Why Kabuki Warriors Wont and is not Working

A couple of months back fans witnessed the WWE place, Paige back in a TV role and in the position of manager of a brand-new tag team within the women’s division. Pairing Asuka and former NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane the two have formed Kabuki Warriors, a tag that on paper has every bit of potential to be a dominant force amongst the division. What we have seen in recent weeks, however, is this team has almost completely forgotten about, the company have already made mistakes here within this alliance and today we are going to be exploring some of the reasons why there has been a slow start and more important why things may never quite workout here.

A Lack of Chemistry

What stands out the most here within this alliance is the lack of chemistry. Both Asuka and Sane stood as dominant champions over on the black and gold brand and their talent is undeniable however there is true lack of chemistry between the pair that’s easy to spot. Unlike Sane’s partnership with IO Shirai what we are seeing between Kairi and Asuka comes across rather forced and with the addition of Paige nothing quite makes sense. This was evidently a cheap way to have Sane work within another tag team alliance while also giving Asuka simply something to do. Paige’s involvement in this tag team doesn’t make much sense either and together we have something that on paper has plenty of potential but on screen, the lack of chemistry and sense it makes is very slim and obvious.

The Current State of the Division

For months now the WWE has been failing the women’s tag team division and its something fans have been discussing for a while now. Despite the names being there the company have made no effort to build teams up and add momentum, book their current champs strongly and present regular title defence matches. The current state of the women’s tag team division is of course seriously worrying with little signs of a turn around happening any time soon. If the WWE continues to fail the division then there are many talents sure to suffer but with things, the way they are right now it means Kabuki Warriors have struggled to make an impact and become a legitimate tag team fans have an interest in. There are simply already teams with so much momentum and fan support that audiences are pulling for and the current state of the division has meant it's been difficult for Sane and Asuka.

 

Becoming Forgettable

Tying in with my previous point what has also become clear is just how forgettable the Kabuki Warriors have become. Despite the recent announcement that Sane and Asuka will challenge for the women’s tag team titles, there has been a lack of build when it comes to their alliance and their momentum. We have barely seen them on WWE TV, the pair have not been involved in a single storyline and the interest is very small! The lack of exposer has resulted in the team almost becoming forgettable despite the potential they possess. The lack of focus here has been majorly problematic in driving this tag team forward and we have reached a stage already where the WWE will have a lot of work to do in order to put this team over and have fans interested as much they are interested in other teams within the division.

WWE’s History with Asuka

Teaming Asuka up with former NXT Women’s champion in her own right, Kairi Sane means that there are multiple potential angles and matches we could see in the future including Asuka turning on Sane and setting up a rivalry between the two later down the line. However, one of the reasons I have personally had concerns about the alliance between these two stars is the WWE’s history when it comes to Asuka. Arriving on the main roster as the dominant Empress of tomorrow the company were able to destroy her momentum and reputation within a year of her being on the main roster. They wasted her Smackdown LIVE women’s championship reign and the company have failed to involve her in a story storyline that matches what we saw from her during her time on NXT. With mistakes already made here within this tag team alliance, fans are not very optimistic about the future of Kabuki Warriors. The WWE has a terrible history with booking Asuka and using her in the right way and this may just be yet another mistake added to the list and more weak booking that effects not only Asuka this time around but Sane also.

Early Mistakes

While Sane and Asuka have only been working together as a tag team for a couple of months the WWE has already made obvious mistakes that have negatively affected this tag team. We saw Kabuki Warriors kick start on a high note with plenty of momentum and potential on their side. They very quickly set their sights on the tag team titles and it appeared as though a title bout was on the cards for the Money in the Bank PPV. However, not only did that match not, in fact, go ahead and has been booked for an up and coming event instead but the WWE has missed out on so many excellent opportunities to push not only this tag team but the entire division. What the company should have done was had Sane and Asuka working a storyline early that makes sense and allows the team and the alliance with Paige to appear stronger and more rounded. 

A rivalry with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville would have made all the sense in the world considering Paige’s history with the two stars and the heated angle would have benefited the women’s tag team division as a whole as well, as give Kabuki Warriors the momentum and bragging rights they needed. We would have seen a stronger relationship with Paige and her new team established and this could have led to a title match much sooner. Talking of title bouts, waiting this long for Asuka and Kairi to get a shot at gold has affected their momentum and power massively and holding this bout back was yet another clear mistake.

Now, I do believe that there are many good things that can come from the alliance between Kairi Sane and Asuka and I will be looking at that in a future blog post, however, there have been signs already that things may not quite work out and there are sure reasons to worry here.