History of Asuka (wrestler) in Timeline
Kanako Urai, known as Asuka in WWE, is a highly regarded Japanese professional wrestler. Signed with WWE since 2015, she performs on the Raw brand. She is often considered one of the greatest women's professional wrestlers of all time due to her skills and accomplishments.
1 hour ago : Asuka and IYO SKY clash intensifies on the Road to WWE Backlash 2026.
The rivalry between Asuka and IYO SKY escalated with Asuka misting IYO SKY on Raw. This event built anticipation for their WWE Backlash 2026 match.
September 26, 1981: Kanako Urai Born
On September 26, 1981, Kanako Urai, later known as Asuka, was born. She is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE.
June 16, 2004: Professional Wrestling Debut
On June 16, 2004, Kana, also known as Asuka, made her professional wrestling debut for AtoZ against Leo-na.
2004: Professional Wrestling Career Start
In 2004, Kana, also known as Asuka, began her professional wrestling career in the AtoZ promotion.
March 19, 2006: Retirement Due to Nephritis
On March 19, 2006, Kana, later known as Asuka, retired from wrestling due to chronic nephritis.
2006: Retirement from AtoZ
In 2006, Kana, later known as Asuka, retired from the AtoZ promotion due to injuries.
September 22, 2007: Wrestling Comeback
On September 22, 2007, Kana, also known as Asuka, made her comeback to professional wrestling as a freelancer.
2007: Return to Wrestling
In 2007, Kana, also known as Asuka, returned to professional wrestling as a freelancer, working with several promotions.
2008: Pro Wrestling Wave Appearances
In 2008, Kana made some appearances for Pro Wrestling Wave.
October 10, 2009: NEO Tag Team Championship Win
On October 10, 2009, Kana and Takahashi won the NEO Tag Team Championship, marking Kana's first wrestling title.
December 31, 2009: Lost NEO Tag Team Championship
On December 31, 2009, Kana and Takahashi lost the NEO Tag Team Championship to Ayumi Kurihara and Yoshiko Tamura.
January 24, 2010: Quit Passion Red
On January 24, 2010, Kana quit Passion Red.
April 29, 2010: Kana Pro First Event
On April 29, 2010, Kana held her first self-produced event, Kana Pro, where she lost to Meiko Satomura.
June 25, 2010: Smash Debut
On June 25, 2010, Kana debuted for Yoshihiro Tajiri's new Smash promotion, losing to Syuri in the main event of Smash.4.
2010: Manifesto Controversies
In 2010, Kana's manifesto created controversies with people upset by it.
2010: Regular Work for Pro Wrestling Wave
Towards the end of 2010, Kana started working regularly for Pro Wrestling Wave after NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling folded.
January 10, 2011: Kana Pro Second Event
On January 10, 2011, Kana Pro's second event saw Kana and Yuki Ishikawa lose to Carlos Amano and Yoshiaki Fujiwara.
May 8, 2011: Triple Tails Show
On May 8, 2011, Triple Tails put together their own show.
July 24, 2011: Catch the Wave Tournament Win
On July 24, 2011, Kana defeated Ayumi Kurihara to win the 2011 Catch the Wave tournament.
August 3, 2011: Debut in the United States Reported
On August 3, 2011, it was reported that Kana would be making her debut in the United States in early October, working for Shimmer Women Athletes and Chikara.
2011: Manifesto DVD Release
In 2011, Urai released her first gravure DVD, titled Manifesto.
January 19, 2012: Regaining the Smash Diva Championship
On January 19, 2012, at We Are Smash, Kana defeated Tomoka Nakagawa in a rematch to regain the Smash Diva Championship.
February 1, 2012: Triple Tails Membership
On February 1, 2012, Ayumi Kurihara, Mika Iida and Shuu Shibutani were made official members of Triple Tails.
March 11, 2012: DDT Pro-Wrestling Debut
On March 11, 2012, Kana made her debut for DDT Pro-Wrestling and won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, losing and regaining it multiple times in a battle royal, ending as a five-time champion.
