Asuka is planned to take some time off from WWE, according to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, but the move is not linked to the recent roster cuts. The report also says the former champion is scheduled for the May 11 edition of WWE Raw in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The update comes after Asuka was overcome with emotion following her match with IYO SKY at WWE Backlash in Tampa, Florida. After the bout, she embraced SKY, waved to the crowd and left the arena, a scene that quickly drew tributes on social media and fueled speculation about her future.

Fightful reported that everyone it spoke to does not believe Asuka has wrestled her final match. Ross Sapp also said she remains popular with both locker room members and staff, and that a WWE higher-up described her as “always reliable no matter what was thrown her way.”

The timing matters because the chatter around Asuka picked up over the weekend, when Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer was told she was now semi-retired. That was followed Sunday evening by Ross Sapp’s report, which pointed in the opposite direction and framed the situation as a temporary pause rather than the end of a run.

Contractly, the picture is still incomplete. Ross Sapp reported that Asuka agreed to terms on a new long-term WWE deal in the summer of 2024, but the length of that contract is unknown. Most extensions signed around that time were for five years, which leaves room for her return without answering exactly when it will come.

For now, the clearest sign is that WWE still has her on the board for Raw in Knoxville, and the company’s own view of Asuka appears unchanged: dependable, respected and very much not written off as finished.