Iyo Sky vs. Asuka is off WrestleMania 42, ending months of build for a match that had been on the tentative card for much of the year. WWE now plans four women’s matches over the two-night event, down from the six women’s matches that were originally set for the show.
Sky had been open about the matchup in the past week, and her X account called out Asuka at WrestleMania while a longer-caption video appeared on her Instagram account. The shortened X post also mentioned Vegas before being deleted, leaving behind a clear signal that the match was being discussed even as the card kept changing.
The move comes after WWE held off on announcing Sky vs. Asuka when Nikki Bella suffered an ankle injury. Bella is still scheduled for a Fatal Four Way for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, but the company was also still leaning toward a Damage CTRL implosion on Monday. On Raw, Kairi Sane defeated Sky, another sign that WWE’s direction around the group was already shifting.
WWE Creative had been prepared to move Asuka and Sane into the multi-woman match if Nikki and Brie could not compete, yet WWE does not seem to be placing the Kabuki Warriors into that match even if Nikki Bella is ruled out. That leaves Sky and Asuka headed elsewhere, and it is now believed they will meet at Backlash instead.
The women’s card has been hit hard by injuries. Jordynne Grace injured her ankle, forcing WWE to pause work on the Triple Threat Match that had penciled Tiffany Stratton against Giulia and Grace for the Women’s US Title, and Stratton was cut from WrestleMania 42 as well. Sky, who was the reigning WWE Women’s World Champion at last year’s event, now finds herself pushed off the biggest stage and into what looks like the next stop on the road after WrestleMania.
That is the real story of this week: WWE is still building, still cutting, and still trying to keep the women’s card intact while injuries keep breaking its plans. For Sky and Asuka, the match appears to have survived, just not the date.
