There’s been some chatter online about Asuka possibly returning to action soon after being sidelined with a significant knee injury sustained in 2024. The highly decorated “Empress of Tomorrow” has been absent from Raw and SmackDown programming since May of last year. There’s nothing official from WWE or Asuka on her return and when she does come back, it will likely be a surprise but based on her injury recovery timetable and various reports in recent months, it appears that the former Women’s Champion could be back on TV very soon.
Asuka’s last televised match took place at the WWE Backlash France premium live event on May 4, 2024. There, she and partner Kairi Sane lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. It was later revealed that Asuka had been wrestling through a knee issue for some time prior to the event and underwent surgery shortly thereafter to address the injury, beginning a long rehabilitation process that caused her to miss events like WrestleMania 41.
A reported timeline for Asuka’s return surfaced earlier this spring. PWNexus and Bodyslam.net suggested Asuka was targeting a return sometime in May 2025, likely following the Backlash PLE scheduled for May 10th. It was noted that WWE officials were taking a cautious approach with her recovery. Additionally, Fightful Select reported back in January that creative plans, including a potential tag team match, had been discussed internally for Asuka’s return, though they were ultimately not utilized at that time (report available via subscription).
Additionally, Asuka’s name was listed on an early draft of the WrestleMania 41 card that was briefly shown in the teaser video for the Netflix series ‘WWE Unreal,” which takes fans into the writer’s room and the creative process for the first time. Ultimately, she wasn’t booked for the show, but that revelation would indicate that the company expects for her to be cleared relatively soon.
While recovering, Asuka is still listed as a member of the Raw roster and aligned with the Damage CTRL faction, although the group itself has faced other injury issues with Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai also reportedly being sidelined at various points over the past year. Earlier in 2025, Asuka also publicly addressed concerns about fan interactions making her feel unsafe, stating that WWE and parent company TKO were taking action to protect her. Fans continue to eagerly await the return of the former multiple-time Women’s Champion and Grand Slam winner, hopeful that the reported May timeframe for her comeback proves accurate.
