Tag: yuka sakazaki

Yuka Sakazaki returning to AEW

Posted on by Josh Nason

Japanese women’s wrestler Yuka Sakazaki is returning to AEW, presumably as early as May.

While the promotion hasn’t formally announced her return, Tokyo Joshi Pro released a statement via DDT Pro Saturday saying Sakazaki would miss both a May 3rd meet and greet and their May 5th event in Osaka, Japan.

In the statement seen below, Tokyo Joshi Pro said AEW requested her to return earlier this week and that Sakazaki wanted to return to the US and “join AEW in a hurry.”

When she does return, Sakazaki will carry a four-match winning streak with her — all accomplished during her July 2021 run when she was last in the company. In that streak, she defeated KiLynn King, Penelope Ford, Amber Nova and Dani Jordyn.

Sakazaki made her AEW debut in a trios match at May 2019’s Double or Nothing and has wrestled a dozen matches for the company since then.

Via Google Translate:

“Yuka Sakazaki will miss the merchandise sales event held at Ryogoku KFC Hall on May 3 and Edion Arena Osaka 2nd Stadium on May 5.

Earlier this week, AEW requested Sakazaki to participate in the match next week. She communicated her domestic schedule and discussed when she would travel to the United States, but this time she decided to join AEW in a hurry.

She deeply apologizes for the inconvenience caused to all the fans who were looking forward to her merchandise event in Sakazaki and her match in Osaka. I am sorry.

Fans who pre-purchased portraits and check tickets on May 3rd and 5th will be refunded in cash on the day of the event.

Regarding the match card of the Osaka tournament, if Sakazaki succeeded in defending the Princess Tag Team Championship at the Korakuen Hall tournament on May 3, another player will be a substitute for the announced 8-player tag match, and after the Korakuen Hall tournament is over. It will be officially announced.

We sincerely apologize for Sakazaki’s sudden absence and thank you for your understanding.”

Yuka Sakazaki to make AEW excursion in July

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling announced that Yuka Sakazaki will be returning to AEW in July.

On their Twitter, TJPW wrote: “Yuka Sakazaki will be on US excursion! She will be in the US from July to appear in #AEW.”

Sakazaki has made appearances for AEW dating back to Double or Nothing 2019, when she, Emi Sakura, and Aja Kong lost to Hikaru Shida, Riho, and Ryo Mizunami. She also made appearances in February of 2020 prior to the pandemic and competed in the AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament, where she made it to the finals before losing to Mizunami.

Another TJPW wrestler, Maki Itoh, made appearances for AEW back in March. She appeared on the AEW Revolution pre-show and later wrestled on the first episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, losing to Riho.

AEW will be returning to the road starting in July. Their first show will be Road Rager on July 7, which takes place in Miami. They will also be running shows in Texas and North Carolina throughout the month of July.

AEW Dark results: Riho & Sakazaki vs. Baker & Ford

Posted on by Arya Witner

Video —

Report —

The Big News: Britt Baker finally defeated Riho, but it was in tag team action with loads of interference by Kip Sabian.

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This was a special pre-AEW Revolution episode of Dark. If you recall there was one unseen dark match on the night of the pay-per-view. Tonight we will get that and a whole bunch of exclusive interviews in a special condensed 20-minute episode.

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We started the show with a recap of Colt Cabana debuting during The Buy In and helping SCU run off The Dark Order.

We then went backstage with an interview with Cabana. He said he always brings his gear and was lucky to do it on Saturday. He mentioned wrestling with Matt & Nick Jackson, Cody, and Kenny Omega for decades and was happy to jump in.

Cabana said he’s at his peak and is wrestling in Japan, Australia, and now on TNT. He said the revolution has begun and challenged the Dark Order, saying he has SCU’s back.

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Christopher Daniels was talking to Lexi Nair elsewhere. He realized all the lies and half truths the Dark Order has been offering and the biggest lie is The Exalted One. The Exalted One is a lie and there is no one behind Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. SCU and Cabana will do everything they can to cut the cancer of The Dark Order out of AEW.

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Up next we checked in with Kris Statlander, who was disappointed about losing to Nyla Rose. Maybe today wasn’t the day the Galaxy’s Greatest took the belt, but maybe next time she’d be more down to earth.

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PAC was up next and told Lexi it was none of her business why The Lucha Brothers were out there. PAC said AEW matchmakers should be ashamed because the condition that Orange Cassidy is in is on their hands.

Jon Moxley vs. PAC next, amIrite?

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Dr. Britt Baker, DMD & Penelope Ford (w/ Kip Sabian) defeated Riho & Yuka Sakazaki

Sabian made Justin Roberts hold the ring ropes open for him and then just leaped over the top anyway.

Sakazaki attacked Baker at the bell, still angry about Baker forcibly removing one of her teeth last month. Sabian tried to get involved on the other side of the ring, but Riho took care of him. Riho and Sakazaki worked pretty well together and I’d love to see them wrestle as a team on Dynamite sometime.

Sakazaki was steamrolling Ford when Sabian tripped her from outside the ring. While the referee told him off, Baker ran in and did a curb stomp to Sakazaki before legally tagging in.

Baker and Ford worked over the jaw of Sakazaki, showing great psychology and playing off the prior match. Sabian distracted the referee again, allowing the heels to double team. The fans were not pleased and told Sabian that he sucked.

