Beyond WWE: Asuka, IYO SKY, and a Complicated Friendship

When Asuka uploaded her recent video "This is My Story with IYO – Now’s the Time", it wasn't a casual one; it was a rare glimpse behind the curtain of a deeply complex relationship. Asuka spoke of her bond with IYO SKY, a bond so strong that Asuka broke with a sacred Japanese tradition to preserve it. She hinted at a history that began long before their time in WWE, and her disappointment over their current situation.


But the full story is much more complicated than Asuka revealed. While WWE has only recently started to scratch the surface of their tension, a long history in Japan explains why their current conflict regarding Rhea Ripley feels so personal. The situation between Asuka and IYO SKY is more than a potential feud on the horizon- it's a story with a history that is over a decade old.

The connection between Asuka and IYO SKY is rooted in a Japan-based wrestling faction that was called Triple Tails, which was formed in 2010. It included Asuka (then known as Kana) and IYO SKY (then known as Io Shirai), along with Io's older sister, Mio Shirai. For over a year, these three women worked as a unit, sharing the ring and building a bond.

Asuka's career began in 2004, years before IYO SKY & Mio Shirai (2007). This made Asuka the senpai (senior) to SKY's kohai (junior), in the traditional Japanese wrestling system. This senior-junior dynamic dictates that the junior must obey their senior. Asuka's bond with SKY was very unique because of Asuka's conscious decision to go against that tradition. As Asuka stated in her video, she never believed in that system. Asuka chose to treat SKY as an equal, and this act of breaking with tradition became the foundation of their trust. It's why Asuka’s current disappointment feels so intense- because their bond was built on the rejection of a power structure.

In 2011, IYO SKY left Triple Tails in order to pursue a singles career in Stardom, which was on its way to becoming the most popular Japanese women's professional wrestling company. She became the ace of Stardom, winning the World of Stardom Championship two times, with her reigns being the third and second-longest in history, respectively.

While IYO SKY rose to become one of the top stars in Stardom, Asuka carved out her own legendary path in Japan, wrestling in many promotions, including JWP (where she won the JWP Openweight Championship) and WAVE (where she won the WAVE Tag Team Championship two times), as well as producing her own events under the banner of Kana Pro.

After going on separate paths of success, Asuka and IYO SKY met again in WWE. They have faced each other in the ring, as well as reunited in the Damage CTRL faction along with their mutual friend, Kairi Sane. However, regardless of whether Asuka and SKY were professional rivals or teammates, they always had a mutual respect for each other and shared the unique pressures and challenges of a competitive environment outside of their birth country.

Asuka and IYO SKY sharing a history, factions, and deep mutual respect for each other, makes their current situation in WWE very personal. The tensions surrounding Rhea Ripley and the involvement of Kairi Sane are just the latest layers in a story that began years ago.



Asuka's emotional video was the final missing piece of the puzzle, a direct link from her past in Japan to her present in WWE. This is the result of a complicated friendship that has existed for over ten years. A match between Asuka and IYO SKY may be on the horizon, and if it happens, it will be one not to miss.