Backstage Update on Original Plans for Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka Finish at WrestleMania 34

– Brad Shepard reported on the Backstage in WWE (via Ringside News) that the original plan for WrestleMania was to have Asuka go over Charlotte Flair in the Smackdown women’s title match. Additionally, Carmella was then going to try and cash in her Money in the Bank contract and then lose.

Those plans were reportedly changed at the last minute. Instead, Charlotte went over Asuka by submission and ended Asuka’s epic winning streak. Additionally, the original match WWE was looking to book at WrestleMania 35 was Ronda Rousey vs. Asuka.

Shepard stated, “Now you may have heard me promote personally the biggest match they could do is Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte and they finally came around to that opinion at some point in the past few weeks.”

Apparently the time where Asuka stopped using the armbar was the period where WWE apparently shifted focus to Charlotte vs. Rousey at WrestleMania 35. He added that Vince McMahon lost faith in Asuka being the top woman to face Rousey, stating, “I don’t know exactly when but it was around the time Asuka stopped using the armbar that they made the decision that Charlotte was going to go over and end the streak and be the person and Vince lost faith in Asuka as that top woman to face Ronda Rousey. So that’s essentially what happened.”