship-board firing test of a railgun in October 2023 Based on the results of the research to date the project is now moving on to “Research on Future Railgun,” which will be conducted from FY2022 to FY2026 While previous research has focused on firing projectiles from the railgun the current research aims to advance this research into a “gun system” equipped with a series of mechanisms for actual operation while research thus far had focused on single-shot firings efforts are now underway to establish continuous firing capabilities railguns would need to continuously intercept incoming missiles or deliver multiple rounds against enemy vessels or ground targets Flight stability of the projectile is also being pursued unless the projectile remains stable after leaving the muzzle—just like conventional artillery—it cannot accurately hit its target even if a hypersonic muzzle velocity is achieved the projectile would rapidly decelerate due to air resistance if flight stability is poor Enhancing projectile stability and reducing air resistance would not only extend the effective range but also improve overall lethality realizing a complete gun system involves more than simply preparing the launcher and projectiles A fire control system is essential to control the launcher acquire targets based on external sensor data Research is therefore being conducted on a dedicated fire control system tailored to the railgun which has characteristics—such as muzzle velocity—distinct from conventional artillery one of the greatest challenges for fielding railguns is securing a reliable power source Given that the projectile is launched by a massive electric current sufficient power supply and energy storage systems are critical While large-scale generators and storage units would suffice for securing power alone they are not feasible on space-constrained platforms such as naval vessels or mobile land vehicles current research efforts also focus on miniaturizing power supply systems alongside the launcher itself if railguns were to actually be deployed by the Self-Defense Forces railguns are expected to be employed as naval or land-based artillery systems they would likely be used to intercept incoming anti-ship missiles—especially hypersonic cruise missiles which are considered difficult to counter due to their high speeds By leveraging the railgun’s high velocity and extended range a layered air defense network could be established in conjunction with shipborne surface-to-air missiles counter-battery fire against enemy artillery units located deep behind the front lines—similar to the role of traditional howitzers—is naturally envisioned Thanks to the railgun’s advantages of reduced time-to-target and greater range it would be possible to conduct out-ranging strikes against enemy artillery units ATLA documents also illustrate the concept of using railguns as coastal artillery engaging enemy vessels operating in the open sea The expectation is that hypersonic projectiles would penetrate enemy warships and destroy critical compartments research will not be limited to armor-piercing rounds but will also extend to technologies for airburst munitions—rounds that detonate mid-air to disperse lethal fragments—optimized for anti-air warfare scenarios Having transitioned into the development of a full-fledged “gun system,” railguns are now poised for broader operational studies and steady technological maturation as a future defense asset Japan’s ATLA and the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) signed last year a Terms of Reference (TOR) with the objective “to explore the possibilitiy of collaboration for research test and evaluation of Railgun technologies” Naval News interviewed at the time representatives from all parties about this cooperation. Naval News learned recently from an ISL representative that the cooperation is going well and that Railgun engineers have been exchanged: ATLA engineers are at ISL in France and ISL engineers have been sent to Japan Naval News brings you news coverage of the latest naval defense shows & events We are also reporting on naval technology from all over the world This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page you can reduce the power consumption and CO2 emissions generated by the website's screen display Asuka could be on her way back to WWE television soon following a lengthy absence due to a knee injury sustained in 2024 The “Empress of Tomorrow” has not appeared on Raw or SmackDown since May of last year but recent speculation and recovery timelines suggest her return might be imminent but her comeback is expected to be kept under wraps until the moment arrives Her last televised appearance came at WWE Backlash France on May 4 where she and Kairi Sane dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill It was later revealed that Asuka had been dealing with a knee injury leading up to that match which required surgery and sidelined her for much of the year Reports from PWNexus and Bodyslam.net suggest she could be back sometime in May 2025 potentially following the Backlash premium live event on May 10 Fightful Select also reported that creative plans had been drafted for her return earlier this year Asuka’s name was even spotted on an early draft of the WrestleMania 41 card shown in a teaser for the Netflix series WWE Unreal hinting WWE had hoped she would be cleared by then the inclusion suggests her comeback is expected soon Asuka remains part of the Raw roster and Damage CTRL faction though that group has also dealt with injuries Asuka addressed fan safety concerns online stating that WWE and TKO were taking steps to ensure her protection hoping the projected May timeline proves true Follow us on X @WNSource Follow us on Instagram & THREADS LIKE us on Facebook Follow us on BlueSky and Tonga Loa due to make their WWE returns As per PWNexus, Asuka is expected to return to the Raw brand at some point in May, likely after the Backlash PLE. For Tonga Loa, he should be back on SmackDown in June Ilja Dragunov is aiming to be cleared and competing on Raw once more in September the Empress of Tomorrow is approaching a year since she last wrestled at Backlash 2024 last May the 