Post-WrestleMania, WWE will introduce new and previously injured talents to television in an attempt to kick off new storylines. Now it has been reported by Fightful Select that the company is looking to do just that with Asuka, who has been recovering from shoulder surgery, as well as Mustafa Ali, who had been home after requesting his release in January. Intricate details of their returns weren’t disclosed. Still, both have been spoken about as returning as soon as this week’s episode of Raw. With Asuka potentially set to work with her longtime rival Becky Lynch.
Asuka last wrestled in July 2021 when she participated in the company’s women’s Money In The Bank Ladder match. Afterward, though, she would be absent from television, and later a photo was shared showing she’d undergone surgery. Since then, not much has been disclosed about the specifics of her injury, although it had been thought she’d been medically cleared for the past few months. Still, WWE has been waiting for the right time creatively to reintegrate her into the main roster.
Ali had been on a losing streak after a run on Main Event that featured him being defeated in short SmackDown matches to both Mansoor and Drew McIntyre. However, WWE was looking to revamp his character with a new gimmick. Unfortunately, things would sour after Vince McMahon gave him the specific details. Subsequently, Ali took to social media and revealed he wanted to depart the company. Nevertheless, WWE refused his release and attempted to mend fences by asking him to return as a participant at the Royal Rumble. Ali, though, would decline this, and since he has been home, with it presumed, he planned to sit out his contract, which still had multiple years remaining.
