Asuka may be preparing to take time away from WWE programming, but a new report suggests the company still has immediate plans for her following the emotional scene at WWE Backlash.

According to Fightful Select, Asuka is currently expected to appear on tonight’s episode of WWE RAW despite widespread speculation surrounding her future after Backlash.

The report noted that Asuka’s upcoming absence has reportedly been planned internally for quite some time and is not connected to WWE’s recent wave of roster cuts following WrestleMania season.

“Asuka will be taking some time off, but is planned for tonight’s WWE Raw,” Fightful reported.

The outlet also directly addressed rumors linking her situation to the recent releases.

“Fightful Select is told that this has been planned for a while and is not related to the recent cuts.”

Asuka WWE Status Continues To Spark Questions

Speculation surrounding Asuka intensified after her emotional post-match moment with IYO SKY at Backlash. Following their student-versus-teacher match, the two shared a heartfelt embrace that many fans interpreted as a possible retirement farewell.

Reports later indicated that even some people backstage within WWE were unsure whether the scene was intended to represent a goodbye or simply the end of a chapter in her current storyline.

Further confusion emerged after Dave Meltzer reportedly referred to Asuka as “semi-retired” while also admitting uncertainty regarding exactly what that meant in her specific situation.

Meanwhile, PWInsider previously reported that Asuka remained aligned with WWE and had been physically present in Knoxville, Tennessee ahead of RAW.

Fightful’s latest update appears to support earlier reports suggesting that WWE views the situation as a temporary break rather than a full retirement from wrestling.

That outlook would also align with previous reports stating that Asuka signed a long-term WWE contract during the summer of 2024.

For now, WWE has not officially clarified the timeline for Asuka’s expected absence, but with her reportedly still scheduled for RAW, fans could receive additional answers very soon regarding what comes next for one of WWE’s most accomplished stars.

Asuka Expected For Tonight’s WWE RAW

AdvertisementAdvertisement

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling saw a decline in television viewership for the May 7 episode of TNA iMPACT! on AMC.

According to Wrestlenomics, Thursday night’s broadcast averaged 164,000 viewers, marking a noticeable decrease from the 209,000 viewers the show recorded the previous week on April 30.

The key demographic rating also declined week-to-week. The May 7 episode posted a 0.02 rating in the 18-49 demographic after scoring a 0.03 rating the week before.

The latest numbers continue a fluctuating trend for TNA iMPACT! as the company works to build momentum through its weekly television product and digital content strategy.

Top TNA iMPACT! YouTube Videos For The Week

While television viewership dipped, several clips from the episode generated solid traffic on TNA’s YouTube channel, particularly content involving the Knockouts division and storyline teases connected to returning stars.

The most-watched video from the week featured Léi Yǐng Lee bringing the Knockouts World Championship back to TNA, drawing approximately 188,000 views.

Another heavily viewed segment teased the arrival of Brother Nero, which generated around 85,000 views.

Additional videos that ranked among the most-watched clips included:

• EC3 vs. Eric Young in a No Disqualification Match – 41,000 views
• Moose and Leon Slater vs. Eddie Edwards and Cedric Alexander – 28,000 views
• Elayna Black, Indi Hartwell, and Ash By Elegance targeting Knockouts gold – 25,000 views

The viewership drop comes during a competitive week for wrestling programming across television and streaming platforms, though TNA continues pushing major storylines involving both established names and newer talent.

AdvertisementAdvertisement

All Elite Wrestling has filed a lawsuit against TrillerTV and parent company Triller Group Inc., alleging the streaming service failed to pay nearly $5 million owed from pay-per-view sales and AEW Plus subscription revenue.

The lawsuit was filed on April 29 in Duval County Court in Florida and centers around allegations that Triller Group diverted money generated from AEW programming toward unrelated business operations instead of honoring contractual payment obligations.

According to the complaint, AEW claims revenue connected to TrillerTV’s distribution of AEW events and subscriptions was used to support other ventures, including an unsuccessful social media platform project.

AEW’s attorneys stated in the filing:

“Triller Group Inc.’s strategy of robbing revenues generated by TrillerTV’s distribution of AEW content to cover other of Defendants’ operating expenses, much of which was spent on the social media platform endeavor, negatively impacted its relationship with and payments owed to AEW.”

AEW Claims TrillerTV Owes Nearly $5 Million

The legal filing also outlined the financial structure of the partnership between AEW and TrillerTV dating back to 2019.

Under the agreement reached in mid-2019, AEW reportedly received 75 percent of net domestic pay-per-view revenue and 65 percent of international pay-per-view revenue. Earlier AEW pay-per-views had reportedly operated under a 50-50 split arrangement.

For the AEW Plus subscription service, AEW allegedly received 60 percent of net revenue while TrillerTV retained the remaining 40 percent.

The lawsuit noted that AEW programming represented approximately 24 percent of Triller Group’s overall revenue during 2024 according to SEC filings.

An April 2026 legal demand letter from AEW’s outside counsel reportedly stated that Triller owed $4,988,989.13, with the contract allegedly including interest charges of two percent per month on unpaid balances.

AEW also claims the company sent written payment demands in January and March 2025 before escalating the matter to court.

TrillerTV Financial Issues Continue To Grow

The situation became even more complicated after a separate lawsuit filed by TrillerTV against its own parent company surfaced weeks before AEW’s filing.

According to that case, Flipps Media Inc., the corporate entity behind TrillerTV, reportedly informed Delaware Chancery Court that it is insolvent and unable to pay its debts. The filing also claimed the company currently lacks a functioning board of directors, preventing it from formally filing for bankruptcy protection.

