“The Empress of Tomorrow” is back, and already doing big things.
After returning and advancing in the ongoing 2025 WWE Queen of the Ring tournament, Asuka released a video via her official KanaChanTV channel addressing her long-awaited return to pro wrestling after nearly a year on the sidelines.
“Hey, welcome to KanaChanTV, and so, we’ve been filming a video in a hurry,” she began. “This is just a quick video, and I really want to say this: I’m back! I finally made my return to the ring. So, thank you so much for all your support, your kind messages, and your love. It means more than I can say. It really was a great help to me. I can’t even put it into words. Thank you so much for all your messages and support. Being away for almost a year, it wasn’t easy.”
Asuka continued, “This was by no means easy. It was really hard. Well, I’d been away from the ring for almost a year, and it really wasn’t easy, and to be honest, there was some tough days, but I managed to get through it… But your voice kept me going, really. Well, everyone’s voices were there, so yeah… I guess you could say it never stopped. I guess the point is that I didn’t stop. Now, I’m here again! My match was always intense. Physically and mentally, it has been pushed to the limit. I really do feel like I was on the edge, both mentally and physically. I was able to win the comeback. I would like to talk about this, but this is just the beginning.”
Asuka will compete against the winner of tonight’s Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez semifinal match in the WWE Queen of the Ring tournament at the WWE Night of Champions premium live event this weekend in Saudi Arabia. The winner of that match will earn a women’s title shot at WWE SummerSlam.
(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
