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A Charly Caruso interview shows the growing rift between Bayley and Sasha Banks when Sasha puts their tag team championships on the line the following week.
Later for Bayley and Sasha's match Nikki Cross, Bayley's Extreme Rules challenger, appears on commentary. Security wants her gone from commentary, but the commentary desk talk them down. Bayley and Sasha argue with Nikki after they make their entrance. The Kabuki Warriors enter shortly thereafter.
Early in the match Bayley rolls out of a kneebar attempt. Bayley uses her time out of the ring to knock off Nikki's headset. It's enough for security to escort Nikki away from commentary and for Bayley to think she's gotten rid of a distraction for the rest of her match.
Before a second commercial break, Bayley uses the time she has after slamming Asuka into the announce desk to grab Nikki's vacated headset to invite Sasha over and to talk into said headset.
After the break Bayley tries to taunt Asuka into using her poison mist attack and mocks her dancing. Asuka charges at Bayley. Bayley tries to grab Asuka's tights but Asuka hits her with a backfist and then a hip attack. Bayley throws Asuka into the turnbuckle but after Sasha kicks Asuka Asuka is able to still kick out of a Bayley pin attempt. Bayley chokes Asuka on the ropes and has Sasha bring over a bottle of water to splash it in Asuka's face. It's then revealed Nikki has escaped security to lurk behind the plexiglass separating the ring from the audience mostly made up of people training at the Performance Center and people already on NXT TV. (And some of them are still on main roster and/or NXT TV to this writing!) Asuka attempts to get in an Asuka Lock but Bayley escapes. Sasha tries to help Bayley escape a second Asuka Lock attempt but Kairi spears Sasha. Asuka wins by pinfall.
Apr 14, 2024
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A recap of Asuka and Sasha's match at Extreme Rules plays, followed by a recap of what lead to this match.
Bayley and Sasha Banks come out. They claim Stephanie McMahon is a "bully" and that she's "jealous." Sasha insists they run the company while Bayley spins Sasha's Extreme Rules "win."
The Kabuki Warriors come out. Asuka talks to Kairi. Kairi chases Bayley out of the ring area, seemly taking advantage of the unique stipulation applied to this match (the title can change hands if there is interference, a disqualification, or count out, along with the usual title stipulations).
After a series of strikes from Asuka, Asuka goes for an armbar but escapes being pinned. Sasha goes for a one-legged Boston crab. After that doesn't work and Sasha gets punted out of the ring Sasha starts to get counted out. It's a ruse as Sasha grabs title belts to try and disqualify Asuka. Of course the ruse doesn't work.
Sasha targets and injures Asuka's leg. She tries to take advantage of Asuka's injured leg but she fails to capitalize. Asuka is able to fight back but whenever Sasha gets momentum she tries to target Asuka's leg.
After Asuka is able to hit a missile drop kick on Sasha, the video screen turns on to reveal Bayley (along with the shadow of a boom microphone) slamming Kairi against a ladder and one of the garage doors of the Performance Center. "You think you can jump me?" Bayley says to Kairi. Asuka tries to continue fighting Sasha but gets counted out; she leaves the match after hearing Kairi say her name in agony. "[Asuka's] not gonna help you," Bayley says before fleeing when Asuka hobbles by Kairi's side. Bayley rejoins Sasha in the ring after she's rewarded with the Raw Women's Championship.
After a commercial break Charly Caruso tries to give an update on Kairi's condition in front of the DOCTOR/TRAINER room but are interrupted by Sasha and Bayley using the camera time to celebrate Sasha's title win further. Asuka leaves the DOCTOR/TRAINER room and, after asked about Kairi's condition, yells in Japanese.
This would be Kairi's last appearance in WWE...until 2023.
Apr 23, 2024
The Kabuki Warriors are first seen backstage before Nikki Cross's match with Bayley (which Nikki loses). They're chummy with Alexa Bliss and Nikki despite their Tag Team Championship feuds in the past for this pay-per-view. They're all gathered to hype up Nikki. "Even if [Nikki loses her match against Bayley, the Kabuki Warriors] will still be your friends," Kairi says, which...okay.
An interview with Bayley, held after the Seth Rollins/Rey Mysterio "Eye for an Eye" match but before Sasha's match with Asuka, finds Bayley deflecting from said conclusion of that match to talk about how she's a double champion (holding the women's SmackDown and tag titles) and that by the end of the night Sasha will also become a double champion (holding the women’s Raw and tag titles).