43-year-old damaged her knee on a March '24 episode of SmackDown but worked through that injury until Backlash Ilja Dragunov was the next notable WWE name to be struck by injury suffering a suspected ACL tear during a September house show The 31-year-old former NXT Champion was initially expected to be out for six to nine months but if this September 2025 return date is indeed true that would mark one whole year on the shelf for the hugely talented Russian Injuries are a hugely unfortunate part of the wrestling business and WWE finds itself with several extremely talented grapplers forced out of action right now the Judgment Day's JD McDonagh is out with a broken rib and punctured lung Kairi Sane is recovering from an unspecified arm injury Kiana James has been absent with a leg injury and NXT's Noam Dar has been out since last June after tearing a tendon in his leg it's not too long before some of those names are cleared and ready to lace up their boots again In more positive news, this week's Raw saw the return of Tyler Bate with the Big Strong Boi himself having spent nine months on the shelf following surgery for a torn pec with Bate and Pete Dunne coming up short against the New Day WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab) ©Future Publishing Limited Quay House England and Wales company registration number 2008885 The ‘first’ passenger ship in 30 years to be constructed under the supervision of the Japanese flag and ‘the largest’ Japanese-flagged cruise ship ever made is nearing delivery as it gears up for river conveyance Asuka III was constructed by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft for NYK Cruises a subsidiary of Japan’s shipping titan Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) The vessel is expected to make its way out of the dockyard in Papenburg in northwestern Germany and be conveyed to the Dutch Port of Eemshaven on the Ems River on March 2 The Ems conveyance is a “delicate” voyage of around 32 kilometers along the narrow and shallow Ems River entailing the transfer of the liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered cruise ship from Papenburg upstream to the open seas the 52,200 GT newbuild will travel backward on Ems River toward the North Sea with the support of two tugs – a type of transfer said to feature ‘better maneuverability.’ technical and nautical trials are planned to be performed after which the 230-meter-long newbuilding will set out for its final outfitting in the city of Emden the vessel is slated for a handover in the spring of 2025 Owing to the fact that it will run on liquefied natural gas Meyer Werft and NYK Line project that the unit could accomplish ‘tremendous’ reductions in particulate matter (PM) sulfur oxide (SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions NYK booked the ship back in March 2021 when it was revealed that the German shipbuilding player would use a range of customized solutions for the unit including hydrodynamics optimized according to the planned routes and contactless controls Construction began in September 2023 and lasted until January 2025 when the cruise vessel was floated out of the covered building dock Asuka III is slated to join its sister ship the 241-meter-long Asuka II which was—before now—its owner’s only unit Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox More.css-3hcdeq{margin:0;font-size:1.2rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.44rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__tertiary-mainChannel);}Erik BeastonMar 27 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}.css-v4v4rs{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}@media (min-width:0px){.css-v4v4rs{display:block;}}@media (min-width:1100px){.css-v4v4rs{display:none;}}.css-mps3fk{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 but what does WWE have in store for it ahead of WrestleMania 41 The answer to that question headlines this collection of insider reports and rumors which also includes the latest on Asuka's comeback and a potential free agent from All Elite Wrestling fans have seen any number of Superstars in and around the Intercontinental Championship picture with Bron Breakker fending off challenges from Sheamus and AJ Styles to The Judgment Day and Penta we now know what form the match for the IC title will take at WrestleMania 41 "The working plan as of the Balor/Breakker IC title match was to actually feature a four-way at WrestleMania While Sapp noted that creative plans can change that would appear to be the direction based on the conclusion of Monday's Raw where all four competitors were involved in the closing moments of Breakker's defense against Penta We have seen cracks gradually forming in The Judgment Day so it makes sense that Balor and Mysterio would be involved and potentially further that storyline Penta is red hot and should be involved in something significant who has been extraordinary since making the jump to the main roster While some will argue a multi-man match of this type is lazy booking it is a match that has enough going for it that it should keep fans involved while putting some emphasis on one of the more meaningful titles in WWE Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty ImagesDespite expectations that Asuka might be back for WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20 or shortly after, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported that he has heard nothing concrete about her return from injury That is somewhat disappointing for fans looking for clarity as to when they can see the future Hall of Famer back in the squared circle is that it does not rule her out of potentially appearing at the event or on the Raw or SmackDown after it Asuka has been out of action since last May when she and Kairi Sane lost the women's tag titles to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill Whether The Empress of Tomorrow is expected to return in a tag team setting or re-establish herself as a singles competitor remains to be seen But with the division as talented and brimming with stars as it has been in a long time Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesMariah May has spent the last 12 months