Although she has never competed inside a ROH ring, Emi Sakura has more than earned her ROH Women’s World Title opportunity over a 27-year career filled with championship success. During the course of her career, Sakura has held 16 different championships on 32 occasions, while currently reigning as the DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling Women’s Champion in North Carolina, and as for Emi’s AEW career, since her debut at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, Sakura has competed in a total of 96 AEW matches while scoring 51 wins along the way. It’s a number that puts her in the top ten of all women in AEW history, but unfortunately for Emi, none of those 51 are against the reigning ROH Women’s World Champion Athena!
Point of fact, in their lone singles encounter on the 9/12/22 edition of DARK: ELEVATION, it was Athena who scored the victory over Emi, just as her trios team did on the 8/9/22 edition of DARK. In the case of both women though, it could be said that that was a long time ago, and both have evolved into something a little bit different than they were before.
Athena has transformed into one of the most ruthless, most aggressive competitors in either the Men’s or Women’s locker room in All Elite Wrestling, and that has parlayed into 15 consecutive victories in Ring of Honor competition, 5 successful title defenses, and turning away nine different women attempting to earn a title opportunity in Proving Ground matches. Factor in a wildly impressive AEW win streak, and Athena has won 27 straight singles matches dating back to October 11th of 2022, and she’s secured most of them with wanton disregard for the well-being of her opponent, above and beyond just what it takes to win that particular match, but she may have found a match for that in the Emi Sakura that’s risen to the surface since her January 27th RAMPAGE fight with Jamie Hayter.
That AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator bout brought out an aggressive, violent side of Emi Sakura that All Elite Wrestling had not experienced over the last several years. It was a mean streak, the kind that has helped Emi amass the championship history she’s built to date, and one that may prove absolutely necessary if she wants to become the 5th ROH Women’s World Champion, and move on to SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 this Friday night to defend said title! Just days ago, Emi made it clear on DARK: ELEVATION that she’s coming for Athena’s crown:
The one thing for certain about this collision is that both Emi Sakura and Athena are going to beat the tar out of one another as each tries to be the one heading to Los Angeles as ROH Women’s World Champion! Don’t miss out on what is going to be a truly hard-hitting affair!