A Delaware Vice Chancellor reportedly approved an expedited proceeding request due to the seriousness of the financial situation.

TrillerTV originally launched as FITE during the 2010s before being acquired by Triller in 2021. The company later merged with publicly traded financial services company AGBA in October 2024, creating Triller Group Inc.

The company’s financial issues reportedly worsened after it was delisted from the Nasdaq exchange last December for failing to submit financial reports on time. Although trading was briefly restored on April 15, another delisting notice reportedly followed just two days later after the company’s stock price fell below Nasdaq’s minimum requirements.

As of Monday, Triller Group stock was reportedly trading at approximately 25 cents per share.

Meanwhile, AEW has already moved forward with a new streaming strategy. In March 2026, the promotion launched the MyAEW platform in partnership with Kiswe, replacing much of the international content previously available through AEW Plus before the service was officially discontinued last month.

AdvertisementAdvertisement

The Young Bucks have revealed that they once held direct talks with Triple H regarding a potential crossover match involving The New Day and Kenny Omega.

During the latest episode of their Being The Elite vlog, Matt Jackson discussed the behind-the-scenes conversations that took place several years ago while reviewing old footage alongside Omega and members of The New Day.

According to Matt Jackson, the idea of an Elite vs. New Day match was something both sides genuinely tried to make happen.

“We truly were trying to get a New Day, Young Bucks, Kenny match to happen. An Elite vs. New Day match actively,” Matt Jackson said.

He explained that discussions took place internally on both sides, with AEW talent speaking to their own management while WWE talent reportedly pushed for the match from within WWE.

“They (WWE) said they were trying on their side. We were definitely talking to our bosses,” Jackson stated.

Young Bucks Spoke Directly With Triple H In 2018

Matt Jackson went on to reveal that discussions progressed to the point where The Young Bucks personally spoke with Triple H in 2018 about the possibility of making the crossover bout happen.

“Even to the point in 2018 when we got on the phone with Triple H and we talked to him and said, ‘Hey, we would really like to do this match,’” Jackson revealed.

However, Jackson admitted he was never fully convinced Triple H was focused solely on organizing the match itself.

“I don’t know if he was necessarily interested in just doing that match,” Jackson said. “I think he was more interested in pursuing us to work for him.”

Despite that, Jackson insisted the group seriously believed the crossover could eventually happen.

“We talked to him about it. We were serious about doing the match and we thought we’d probably be able to do it, and unfortunately we never did.”

The relationship between The Elite and The New Day extended beyond wrestling. Over the years, both groups frequently interacted through gaming competitions, online tournaments, and social media content. Their shared interest in video games became a recurring part of Being The Elite episodes and online content, helping fuel fan interest in a potential in-ring showdown.

At the time, the idea of WWE talent facing major non-WWE stars in a crossover match was considered highly unlikely, making the newly revealed discussions particularly notable.

The comments also come shortly after reports surfaced claiming Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods exited WWE earlier this month after reportedly being asked to take pay cuts.

Young Bucks Reveal Talks With Triple H About WWE Crossover Match

AdvertisementAdvertisement

Royce Keys has made it clear that he has major ambitions in WWE, revealing that his top goal before the end of 2026 is to capture championship gold.

Keys has continued building momentum on WWE SmackDown in recent months, becoming a regular presence on the blue brand while picking up several notable victories along the way. One of the biggest moments of his rise came when he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, further positioning himself as one of WWE’s emerging stars.

During a recent interview with SportsBoom, Keys was asked about the main objective he wants to accomplish before the end of next year. His answer was direct and confident.

“Have a championship belt around my waist,” Keys said. “It’s gonna happen.”

Royce Keys Talks Improving Promos And WWE Dream Matches

Beyond his in-ring goals, Keys also discussed one area of his game he continues trying to improve — connecting with the audience through promos.

According to Keys, learning how to communicate more effectively with fans remains one of the biggest parts of professional wrestling, and he pointed to Jake Roberts as one of his biggest inspirations when it comes to promo delivery.

“Talking to the audience, you can always get better at promos,” Keys explained. “You can always figure out a different way or how to get better connecting with the audience.”

He added that Roberts’ calm but intense speaking style reminded him of his grandfather.

“One person that comes to mind is Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. He reminds me of my grandfather, because my grandfather was stern and he knew he was serious, and he didn’t have to yell,” Keys stated. “You look back at old Jake Roberts’ promos, he never yelled. But you knew he was serious.”

Keys also made it clear that he is willing to face anyone in WWE and specifically named several stars he would like to step into the ring against.

“Anybody and everybody, anybody that gets in the ring can get it,” Keys said before listing names such as Gunther, Trick Williams, Jacob Fatu, and Oba Femi.

“I take what I want, and that’s something I lived by my whole life,” he continued. “I would love to get in the ring with Gunther, Trick Williams, Jacob Fatu, Oba Femi. Anybody, man, I’m down. I don’t run from anybody. It can be anybody.”

When specifically discussing a possible match with Jacob Fatu, Keys predicted an intense and physical encounter.

“Nobody gonna get in between us,” Keys said. “If you’re in a bar and you see two big dudes go at it, what are you going to do? Hard hitting, going at it. Nonstop action. Two dudes that refuse to lay down for anybody. Somebody’s not going to get up.”

With his confidence continuing to grow and his profile steadily increasing on SmackDown, Keys appears determined to position himself as a future championship contender in WWE.

AdvertisementAdvertisement