becoming one of the breakout stars in AEW starring alongside "Timeless" Toni Storm in one of the company's greatest stories She has captured the women's title from Storm culminating in a bloody Hollywood Ending match at Revolution According to a new report from Sapp May could be in the middle of a contract year: "Fightful Select has learned that a number of staff wrestlers and higher ups believe that former AEW World Champion Mariah May is in a contract year those that we’ve spoken to in AEW believe that her deal is up in the Summer We’ve not learned if there are any option years attached to it but one source in the company said they would be shocked if there weren’t as a deal this short is uncharacteristic for the push May got." May was all over AEW television in a high-profile storyline with Storm and she established herself as one of the faces of the AEW women's division It would be stunning to find out the 26-year-old was this close to the end of her deal without something being in place to retain her services or keep her from leaving the company as soon as this summer May has already performed at the highest level and with the top talent on the women's roster but there is plenty of undiscovered creative territory for her to explore is whether AEW has an option in place to keep her around for the longer term or if it will have to fend off competition for her services in the coming weeks and months Sango is director of cross-cultural studies director of the Center for Global and Regional Studies Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion at Carleton On the first floor of Carleton’s Laurence McKinley Gould Library lives Special Collections it sees significantly less foot traffic than the upper ones and Special Collections remains unnoticed by many Libe-goers Asuka Sango — director of cross-cultural studies Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion — was also unaware of what Special Collections contained; and that she would go on to find the source of a significant research project inside After presenting on a panel about collaboration between professors and librarians with Tom Lamb college archivist and head of Special Collections & Archives she found herself in conversation with Katie Lewis cataloging and government documents librarian As most of Sango’s academic work focuses on Japanese religions and cultures she asked Lewis if Special Collections had any Japanese maps Lewis revealed that Carleton had an extensive collection of Japanese maps with some produced by the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS The Japanese maps were captured by Allied forces after the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II because none of the College’s librarians have been able to translate the Japanese written on them Sango fell into her project: Mapping Japan “I felt a sense of duty,” she said. “We had this great collection and no one’s doing anything with it… Before this, I had no interest in maps at all.” With the resources provided by her research grant from the Japan Foundation of New York (JFNY) Sango explained why the maps fascinated her so much: “The conventional definition of a map as a visual representation of a select surface of the Earth does not work for this project.”  Maps that Sango studies contain much more than just geographic and topographic information and discussed how it’s difficult to separate the real from the imagined when looking at the map when Japan replaced the Dutch occupation in Indonesia it captured the original Sumba map and reprinted it with additional Japanese comments about military strategy information “We tend to think of a map as an image… but these have so much text written on them,” Sango explained “I like the interplay between text and images.”  these different layers of the Sumba map allow some perspective on the history of colonialism in Sumba over time and reveal ideological discourses that colonizers held about the island and its people She plans to use the Sumba map to inform a forthcoming article about the interplay between the different time periods and colonial ideologies represented on the map Sango is also interested in Japanese maps from the early modern period (1603–1868) Sango is especially interested in the maps that delve further into imagined cartography and depict what she calls “a moral landscape.” Life Journey Maps use spacial communication to explain cultural and religious teachings “Your whole life is a process of moral cultivation to get to the higher place — the mountains,” she said pointing to how the mountains on the Life Journey Map included in this story are named after Confucian virtues Sango has extended this lens of inquiry to board games from the same period She showed me the sugoroku that depicts a Buddhist worldview (a Buddhist worldview map is actually the header image for this story) maps and board games are both two-dimensional objects that orient our sense of time Sango’s JFNY grant is providing extensive resources including funds for hiring student research assistants; the digitization process; buying additional premodern maps; inviting two guest speakers for her academic course; traveling to Washington to view the captured map collection at the Library of Congress; and traveling to Japan to talk to Shigeru Kobayashi whom Sango calls “the pioneer of the study of Japanese captured maps.” Sango explained that her work through the grant involves not only her personal area of research interest — premodern Japan — but also integrates her teaching through her spring course at Carleton she wants Carleton students “to know that we have these wonderful map collections and actually use them.” The digitization process for Sango’s project is still ongoing and Sango is continuing to uncover more information about Carleton’s map collections despite the unconventional way she fell into it.  “I got sucked into this project so quickly,” she said “It just happened to me and it keeps happening to me.”  Sango also underscored her appreciation for the librarians she has worked with during this project.  “I’ve learned a lot about the work of librarians,” Sango said We need librarians to process and organize it and to make it more accessible for everyone else [Librarians] are critical and indispensable for our research and teaching.” Stephanie Cox awarded Creative Individuals grant from Minnesota State Arts Board for graphic novel Kelly Connole receives Creative Individuals grant from Minnesota State Arts Board for work with local ceramicists 507-222-4000 Sign In the ‘first’ passenger ship to be constructed under the supervision of the Japanese flag in the past 30 years and the ‘biggest’ Japanese-flagged cruise ship ever built was recently floated out of German shipbuilder Meyer Werft’s covered building dock in Papenburg a subsidiary of Japan’s shipping colossal Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) despite minor delays due to unfavorable weather conditions the newbuilding was floated out on January 18 The 52,200 dwt Asuka III boasts a length of 230 meters a width of 29.8 meters and a draft of 6.70 meters The unit is anticipated for delivery in the spring of 2025 The float-out represents the completion of the vessel’s outer structure with attention now turned to interior outfitting at the shipyard’s wet dock It is understood that NYK Cruises’ latest fleet addition is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) one of the cleanest fuels currently available for shipping projected that the vessel would be able to cut down on its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and ‘greatly’ eliminate nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter while “completely preventing” sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions Building this luxury cruise ship is just one chapter of the story the next challenge will be Asuka III’s Ems conveyance a “delicate” journey that will see the newbuilding transferred from Meyer Werft’s yard in Papenburg upstream to the open seas for the first time entailing a voyage of approximately 32 kilometers along the narrow and shallow Ems River which will serve as its homeport during sea trials Asuka III, the construction of which began in September 2023 the only ship in the company’s fleet Though still in its adolescence with much more investment needed in this segment liquefied natural gas has gained traction in the shipping industry as a growing number of stakeholders make efforts to decarbonize their fleets shown ‘significant’ interest in this alternative fuel At the beginning of December 2024, the Japanese shipping player held a naming ceremony for SG Aquamarine a 180,000 dwt LNG/dual fuel Capesize bulker built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) The previous unit, the 210,000 dwt SG Ocean described as ‘Japan’s first LNG-powered Capesize bulk carrier’ was christened and handed over in February of that same year NYK and compatriot energy titan ENEOS penned an agreement for the sale and purchase of marine fuel with carbon dioxide (CO2) removal credits (CDR credits) created via direct air capture with carbon storage (DACCS) the credits will be generated by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it underground The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas The performance of new and existing jack-ups There are still people who have romantic feelings for me and are making advances Asuka’s been sidelined since last May following knee surgery. Prior to this there was a report that WWE’s begun discussing plans for her return but that’s obviously not important as long as she feels unsafe Former WWE Women's Champion Asuka has been out of action since May after suffering a knee injury that forced her to undergo surgery but a new report suggests she might be nearing a comeback as the women's Royal Rumble match looms Fightful Select provided an update on Asuka's injury status on Monday indicating that WWE has started to put creative plans in place for her return Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp was told a "potential tag team match option" was pitched but didn't go through The "Empress Of Tomorrow" reportedly picked up the injury ahead of WrestleMania 40 last March and has been in recovery since she lost the tag titles alongside Kairi Sane at Backlash last year Fightful made it clear that they are not reporting Asuka is set to return at Royal Rumble, and they could not confirm whether she's been training for a return at the WWE Performance Center. During her recovery, Asuka initially began sharing vlogs across social media outlining her surgery which then became training videos which showcased her rehab process If Asuka does end up returning as part of the women's Royal Rumble, it will be the fourth time she has entered the match in her career after becoming its inaugural winner in 2018; she would go on to face (but not defeat) Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. The new NYK cruise ship left the building hall on Saturday and is now alongside the fitting-out berth the 52,250 gross ton cruise ship paused so that its funnel could be placed aboard the ship which is approximately 755 feet (230 meters) in length is also at maximum height in the hall and requires the additional clearance outside the hall for the funnel to be fitted Funnel placed after the cruise ship is floated out (Meyer Werft) was ordered in March 2021 making her the first large cruise ship ordered after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic The first block which weighed 345 tonnes and was 80 feet (24.6 meters) long was placed in the dry dock in December 2023 to begin assembly of the new cruise ship NYK has a long heritage in passenger shipping and has maintained cruise operations for the Japanese market with a series of newly built cruise ships The first Asuka (built in 1991) was sold and replaced with the current Asuka II (built in 1990) which was originally operated by NYK’s American cruise company Crystal Cruises The new cruise ship is also unique in that it is not being built in Japan NYK opted to tap the expertise of Meyer with cruise ships but the yard notes the vessel is being uniquely outfitted for the Japanese market It has 385 passenger cabins and will accommodate approximately 740 passengers with a crew of 470 Among these elements tailored to the Japanese market is a spa that includes a Japanese-style open-air bath and will