Asuka (wrestler)
Kanako Urai (浦井 佳奈子, Urai Kanako, born September 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Asuka (アスカ or 明日華, /ˈɑːskə/), as a member of Damage CTRL. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with Kairi Sane in their second reign as a team and Asuka's record-setting fourth reign individually.
| Asuka | |
|---|---|
Asuka in 2012 | |
| Birth name | Kanako Urai |
| Born | September 26, 1981 Osaka, Japan |
| Alma mater | Osaka University of Arts Junior College |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Asuka Kana Kana-hime Princess Kana Ramen Woman Skull Reaper Kana Tomoe Gozen |
| Billed height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Billed weight | 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Billed from | Osaka, Japan |
| Trained by | Yuki Ishikawa (wrestler) |
| Debut | June 16, 2004 |
| Signature | |
Previously known as Kana (華名), she started her professional wrestling career in 2004 in the AtoZ promotion, where she remained until retiring in 2006. She returned to the ring in 2007, starting to work as a freelancer for promotions such as JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Wave, Reina Joshi Puroresu, Smash, and Wrestling New Classic. Her achievements include winning the JWP Openweight Championship, Smash Diva Championship, and Wave Tag Team Championship.
In 2015, Urai signed a developmental deal with WWE, making her the first Japanese female wrestler signed with the company in over 20 years. She won the NXT Women's Championship in 2016 (with her reign of 510 days being the longest in that title's history), and was moved to WWE's main roster in 2017. In 2018, she was the inaugural winner of the Women's Royal Rumble match. She is also a former one-time SmackDown Women's Champion, a record four-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (with Kairi Sane twice, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss; the only woman to win this title with three different partners), and the 2020 Women's Money in the Bank ladder match winner. Following her first Raw Women's Championship win, Asuka became the third Women's Triple Crown Champion and the second Women's Grand Slam Champion. She would go on to win the title for another two more times to become a three-time WWE Women's Champion. After her Elimination Chamber match win in 2023, she became the only woman in WWE to win the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber matches.
Urai has also worked as a freelance graphic designer and video game journalist and through her work with Microsoft she has been sponsored by the company, wearing an Xbox 360 logo on her gear. Since 2019, she has her own YouTube channel KanaChanTV focused on gaming and lifestyle content.