— According to a report by Fightful.com, the recent push being given to Asuka is mainly because of the large positive reaction she received on Smackdown before Survivor Series when Becky Lynch announced that Charlotte Flair would be taking her spot against Ronda Rousey.

— They add that when Becky went through the list of candidates and there was a lot of fan support behind Asuka, Vince McMahon was “caught off guard” by the fact that Charlotte didn’t get the biggest reaction out of all the women present. As a result, he saw an opportunity to capitalize on her popularity and incorporate Asuka into the TLC match.