RAW Women’s Champion Asuka received the new WWE Women’s Title on tonight’s SmackDown episode.
Adam Pearce brought Asuka to the ring for the WWE Women’s Championship Presentation. While Asuka was initially referred to as the RAW Women’s Champion, the verbiage being used for this new title indicates that they could be moving forward with just one women’s champion for the main roster, but that has not been confirmed.
Asuka came to the ring to a pop from the crowd. Pearce asked her for the RAW Women’s Title belt, then presented her with the new white WWE Women’s Title belt, and put it around her waist.
Before Asuka and Pearce could proceed, the music and pyro interrupted as Charlotte Flair made her return. This was Flair’s first appearance since losing the SmackDown Women’s Title to Rhea Ripley on Night 1 of WrestleMania 39. Pearce said he thinks he knows why Flair came to the ring, but she needs to get in line for a title shot. Flair said she doesn’t wait in line because she made the line. Flair then said hello to Asuka, and went on about how no one respects Asuka like she does. Flair then declared that she wants this new title, so she’s calling Asuka out. Asuka accepted the challenge. Flair told Pearce he can put the title around her waist when she wins it.
Asuka suddenly spit her mist but Flair ducked it. Flair slammed Asuka’s face into the podium, nailed a big boot and then sent her out of the ring. Asuka regrouped at ringside and stared Flair down as Flair looked on from the ring.
Pearce was later seen backstage on the phone, booking Flair vs. Asuka for the Money In the Bank go-home edition of SmackDown from London on June 30. Bianca Belair, who was promised a title shot from Asuka earlier in the night by Pearce, entered the office and expressed her frustration over Flair’s title shot. Pearce told her he will figure everything out.
Asuka, a member of the SmackDown roster, became RAW Women’s Champion by defeating Belair at WWE Night of Champions in late May. SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, who won the title from Flair at WrestleMania 39, is a member of the RAW roster and was not mentioned in tonight’s segments. A championship exchange ceremony had been rumored for Asuka and Ripley, but it looks like chose a different direction.
It’s interesting to note that the center plate says Women’s Undisputed Champion when there was no unification match. The title design uses the word “Undisputed” but WWE has not touched on this publicly as of this writing. The new replica on WWE Shop also uses “Undisputed” in the same spot.
The RAW Women’s Title, now known as the WWE Women’s Title, was introduced in April 2016 as the WWE Women’s Title, to replace the WWE Divas Title. It was re-named to the RAW Women’s Title later that year when the SmackDown Women’s Title, now held by Ripley, was established. Now they have just re-named the belt to the WWE Women’s Title once again.
The WWE website has not confirmed the lineage of Asuka’s title, but they are now billing her as the WWE Women’s Champion. They wrote, “Tonight on SmackDown, Raw Women’s Champion Asuka was presented with the new WWE Women’s Championship, relinquishing her former title to Adam Pearce in the process. With Asuka now the WWE Women’s Champion, The Empress of Tomorrow is sure to take over SmackDown.”
It will be interesting to see what happens with Ripley and the SmackDown Women’s Title on Monday’s RAW.
Below are several related shots from tonight’s SmackDown at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa:
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