In a recent Pubity interview, Lyra Valkyria shared details about how circumstances changed her planned WWE RAW debut. The NXT star revealed that her initial opponent was meant to be Asuka, who currently remains sidelined with a knee injury.
During the interview, Valkyria recounted learning about her original booking while watching Backlash in France. The change in plans led to her facing Dakota Kai instead, creating what would become a significant chapter in her career.
A match that got away from me would be to face Asuka. That would be pretty massive. 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, which was supposed to be Asuka. 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. But yeah, that would definitely be a nice match to circle back to, to get to wrestle Asuka.
The modified plans ultimately saw Valkyria defeat Dakota Kai in a Queen of The Ring tournament match. Asuka’s last in-ring appearance occurred at WWE Backlash, where she teamed with Kairi Sane against Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.
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Based on current trajectory, speculation suggests a potential clash between Valkyria and Asuka could materialize at WrestleMania 41, with the Women’s Intercontinental Championship possibly at stake. However, Asuka’s return timeline remains uncertain as she continues her recovery process.
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