Bayley, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte Flair Pay Tribute to Asuka Following WWE Backlash

Asuka received a show of respect from her WWE colleagues after her match with IYO SKY at WWE Backlash, with Bayley and more paying tribute to her. The Empress of Tomorrow lost to SKY at Saturday night’s PLE to conclude their feud. After the match, the two embraced and Asuka waved to the crowd before they exited the ring.

It has been reported that Asuka is “semi-retired” following the match and while WWE has not yet confirmed such, she was honored by a number of stars. Bayley, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Charlotte Flair all posted pics of Asuka following the show. You can see the posts below.

It is not yet confirmed whether Asuka is indeed going into semi-retirement and when a fan asked Flair what her post meant, she replied, “Just a fan!”

The Raw star is a three-time WWE Women’s Champion, former Smackdown Women’s Champion, former NXT Women’s Champion, and five0time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. She won the Women’s Money in the Bank match in 2020, the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018, and is both a Triple Crown and Women’s Grand Slam Champion.

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— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) May 9, 2026

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— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) May 10, 2026

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— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) May 10, 2026

Just a fan!!! ❤️

— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) May 10, 2026