Triple H on Asuka’s Importance for NXT, Undefeated Streak, and Her Hiring

USA Today’s For the Win had a recent interview with Triple H discussing Asuka’s importance to the NXT brand, her undefeated streak, and why he saw her as a difference maker for women’s wrestling in the WWE.

On the topic of Asuka’s importance for NXT, Triple H revealed he personally fought to ensure she was the one person who stayed on the brand when Vince wanted call-ups done for the Draft regardless if they were ready or not. He felt her leaving would have severely hurt the rebuilding plans for NXT’s Women’s division afterwards.

“I would never want to limit someone’s growth or their opportunities, but when Vince brought it up to me, I said the one person we can’t afford to lose is Asuka. You could take everybody else you want to take – and trust me, he did – but I needed her as an anchor. If I lose her and everybody else, I’m doomed.”

On the topic of Asuka’s undefeated streak, Triple H stated he had a lot of faith in her to be someone who could lead both NXT’s Women’s division and the brand itself. Her current undefeated streak being his biggest way of showing it.

“It’s the faith to say that you’re that person and to say that if you hold that championship that the belief is there in you to lead a division or a company or a group and to be in that position. For somebody like her, here’s that faith for that long of a period of time and we’re not beating you, we’re keeping a championship on you and keeping it fresh. That’s a pretty bold statement of how good you are.”

When discussing the signing of Asuka, Triple H stated he made sure to grab everyone’s attention backstage about the person he was about to bring into the company because he felt she would become a difference maker in the WWE. He also mentioned how he likes when Asuka mixes Japanese with English for her promos since it helps bring out more intensity to them.

“When we signed her, it made everybody already inside look at who we were bringing in and they were seeing what I was seeing – this girl is going to change the game. That’s why I wanted to bring her in. I could see what she had and how I took her into morphing and really helping make this change to the product. I think she’s done that. She’s changed the main roster too and how the girls work and that intensity level.

“In some ways, that’s helped her in keeping some of the mystery. There’s a saying, ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. She’ll speak a bit in English and then she says something in Japanese, I get more out of the way she says it and the intensity. I don’t speak Japanese so I have no idea what she said – but I know what she meant. It’s powerful and strong and that keeps an aura about her.”