offer a variety of dining and entertainment options Rendering of the completed Asuka III (NYK) The Asuka III is expected to make her conveyance to the North Sea in the spring Delivery is currently scheduled for the summer with the ship operating a delivery cruise from Germany to Japan NYK is expanding its cruise offering maintaining the older Asuka II which also operates from Yokohama She will continue to offer mostly shorter cruises in Japan while Asuka III will operate longer cruises Mitsui doubled its cruise fleet with the purchase of a ship from Carnival Corp.'s Seabourn Cruises (MOL) Lines (MOL) is also expanding its offering in the cruise market as it seeks to diversify its operations MOL operates Nippon Maru (22,500 gross tons) in the Japanese cruise market Japan’s “biggest cruise ship ever” has been officially delivered to NYK Cruises a subsidiary of Japanese shipping group NYK The Asuka III was handed over by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to NYK Cruises on April 10 following its technical and nautical sea trials conducted in the North Sea on March 18 The trials were completed after the ship was transferred some 40 kilometers down the Ems from the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg Said to be “one of the most energy-efficient cruise ships ever built” the cruise ship represents “an important milestone on the way to reducing emissions and carbon intensity” “The delivery of the ASUKA III is on schedule today and is an important milestone for us,” Bernd Eikens has worked hard to bring this ship to life and today we have completed another great ship Many of the interior elements will only be brought on board in Yokohama but it is already apparent that it will be a wonderful ship for the Japanese public.” With the cruise ship designed to run on LNG Meyer Werft and NYK Line project that the unit could accomplish ‘tremendous’ reductions in particulate matter (PM) NYK booked the ship in March 2021 when it was revealed that the German shipbuilding player would use a range of customized solutions for the unit Koedood Marine Group in Hendrik Ido Ambacht has been a leading and innovative company for many years. After founding the company in 1961 by their father, Arie and Bert Koedood extended the family business into an established player when it comes to Mitsubishi shipping, offshore, and industrial engines. Koedood Marine Group is a dynamic and […] 2025Asuka: The Ascent - Official Trailer | Galaxies Gaming Showcase 2025Check out the world and features of Asuka: The Ascent in this trailer for this upcoming racing game Enter Asuka’s world of intense street races across Japan’s iconic mountains Tune and personalize JDM cars as you face fierce rivals Follow a manga-inspired story filled with mystery where nothing is as it seems Some BIG surprises could be in Triple H's plans for the WWE Raw after WrestleMania The Raw after WrestleMania is sometimes a dream scene nobody wants to wake up from. WWE has enjoyed packing those episodes with major moments over the years. Some editions, like the one following 'Mania 36, can be a little underwhelming (although the company certainly had excuses in 2020!) but they're usually one big party that fans still lingering around after the latest PLE blockbuster get a kick out of There are loads of directions Triple H could take things this all hinges on some key decisions at 'Mania 41 itself Who walks out of the weekend as WWE Champion - Cody Rhodes or John Cena There are loads of questions to answer before reaching the cherished Raw after but it's fun to play detective and spin some guesswork before the company gatecrashes the Las Vegas strip Some of these predictions will be more popular than others. A few might not seem as 'sexy' as those higher up too, but they're functional (and logical) returnees that'll help pad out the midcard scenes on Raw and SmackDown There's a purpose to each and every one of them News has filtered in that Rusev is back in WWE too. That'll put a smile on people's faces, but it makes sense for Trips to play the waiting game before the now-former AEW man gets to wish everyone a "Happy Rusev Day" Rusev could be playing second fiddle for another epic comeback anyway.. Technically, The Wyatt Sicks jumped from Raw to SmackDown as part of the Transfer Window in January We're almost three full months on from that but Uncle Howdy and gang haven't been spotted on episodes of blue brand telly All talk of them kickstarting a storyline with comeback queen Alexa Bliss heading into WrestleMania 41 has gone ice cold too but there'd be no real point in getting their SmackDown story going until after 'Mania would it really be a surprise if Triple H punted Howdy Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis back to the flagship like nothing had happened WWE has hardly committed itself to the 2024 Draft addendum that was the Transfer Window anyway The Wyatt Sicks launched as a tribute to the tragic passing of one Bray Wyatt it seemed like fans were firmly behind Howdy and would treat Bo Dallas's offshoot like a major star but WWE's interest cooled significantly during the second half of 2024 It's sure gonna be intriguing to see if they can rescue the situation on Smackers and become a hot act again Making a splash on the post-WrestleMania 41 Raw wouldn't be the worst idea, but it would raise questions about exactly what The Sicks plan to do on SmackDown. Meh, creative can worry about the next chapter once they've penned the first, possibly with Alexa Bliss as planned Just get 'em back on telly and take it from there she clarified that she had an interaction that had left her "feeling in danger" and had thus contacted the police She has since posted another update on the matter explaining that WWE and its parent company TKO "WWE and TKO are taking action to protect me WWE and TKO are taking action to protect me — ASUKA / 明日華 (@WWEAsuka) January 31, 2025 Asuka last wrestled during the Backlash event in France last year losing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill Dakota Kai went on to take her place in the Queen of the Ring tournament as a result Unfortunately, this isn't the first nor regrettably the last time a wrestler has had to