There is growing speculation surrounding Asuka’s WWE future following her emotional loss to IYO SKY at Backlash, with new comments from Dave Meltzer suggesting the longtime star may be stepping away from wrestling in some form.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio after the premium live event, Meltzer revealed that he had been told Asuka is considered “semi-retired,” although he admitted the exact situation remains unclear at this stage.

“The story I heard is that she is semi-retired. I haven’t really gotten an exact meaning of what semi-retired means, but I guess people were wishing her goodbye and things like that backstage. So I don’t know if that means she’s going to Japan and still wrestle. I don’t know if that means she’s going to still do stuff here and there, but I was told semi-retired,” Meltzer explained.

Bryan Alvarez also reacted to the update during the discussion and admitted the idea of Asuka stepping away would be difficult to see.

“That sucks, I’m going to miss Asuka,” Alvarez stated.

The conversation later shifted toward WWE’s recent roster cuts, with both Meltzer and Alvarez wondering whether Asuka’s name could somehow be connected to those departures, though neither was able to confirm anything.

“I wonder if she was with other people that was cut. I mean, I don’t know,” Meltzer said.

“I can’t fathom that but I guess it’s possible. But I mean, Kairi was cut and she didn’t even get used to the end of this thing, so,” Alvarez replied.

Fans immediately began speculating after the closing moments of the Backlash match, where Asuka shared an emotional embrace with IYO SKY following their intense rivalry. The scene stood out as one of the most heartfelt moments of the night and only added to rumors that the match may have served as a farewell appearance of some kind.

The storyline between Asuka and IYO SKY had originally been expected to include Kairi Sane before her release from WWE altered the direction of the feud.

Since arriving in WWE in 2015, Asuka has built one of the most decorated careers in modern women’s wrestling history. Over the course of her eleven years with the company, she captured multiple championships across both NXT and the main roster, won the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble, and also claimed the 2020 Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase.

At 44 years old, Asuka remains one of the most respected and accomplished performers of her generation, making the latest reports surrounding her future a major talking point coming out of Backlash.