Riho finally made the hot tag and used one of the fastest crucifixes you’ll ever see. Sabian prevented Riho from diving, so Sakazaki dove over the top rope onto both Baker and Ford. Riho then dove onto Sabian on the outside. Inside the ring, Riho almost got the pin over The Doctor with a double foot stomp.

Eventually, however, Baker slapped on the Lockjaw on Riho for the submission. Riho was fighting it off, but Sabian ran in one last time and stopped Riho’s momentum, which allowed Baker to sink her move in deeper.

The show ended with the triumphant heel triumvirate standing tall.

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Final Thoughts: This very much had the feeling of the old post-TakeOver episodes of NXT. If you saw it, it was nothing special. If you missed it, you literally missed nothing.

Three matches announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Three matches have been set for next week’s edition of Dynamite in Hunstville, Alabama.

Jon Moxley will take on Ortiz in a singles match. Moxley had laid out Ortiz with the paradigm shift DDT to open tonight’s show, which ended in a brawl between Moxley and members of the Inner Circle. 

An eight man tag match has also been signed. The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page will team to face The Butcher, The Blade and The Lucha Bros. The Bucks defeated Butcher and Blade on tonight’s show, but Butcher and Blade attacked them after the match. Page and Omega came out for the save.

Britt Baker will also be in action, facing Yuka Sakazaki, who is making her Dynamite debut. Sakazaki previously participated in a six woman tag team match at Double or Nothing and faced Riho and Nyla Rose in a triple threat match at Fyter Fest last year.

Cody will also receive his ten lashes at the hands of MJF. He had agreed to the stipulation several weeks ago in order to get a match against MJF at Revolution.

Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki added to AEW Fyter Fest

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A triple threat match has been added to the card for Fyter Fest.

Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki was announced for the show on this week’s episode of AEW’s Road to Fyter Fest series. Fyter Fest is taking place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday, June 29 and will air for free on Bleacher Report Live.

Rose, Riho, and Sakazaki all wrestled at Double or Nothing last month. Rose took on Britt Baker, Kylie Rae, and Awesome Kong in a four-way match, with Baker getting the win by pinning Rae. Riho, Hikaru Shida & Ryo Mizunami defeated Sakazaki, Aja Kong & Emi Sakura in a six-woman tag match.

Fyter Fest is in partnership with CEO Fighting Game Championships. Here’s the updated card for the show:

  • Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr., Fenix, and a partner
  • Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin
  • Hangman Page vs. MJF vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy
  • Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki
  • Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA
  • CEO organizer Alex Jebailey vs. AEW’s Michael Nakazawa in a hardcore match (pre-show)

Two tag matches added to AEW Double or Nothing

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With the show now under two weeks away, AEW has added a couple of matches to the card for Double or Nothing.

During this week’s episode of Being the Elite, two tag matches were announced for Double or Nothing. Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) will face Angelico & Jack Evans, while Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura will team against Hikaru Shida, Riho & Ryo Mizunami in a six-woman tag match.

Angelico & Evans joining AEW was revealed last week. Best Friends had been involved in a storyline where they were refusing to be in the battle royal at Double or Nothing and demanding to be in a different match.

Dave Meltzer reported in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Riho has signed a five-show deal with AEW and wants to see how she likes working in the United States before she commits to a longer deal. Aja Kong and Sakazaki were announced for Double or Nothing at February’s ticket announcement party, while Shida signing with AEW was confirmed in April.

Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25. Here’s the updated card:

  • Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
  • AAA Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks defending against The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
  • Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes
  • Hangman Page vs. PAC
  • Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
  • SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Strong Hearts (CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman)
  • Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho & Ryo Mizunami
  • Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) vs. Angelico & Jack Evans
  • Casino Battle Royale (pre-show, winner gets a title shot against the AEW World Champion)
  • Sammy Guevara vs. Kip Sabian (pre-show)

AEW announces new talent for Double or Nothing

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A number of new talent were introduced tonight at AEW’s Double or Nothing ticket party press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sonny Kiss started the night by coming out and announcing that he would be part of Double or Nothing. He has previously wrestled for Lucha Underground under the name XO Lishus and has wrestled in the past for Warriors of Wrestling and Tier 1 Wrestling. Sammy Guevara later arrived, billed as the AAA Cruiserweight champion saying he was a part of the AEW roster as well.

Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta, also made an appearance and announced that they would be joining the promotion after being introduced by the Young Bucks. The two had just finished their last commitments to New Japan Pro Wrestling over the weekend.

Brandi Rhodes followed and announced that Aja Kong and Yuka Sakazaki both would be appearing at Double or Nothing. Sakazaki is a regular for Tokyo Joshi Pro, which is under the DDT umbrella. Kylie Rae followed those announcements, with Brandi Rhodes noting she was no longer a free agent. Nyla Rose soon followed and the two had a staredown which eventually led to a seperation.  Rae was trained by ACH and has wrestled for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling promotion, as well as competing for RISE and SHIMMER in the past.

Nyla Rose has wrestled for Warriors of Wrestling, and has worked for a number of promotions in Japan including Sendai Girls, Marvelous and Zero One.

Double or Nothing will take place on May 25th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.