April 5, 2012: Signing with Wrestling New Classic
On April 5, 2012, Tajiri named Kana as part of the roster of Wrestling New Classic (WNC). Kana signed a contract with WNC, making it her new home promotion, ending her freelancing days.
December 2012: Departure from WNC
Following her departure from WNC in December 2012, Kana began making more regular appearances for both Ice Ribbon and JWP.
2012: Manifesto II and Sadistic Tails DVD Releases
In 2012, Urai released Manifesto II and Sadistic Tails, the latter being a gravure DVD with Mio Shirai.
February 24, 2013: Triple Tails.S Self-Produced Event
On February 24, 2013, Triple Tails.S held its first self-produced event in nine months, which saw Kana and Mio Shirai wrestle Arisa Nakajima and Ayako Hamada in a main event tag team match.
December 27, 2013: Disbanded Triple Tails.S
On December 27, 2013, Kana and Mio Shirai disbanded Triple Tails.S with their final self-produced independent event taking place in early 2014.
2013: Dual Shock Wave Tournament
From September 1 to October 6, 2013, Kana took part in the 2013 Dual Shock Wave tournament, where she teamed with Yumi Ohka, making it to the finals before losing to Las Aventureras.
February 25, 2014: KanaProMania in Korakuen Hall
On February 25, 2014, Kana produced an independent event titled KanaProMania in Korakuen Hall, which saw her defeat Meiko Satomura in the main event.
August 30, 2014: Consultant for Reina Joshi Puroresu
On August 30, 2014, Kana began working for Reina Joshi Puroresu as a storyline consultant.
October 5, 2014: All Japan Pro Wrestling Appearance
On October 5, 2014, Kana made a special appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Mika Iida in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Shuu Shibutani and Yumi Ohka.
January 12, 2015: Defense of Reina World Tag Team Championship
On January 12, 2015, Kana and Arisa Nakajima successfully defended the Reina World Tag Team Championship against Goya Kong and Muñeca de Plata.
July 2015: Catch the Wave Tournament Semi-Finals
In July 2015, Kana made it to the semi-finals of the 2015 Catch the Wave tournament, but lost to Yumi Ohka.
August 2015: Signed with WWE
In August 2015, Kanako Urai, now known as Asuka, signed with WWE and performs on the Raw brand.
August 22, 2015: Attended WWE's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
On August 22, 2015, Urai (Kana) attended WWE's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event in Brooklyn, New York.
December 2015: Best Worker in WWE
In December 2015, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Urai "may be the best worker in WWE, man or woman".
2015: Manifesto Final DVD Release
In 2015, Urai released her third gravure DVD, titled Manifesto Final.
2015: Signed Developmental Deal with WWE
In 2015, Urai signed a developmental deal with WWE and was assigned to NXT as Asuka, becoming the first Japanese female wrestler signed with the company in over 20 years.
January 13, 2016: NXT Battle Royal Participation
On January 13, 2016, Asuka participated in a battle royal to determine the number #1 contender for Bayley's NXT Women's Championship; she was eliminated second-to-last by Eva Marie.
2016: NXT Women's Championship Win
In 2016, Asuka won the NXT Women's Championship, holding the title for a record-breaking 510 days.
January 11, 2017: Nikki Cross Attacks Asuka
On January 11, 2017, episode of NXT, when Asuka was overpowered by The Iconic Duo (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), Nikki Cross came to her rescue but then herself attacked Asuka.
September 11, 2017: Assignment to Raw Brand
On September 11, 2017, Asuka was assigned to the Raw brand.
2017: Move to WWE Main Roster
In 2017, Asuka moved from NXT to WWE's main roster.
2017: PWI Female 50 list
In 2017, Urai became the first Japanese wrestler to top Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI Female 50 list.
January 28, 2018: Won the First Women's Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, Asuka won the first women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 25 and lastly eliminating Nikki Bella.
2018: Women's Royal Rumble Winner
In 2018, Asuka became the inaugural winner of the Women's Royal Rumble match.
