Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Asuka Reportedly Dealing with Legitimate Injury
It was announced during Monday night’s episode of Raw that Asuka had been removed from the Queen of the Ring tournament due to an injury.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee), Asuka is dealing with a legitimate injury, although she was backstage for Monday’s Raw.
Asuka was originally scheduled to take on Lyra Valkyria in a Queen of the Ring first-round matchup, but Damage CTRL’s Dakota Kai noted that Asuka was not cleared to compete.
Kai stepped up to replace her Damage CTRL stablemate, losing to Valkyria on Monday night.
The 42-year-old Asuka wrestled just two days earlier at Backlash in France, as she and Kairi Sane dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
It is unclear if The Empress of Tomorrow was injured during that match or was nursing an injury going into Backlash, but regardless, it appears as though WWE is giving her some time to heal up.
Even though Asuka was reportedly backstage for Raw, she did not accompany Kai or Iyo Sky to the ring for their Queen of the Ring matches.
As a four-time women’s champion and four-time tag team champion, Asuka is one of the most decorated female Superstars in WWE history and an unquestioned future Hall of Famer.
While WWE has enough depth in its women’s division to thrive while she is out, Asuka will still be missed until she returns.
Reported Reasoning for WrestleMania 41 Dates
WWE announced Saturday that WrestleMania 41 will be held on April 19 and 20, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The timing took many by surprise since April 20 is Easter Sunday, meaning those who travel to attend the event will potentially be missing out on a holiday with their families and loved ones.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), WWE’s desire to have WrestleMania on Easter weekend has to do with the fact that it is typically a slower weekend for Vegas in terms of tourism.
Also, it ensures WrestleMania will not conflict with any other major events in the sports and entertainment world.
This year, WrestleMania 40 took place the same weekend as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s Final Four, and it is clear that WWE would prefer to avoid that moving forward.
Speaking last month at the SBJ World Congress of Sports (h/t Arash Markazi of the Sporting Tribune), WWE president Nick Khan discussed his desire for WrestleMania to no longer go head-to-head with the Final Four.
The result is WrestleMania 41 being later in the month of April than usual and during a holiday weekend, but given how hot the WWE product is currently, it shouldn’t have a hard time selling tons of tickets for the Showcase of the Immortals.
Styles Says He Has Retired Spinal Tap Move
AJ Styles has long been one of the most innovative performers in pro wrestling history, but he confirmed last week that he has retired a move that he once popularized,
During an appearance on SHAK Wrestling (h/t Mukherjee), Styles noted that it has been so long since he last attempted his Spinal Tap maneuver that he has closed the door on ever trying to use it in a match again:
“If you’ve ever heard, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it,’ that’s 100 percent the case. It’s a very awkward way to flip and do some stuff. And I had put it on the back burner for so long, I just lost it.
“And it’s in my head, but if I can’t pull it off the way that I want to do it, I don’t want to do it at all. I haven’t even attempted it on a trampoline, in a pool, nothing. It’s there for the [Will] Ospreays or anybody else who wants to do it.”
The Spinal Tap is a twisting move off the top rope that Styles did with regularity during his time in TNA, but he has not busted it out since joining WWE in 2016.
Styles still does his fair share of acrobatics, including a springboard 450 splash, but it sounds as though the Spinal Tap is out of the equation for good.
The Phenomenal One is perhaps entering the latter stages of his career at 46 years of age, but he is still capable of spectacular in-ring performances.
At Backlash in France last weekend, Styles competed in the main event against undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes.
Styles fell short, but he and Rhodes stole the show, proving that AJ remains one of the best in the business.
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