Kanako Urai, Japanese professional wrestler
Kanako Urai (浦井 佳奈子, Urai Kanako, born September 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she is a free agent performing under the ring name Asuka (アスカ, ).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 the WWE main roster in 2017. In 2018, she was the inaugural winner of the Women's Royal Rumble Match. She is also a former two-time Raw Women's Champion, SmackDown Women's Champion, two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (with Kairi Sane and Charlotte Flair; the first woman to win this title with two 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.
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.