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Asuka and IYO SKY culminated their months-long feud at Backlash 2026. The Genius of the Sky defeated the Empress of Tomorrow in a barnburner of a match, also hijacked by “We want Kairi” chants. But what happened afterwards left the WWE Universe speechless.
Asuka broke down in tears and embraced IYO SKY in an emotional moment. She blew a kiss to her former protege and waved at the WWE Universe before walking out.
Just hours before the show, Asuka shared a cryptic post on her Instagram, sparking rumors of her last hurrah. Her post-match gesture only fueled those speculations.
During the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer provided an update on Asuka’s in-ring future, saying she’s now semi-retired. There’s no word yet on whether she’s done with WWE.
“The story I heard is that she (Asuka) is ‘semi-retired’. I haven’t really gotten an exact meaning of what ‘semi-retired’ means. But I guess, people were wishing her goodbye and things like that backstage so…I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle, I don’t know if that means she’ll do stuff here and there. But I was told ‘semi-retired’.” (h/t – Wrestlepurists)
IYO SKY has a message for Asuka after WWE Backlash 2026
IYO SKY took to her X/Twitter handle to share photos of her match from Backlash. In the caption, she wrote the following message to express gratitude to Asuka:
“Our story comes to its final chapter with today’s match. The moment the match ended, my heart was filled with all sorts of emotions. Meeting ASUKA-san, spending the same time together, and being able to learn so much up close—These are irreplaceable treasures to me. Thank you so much, ASUKA-San. We love you ASUKA-San” – translated from Japanese
You can check out her tweet here.
Asuka has since been receiving an outpouring of love and support from fans and WWE stars alike. It will be interesting to see if she will appear on the RAW after Backlash.
Have fans seen the last of her in a wrestling ring? Only time will tell.
If you use quotes from the first half of the article, please give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
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