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IYO SKY Pens An Emotional Message To Asuka After WWE Backlash

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published May 10, 2026 11:11 EDT
iyo sky asuka wwe
Iyo Sky celebrates after defeating Asuka at Backlash - Source: WWE.com

IYO SKY and Asuka left everything inside the squared circle at Backlash on Saturday.

Their bout stemmed from a long-standing feud since around October last year, when SKY decided to pair up with Rhea Ripley, leaving Asuka and Kairi Sane in a lurch.

This led to a brief feud among the four women, culminating in a tag team match at Crown Jewel, where Ripley and SKY defeated The Kabuki Warriors. A post-match attack by Asuka and Sane on the babyfaces ensured the continuance of their rivalry.

Meanwhile, Asuka and Sane defeated Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions in November 2025.

With SKY and Ripley back on the road after recovering, a tag team match for the titles was set between them in the January 5, 2026, taping of Monday Night Raw.

The Kabuki Warriors suffered a loss, crowning SKY and Ripley as the tag champions together for the first time.

After Ripley won the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42, she was moved to SmackDown, and IYO SKY re-entered the singles division, kick-starting another feud with Asuka.

IYO SKY Beats Asuka At WWE Backlash

Post-Rhea Ripley’s move to the blue brand, IYO SKY briefly suffered from misdirection, but WWE renewed her rivalry with Asuka and Kairi Sane.

Unfortunately, Sane was released from her contract on April 24, along with several other wrestlers as part of the post-WrestleMania roster shakedown.

Asuka and SKY’s rivalry centered on their past tensions, with The Empress of Tomorrow accusing the Genius of the Sky of abandoning her in favor of Ripley.

Asuka called SKY’s decision to align with the Australian wrestler ‘disrespectful’ while SKY tried defending her decision.

A match between them was finalized between them for Backlash. As expected, both women put on one of the best performances of the evening, where only one bout featuring female wrestlers was on the card.

In the closing minutes, Asuka brought forth her years of experience, applying her Asuka Lock submission that almost caused IYO SKY to pass out.

However, the 36-year-old refused to quit and emerged victorious after hitting her ‘Over the Moonsault’ finisher on her mentor.

IYO SKY Pays Tribute To Asuka After Backlash

After their match, neither woman immediately left the ring. SKY, in fact, acknowledged Asuka as her senpai with a bow. Both women then hugged each other and raised each other’s arms as the Tampa audience cheered for them.

Since their post-match interaction, conflicting reports have emerged about Asuka’s WWE status, with some claiming that she may have wrestled her final match, whereas others state that she might be semi-retired.

Elsewhere, Sky, too, posted a tribute to her mentor on Twitter, where she confirmed the conclusion of their final chapter.

Bayley, who worked alongside both Asuka and SKY during their time together in the Damage CTRL faction, too, reacted to their match on X, claiming that they were two of the rarest wrestlers in the world.