It has broken down barriers. Blacklisted in Japan. They tried to destroy her career in many ways. She triumphed anyway and became a legend in the country.
Then she reopened joshi's doors in the USA after 20 years. Even with the language barrier, she thrived. Became a legend.
The best women's wrestler in history (Manami Toyota) was a botch machine. She constantly failed to execute her moves. And we loved her anyway. Why did we love her? Because she was real. She always brought intensity. She got you involved instantly.
“The fact that they had me fighting Alexa Bliss at all was f*cking ridiculous, and you wanna know why they had me against Alexa Bliss? Because she had the most merch sales at the time… Like, what the f*ck!? That’s your decision-making process?”
- Ronda Rousey
(Interview w/
Triple H says WWE has been part of creating change for women in Saudi Arabia:
“That’s been their goal since the beginning, to change their perception, to change how they are, to open up that umbrella for women and with the country. It takes time. You can’t just do that stuff
Looking back, this is one of the most historically important matches in the history of WWE women's wrestling. Thanks to the Puerto Rican audience, IYO SKY becoming world champion was no longer a dream and a question of “what if”: it became a question of when.
In her 20-year career, they've tried to destroy her. And she triumphed in the end. Always reborn like a phoenix. Asuka is, in my opinion, the most important wrestler of the 2010s. A generation learned to love joshi because of her. Words can't describe how much I love her.
To give you an idea of how highly Dakota Kai was valued: as soon as they realized that IYO could do promos on her own, Kota "magically" disappeared from TV. She deserves to work in an environment that truly values her.
I am also into very believable Wrestling. Not everyone is especially nowadays. And it was very hard for me to believe a little girl that was being portrayed of that size was fighting the women they had in that division. (3/4)