speak out on personal boundaries when it comes to fans greeting them outside of work. CM Punk requested fans to respect those boundaries clarifying that an airport was not the place for a meet-and-greet and alleged that a line had been crossed when he had to ask someone to stop following him Ship’s builder says ship is one of the “most energy-efficient cruise ships ever built” Japanese cruise operator NYK Cruises has taken delivery of its new cruise ship from Meyer Werft Asuka III stands for a new and Japanese kind of luxury at sea will offer cruises from various ports in Japan The ship’s design combines open spaces with traditional Japanese aesthetics Japanese artists are also exhibited on the ship with a fresco by Hiroshi Senju in the Gallery Café and paintings by Reiji Hiramatsu in the Noblesse Restaurant Meyer Turku hails the ship as “one of the most energy-efficient cruise ships ever built which represents an important milestone on the way to reducing emissions and carbon intensity” "We are very pleased about the acquisition of Asuka III," said NYK Cruises chief executive and president Hiroyuki Endo "Offering the best holiday experiences in our homeland in a responsible way is the driving force behind our actions We are fortunate to have the best people working together to create memorable experiences for our guests." "The delivery of Asuka III is an important milestone for us," said Meyer Group chief executive Bernd Eikens "Many of the equipment elements will only be brought on board in Yokohama but it is already evident it will be a wonderful ship for the Japanese public," Mr Eikens continued After Asuka III had been transferred from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg about 40 km downstream of the Ems it completed its technical and nautical sea trials in the North Sea in March Sign up for Riviera’s series of technical and operational webinars and conferences: Social media posts from the sidelined WWE star earlier this week led fans to conclude she was being stalked Earlier this week, Asuka’s posted a couple messages on social media which alarmed her followers and the wrestling world She changed her Twitter/X bio to match the first sentence of this first message: I absolutely reject any romantic or personal approaches toward me.There is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life I absolutely reject any romantic or personal approaches toward me There is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life The follow-up messages supported the conclusion that Asuka was dealing with a stalker: Please don't have romantic feelings for me I've already consulted the police.At this rate even if fans approach me at the airport or in the city I will feel the possibility that something might happen Please don’t have romantic feelings for me Asuka has been out of action since knee surgery last year There’s no public timetable for her return but rumors said WWE had started discussing creative plans for her again We’ll keep you posted with updates on this situation and keep a good thought for Asuka while hoping for a speedy and safe resolution to the situation she’s been dealing with Asuka's WWE return looks to be on the horizon Having been out of action for nearly nine months, the return to action of WWE's Asuka seems to be on the horizon The Empress of Tomorrow last wrestled back in May of last year, where she and Kairi Sane lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill at WWE Backlash Asuka underwent knee surgery shortly after that match and the hard-hitting veteran has since documented her recovery on her YouTube channel Now, as per Fightful Select creative plans have been discussed for Asuka's return to the ring One idea pitched for this return was a "potential tag team match option" but Fightful notes how that suggestion was ultimately shot down The outlet also adds that there are no specifics known right now on when Asuka will be back between the ropes nor if she's been training at the WWE Performance Center lately Finally, this Fightful report clarifies that the outlet is not claiming Asuka will make an appearance at the Royal Rumble this weekend but simply that creative has been discussed for the former Kana - which would indicate that her in-ring return is not all that far away As alluded to, Asuka is nowadays a 21-year veteran of the squared circle, making her debut in 2004 and taking on the Kana moniker Kana would earn a reputation as one of the fiercest women in the game doing occasional shots for the likes of SHIMMER and even working a handful of All Japan Women dates early in her career not to mention running her own Kana Pro shows Asuka would hold that title for a mammoth 510 days before being forced to vacate it due to injury ahead of making the move to the main roster in September 2017 In the years since that initial move to WWE Raw in 2017 Asuka has become one of the most successful women in WWE history currently standing as a four-time Women's Champion and also the 2020 Women's Money in the Bank winner Prior to that injury back in May, Asuka was a part of the Damage CTRL stable alongside Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, and Dakota Kai Asuka is once again a part of Damage CTRL or whether creative plans may take the hugely talented star in a different direction Get instant access to ITR on your home screen Add ITR Wrestling to your Google News feed > Asuka has listed down her demands for her final match Asuka has remained a vital member of the promotion for the past one decade Winning multiple championships and other records in the promotion the Japanese wrestler recently opened up about her final match Absent since Backlash 2024 due to an injury the Damage CTRL member has recently been very active on social media With multiple WrestleMania matches to her name already The Empress of Tomorrow recently expressed her desire to have a unique entrance during her final match at WrestleMania Recently, on X she had to choose between having her last match at WrestleMania or the Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome… but only if it’s WrestleMania and I enter on Godzilla’s back.” The former champion underwent knee surgery in June 2024 and it