2018: WWE Superstar Shake-up and Survivor Series
In 2018, Asuka was drafted to SmackDown as part of the WWE Superstar Shake-up, aligning with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. She also participated in the Survivor Series as part of Team Smackdown, where she was the last woman eliminated from Team SmackDown.
April 16, 2019: Formation of The Kabuki Warriors
On April 16, 2019, Paige announced on SmackDown that she would be managing a newly formed women's tag team, consisting of Asuka and Kairi Sane from NXT, later dubbed as "The Kabuki Warriors". They immediately feuded with The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) over the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
September 2019: KanaChanTV Launch
In September 2019, Urai launched her own gaming and cooking channel on YouTube, KanaChanTV. It features playthrough videos with her own bilingual English/Japanese commentary as well as lifestyle content.
2019: KanaChanTV YouTube Channel Launch
In 2019, Asuka launched her own YouTube channel called KanaChanTV, focusing on gaming and lifestyle content.
2019: Drafted to Raw and Heel Turn
In 2019, as part of the WWE Draft in mid-October, Asuka and Sane were both drafted to the Raw brand. The duo further solidified their heel turn after Asuka spit green mist on their manager Paige, ending their association with Paige.
February 3, 2020: Raw Women's Championship Rematch
On the February 3, 2020 episode of Raw, Asuka demanded a rematch for the Raw Women's Championship title, in which Lynch accepted. However a week later on Raw, Asuka again failed to win the title.
2020: Most WWE Matches
In 2020, she competed in more WWE matches than all other superstars.
2021: Inactive due to Injury
In 2021, Asuka's last match was on the June 21 episode of Raw. She then became inactive due to an injury. During the 2021 WWE Draft, Asuka was not drafted and was declared a free agent.
2021: Greatest Female Superstars of All Time
In 2021, WWE named her as one of the top 5 of the greatest female superstars of all time.
2021: Experiences with Racism
In an interview with ET Canada in 2021, Urai detailed her own experiences with racism and shared her thoughts on the rise of anti-Asian sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 25, 2022: Return to Raw
After 9 months of inactivity due to her injury recovery, Asuka made her return on the April 25, 2022, episode of Raw, confronting Becky Lynch.
January 2023: Return and Elimination Chamber Win
In January 2023, after a brief hiatus, Asuka returned and participated in the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble match. She also won an Elimination Chamber match to earn a Raw Women's Championship match against Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.
July 2023: Arcade Game Building Project
Urai started building her own arcade game building in Japan in July 2023.
November 10, 2023: Heel Turn and Damage CTRL Alignment
On the November 10, 2023 episode of SmackDown, Asuka turned on her teammates to reunite with Kairi Sane while joining Damage CTRL at the same time.
2023: Drafted to SmackDown and Championship Win
In 2023, Asuka was drafted to the SmackDown brand. She defeated Belair to win the Raw Women's Championship for the third time, ending Belair's record-setting title reign. The title was later renamed to the WWE Women's Championship.
January 26, 2024: WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Win
On the January 26, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Asuka and Sane, competing as the Kabuki Warriors, defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the second time.
2024: Drafted to Raw and Injury
In 2024, Asuka was drafted to the Raw brand as a part of Damage CTRL. At Backlash France on May 4, Asuka and Sane lost their titles. Asuka later revealed that she was suffering from a knee injury for months and had successfully undergone surgery.
June 16, 2025: Return to Raw and Queen of the Ring Tournament
On June 16, 2025, Asuka made her return on Raw, entering the 2025 Queen of the Ring tournament and winning a fatal four-way in the first round. She lost in the finals to Cargill at Night of Champions.
January 5, 2026: Loss of WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
On the January 5, 2026 episode of Raw, Asuka and Sane lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship titles to Ripley and Sky, ending their reign at 56 days.
April 24, 2026: Disbandment of The Kabuki Warriors
On April 24, 2026, The Kabuki Warriors disbanded after Sane was released by WWE, leaving Asuka as a singles wrestler.
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