There is no justification whatsoever for a man who hits a woman deliberately no matter the provocation especially when she is your wife that act is tagged as gender violence or abuse.
Women most times can be extremely provocative because of the way they are created, they are often time short tempered, jealous and what have you but men have been created to be calm and gentle and absorb whatever shades a woman is throwing at him.
The nature of women does not give any man the right to lay his hands on a women not hit any woman moreso his wife.
women are meant to be loved despite their shortcomings, pampered like babies because they are fragile and tolerated because they can be troublesome most time.