is currently unknown when she will return to television Speaking with Joe Baiamonte of Pubity, Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria revealed how currently absent star Asuka was supposed to be her first opponent during her Raw debut. “A match that got away from me would be to face Asuka When I was first debuting on Monday Night Raw I’ll never forget watching Backlash in France and that’s when I discovered what my debut match would be Unfortunately she got hurt and I ended up wrestling Dakota Kai which ended up being quite poetic in itself as we circled back to me and Dakota in a big history making moment.” In other news: A former wrestler star has revealed how they were not ready for their main-event match against Triple H A former WWE Champion has announced their wedding engagement AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm wants to wrestle this Academy-Award winning actor CM Punk has opened up on the women wrestler's role in WWE A WWE Hall of Famer's daughter is currently training to become a pro-wrestler New update has emerged on Chelsea Green's WWE contract Potential date revealed for Cody Rhodes' WWE return A popular WWE Attitude Era star has opened up on his in-ring comeback thoughts A recently released WWE star has taken to social media to issue a cryptic message to fans in a situation that sounds a bit more serious than someone being pushy for an autograph Taking to X Wednesday afternoon "I absolutely reject any romantic or personal approaches toward me," Asuka tweeted "There is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life." In another tweet nearly twenty minutes later the former WWE Women's Champion revealed she had been "feeling in danger recently," to the point that she had even contacted police While Asuka didn't elaborate on what had led to her taking such measures she admitted that she was now scared about something happening if any fan approached her in public and that she would be unable to respond to such a situation Asuka asked fans not to have romantic feelings for her saying it was "meaningless...100% pointless." — ASUKA / 明日華 (@WWEAsuka) January 29, 2025 — ASUKA / 明日華 (@WWEAsuka) January 29, 2025 but it remains unclear if Asuka's return could be as soon as the Women's Royal Rumble match this weekend Nathan Kamal is a Newsweek contributor based in Chicago His focus is sports and entertainment content focusing on the NFL and professional wrestling Nathan has been with Newsweek since 2024 and previously worked at Inside the Magic and Giant Freakin Robot He is a graduate of the University of Oregon You can get in touch with Nathan by emailing n.edwards@newsweek.com and find him at @heynathankamal on X either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content WWE Superstar Asuka has taken to social media to share that she feels "in danger" and demand that fans stop romantic advances towards her More News: Stephanie McMahon Will Return to WWE With New On-Screen Role: Report Please don't have romantic feelings for me The 43-year-old Japanese wrestler shared that she has been feeling increasingly unsafe due to fans making romantic advances toward her to the point where she felt compelled to involve law enforcement I've already consulted the police.At this rate While Asuka didn't specify if a particular incident triggered her alarm it's clear that these unwanted interactions have left her feeling vulnerable Asuka's situation highlights a disturbing trend among certain fans who often pushing for autographs or pictures only to turn around and sell the memorabilia for profit This type of behavior has occasionally crossed into more dangerous territory A chilling example is the 2020 case of WWE star Sonya Deville who drove across the country with the intention of kidnapping her Thomas was later convicted of attempted kidnapping and aggravated stalking who has been with WWE since 2015 and is known for holding the record as the longest-reigning NXT Women's Champion has been sidelined since May 2024 after undergoing knee surgery Though she hasn't been seen on TV since her last appearance at Backlash 2024 WWE had reportedly been considering storylines for her return plans were complicated by the ongoing injuries within her faction and Dakota Kai is in concussion protocol after a dangerous-looking spot with Zoey Stark as evidenced by her new long-term contract with the company the fear she's experiencing underscores a troubling reality for wrestlers: even beyond the physical risks of competition they must also contend with the invasive and sometimes dangerous behavior of a small subset of fans Undertaker Admits He Would Never Do Risky WWE Stunt Again Triple H Leads WWE Hall of Fame 2025 Class: Report For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage several WWE stars are out of action including Asuka Twitter/X account @PWNReports provided the following injury updates… * Asuka hurt her knee during the March 15th 2024 edition of Smackdown but worked through it until the 2024 Backlash PLE. Asuka later revealed that she had surgery PWN wrote that Asuka “is set to return to the WWE RAW roster from injury sometime in May * As seen on the September 30th 2024 edition of RAW it was announced that Ilja Dragunov would be out for six to nine months due to a suspected ACL tear injury PWN noted that Dragunov “is targeting a return to the RAW roster in September.” * Tonga Loa suffered a torn bicep at the 2024 Survivor Series PLE and underwent surgery Loa “looks to return to SmackDown in June.” Asuka is set to return to the WWE Raw roster from injury sometime in May Tonga Loa looks to return to SmackDown in June Ilja Dragunov is targeting a return to the Raw roster in September – @PWNReports pic.twitter.com/sHqfHbLZoI — Viper Reports | PWNexus (@ViperReports) March 31, 2025 but speculates on the latest gossip and rumors in professional wrestling A post shared by Jackie Redmond (NHL & WWE) (@jackieredmond) If you have any pro wrestling rumors you want to share with The Takedown, send them to Dariel Figueroa (@figgyflow) on X Stephanie McMahon Working On Brand New WWE Project AEW Dynamite Results (1/29/24): MJF Takes Out Jeff Jarrett, Ospreay Beats Cage, Mone Retains Triple H Officially