As the match begins, the commentators seem to agree with Bayley and Sasha's claims that Asuka needs to "prove" herself after "winning" the Raw Women's Championship in the way she won said title. They also mention how the stipulations of the women's tag team titles enabled this match.
During the match Sasha gets an early advantage but gets caught in an armbar attempt. They trade knee attacks until Sasha attacks Asuka's arms. Asuka is able to counter with a spinning back fist. Asuka is driven into the turnbuckle but eventually is able to attack Sasha from the ropes.
A series of Asuka hip attacks and German suplexes follow. Around this time Sasha signals she has problems with her knee, the very issue that months later would play a part in Bayley turning on Sasha (after their tag team title loss to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler).
Kairi is made a non-factor in this match after Bayley hits a Bayley-to-Belly on her directly to the floor. Asuka has Sasha in an Asuka Lock. Sasha taps out but Bayley distracts the referee. Asuka dodges Bayley trying to hit her with a belt and kicks her. Sasha also has a belt. The referee tries to take the belt from Sasha but instead is misted by accident by Asuka. Because there is no active legal referee for this match, the match is declared a no contest. That doesn't stop Bayley from knocking out Asuka with a belt, stealing the referee's shirt, counting to three, forcing the timekeeper to ring the ring belt, and making out with Sasha and the Raw Women's Championship.
Apr 16, 2024
After Bayley and Sasha talk to Sarah Schreiber--with an allusion to "strength in numbers"--Asuka is asked how she'll handle Bayley and Sasha. "Who says I am all alone?" Asuka says. She dances off.
Bayley and Sasha complain about their Extreme Rules challengers. For Bayley, it's Nikki Cross. She won the opportunity to face Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship in a triple threat match. Meanwhile Sasha says Asuka won't be the Raw Women's Champion after Extreme Rules. Both are interrupted by Asuka, who laughs at the idea of 2 Beltz Banks. Asuka says the two aren't great at math and (of course) aren't ready for Asuka. Bayley interjects for Sasha (those interjections would undo her relationships with Sasha and later IYO SKY in kayfabe, by the way) and says Sasha will humiliate Asuka at Extreme Rules. Bayley adds that Sasha is ready for anything. This opens up Sasha to...a fight with the returning Kairi Sane.
The commentators question Bayley and Sasha's relationship after Bayley's earlier stunt. For the moment Bayley stays loyal to Sasha; she says to Asuka when she's close enough to her "Your partner [Kairi] sucks" and ends up on the wrong side of Kairi's baseball slide as the show heads to break.
Towards the end of the match, Kairi puts Sasha in her Ikari crab submission. Bayley breaks the submission up with her running knee. Asuka fights Bayley and Sasha, swarming her. Kairi is able to wipe Bayley and Sasha out with an InSane Elbow. The way this elbow is performed resembles the Kaubki Warriors's finisher in their current run.
Kairi and Sasha—then known as KAIRI and Mercedes Moné, respectively—would face off again years later at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 2022 Battle in the Valley event.
Apr 13, 2024
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Writers questioned Asuka's poison mist gimmick after it appeared in WWE at Hell in a Cell. A writer from Wrestleview called the gimmick "stereotypical." The Ringer blamed the mist gimmick on...Paul Heyman. But here is a video from a WrestleMania weekend where Asuka talks about her admiration for The Great Muta and her desire to do a poison mist gimmick in WWE about a year and a half before she started doing it.
Mar 2, 2024
Since all of this is not on YouTube.
On this episode of SmackDown the Tokyo tour dates are recapped, complete with footage of the Kabuki Warriors winning against the IIconics in Tokyo.
A backstage segment (linked here) follows where Paige and the Kabuki Warriors confront the IIconics for the title shot they were promised. The IIconics delay the title match. The segment ends with face manager Paige slapping Billie Kay.
Feb 27, 2024
IIconics (champions) vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Kabuki Warriors.
* Mandy Rose rolls up Billie Kay for a pin, eliminating the IIconics.
* Asuka submits Rose with the Asuka Lock, eliminating Rose and Deville.
* Nikki pushes Kairi off the turnbuckle, leaving her susceptible to a punch (forearm?) by Bliss as Paige watches. Bliss hits Twisted Bliss, win titles.
Feb 28, 2024