Announced As The 2025 WWE Hall Of Fame Headliner WWE Bringing Special Episode of NXT to Cincinnati Following Monday Night Raw The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Asuka’s recent scary situation now has a major update A couple of days ago on January 29th, former women’s champion Asuka opened up about a scary incident she faced Talking about the story in a series of Tweets the Empress of Tomorrow shared about the feeling of being in danger Possibly reflecting on a ‘scary’ fan situation the 2018 Royal Rumble winner asked fans to not have “romantic feelings” for her and even consulted the police for help Fortunately, her story received major spotlight, and now action has been taken on it. In a follow-up tweet about the unfortunate incident Asuka revealed how she has now secured protection “WWE and TKO are taking action to protect me Pro-wrestlers often face such scary situations and have several times shared such stalking incidents Asuka is now reportedly nearing her return and the promotion has seemingly begun crafting creative pitches for her Recently Asuka issued further pleas for fans to stop harassing her. Recently, in an interview with Natasha Verma of Fox 5 New York, Sonya Deville reflected on her scary stalking incident from nearly five years ago it was an unfortunate incident that I don’t wish upon anybody I think there’s a lot that can be done to change some laws and regulations around stalking I think it’s really hard sometimes when I always say and this is gonna sound weird but I was very fortunate the man did break into my house did show intent to harm and so he’s locked up and he’s in jail for a long time That’s like a best case scenario in a sense because a lot of people deal with stalking for years and years and if the person doesn’t cross that one boundary then you can’t put them behind bars or you can’t get a restraining order and I think that is more terrifying than anything I think there’s a lot that could be changed in the future.” In other news: Penta has opened up on the turning point in his career. Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans perhaps second only to actually watching the matches we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill Important reminder: Rumors are just that — rumors. None of this has been confirmed as fact, it’s just circulating around the pro wrestling rumor mill. We track rumor accuracy in a weekly feature called Rumor Look Back you can find here If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you’d like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such. And check our weekly Rumor Look Back here to keep track of how often rumors turn out to be correct Asuka hasn’t been on WWE television or involved in the company’s storylines since last May when she said “goodbye for now” before getting knee surgery that hasn’t kept her out of headlines this year though We’re hoping the lack of updates about the stalker situation Asuka shared that WWE and TKO Group were helping her with means that’s been dealt with or resolved But the multi-time WWE women’s titleholder recently informed her followers that she’s now the victim of cybercrime In a video posted on her YouTube channel last night (Feb Asuka shared that her X (fka Twitter) has been hacked If you see any posts from my account promoting product On Feb. 15, Asuka’s account on the social media site/app featured messages promoting various cryptocurrencies (several of which have now been flagged with Community Notes referring users to the above video).. and assuring followers the account hadn’t been hacked: Here’s hoping Asuka regains sole control of her account soon and can just generally get some peace after what has to have been a stressful few weeks for the 43-year-old star Jeremy Hanna is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles His focus is on professional wrestling Jeremy has been with Newsweek since 2024 from LA Sports Report. He is a graduate of California Lutheran University You can follow Jeremy on X (formerly Twitter) @JeremyHanna753 and on Bluesky @jeremyhanna753.bsky.social You can contact Jeremy via email at j.hanna@newsweek.com meaning the Road to WrestleMania has officially begun but only one of each will leave with a guaranteed shot at a world championship at the Grand Daddy of Them All More Pro Wrestling: WWE Royal Rumble 2025 Expert Predictions so here are some stories to catch up on before you watch one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year WWE Superstar and multi-time Women's Champion Asuka took to social media to warn her fans to stop any "romantic or personal approaches" toward her The legendary wrestler went on to say that she was feeling unsafe and that "there is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life," and that such advances were "100 percent pointless." For the full story, click here Originally reported by PWInsider Stephanie McMahon has officially announced on "The Pat McAfee Show" that she will be starring in a series called "Stephanie's Places." The show will be similar to the Peyton Manning show of a similar title highlighting key figures and moments in professional wrestling history parts of the series have already been filmed For the full story, click here In the same appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," McMahon opened up about her character on WWE television saying that she preferred being a hell to a babyface With that in mind, she also commented on WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, saying that she was never on the bandwagon. She and McAfee went on to address Hogan infamously being booed on the Netflix premiere of Monday Night Raw For the full story, click here one fan-favorite WWE Superstar unfortunately will not be able to participate because they recently suffered an in-ring injury For the full story, click here WWE News: Logan Paul Claims To Be Best Heel Since 'Professional Wrestling Started' Stephanie McMahon Says 'I'll Never Get Away From WWE' WWE 2K Mobile Will Soon Be Available to Millions of Netflix Subscribers Wrestling Icon Sting Reveals Final Appearances for Classic Persona For more professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports