Emi Sakura is the Unsung Hero of the AEW Women’s Division

When you think of the AEW women’s division, Hikaru Shida, Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, or Dr. Britt Baker, DMD probably comes to mind. That’s for good reason as they have all been AEW Women’s Champions and have helped developed the women’s division in its first four years.

There is one woman that is the unsung hero of the women’s division, and that is Emi Sakura. I frequently refer to her as “The Queen of Dark” as she was mostly relegated to both Dark and Elevation. She was on nearly every episode, bringing her skill and sass in equal parts.

In fact, Sakura wrestled on the YouTube shows ninety times. The woman with the next most matches on those shows is former AEW Women’s Champion, Nyla Rose. Rose frequently teamed with Sakura. They were also in Trios matches with Marina Shafir on their side.

Who is Emi Sakura?

She is a 27 year veteran that has held numerous titles and is currently holding both the Deadlock Pro Wrestling Women’s Championship and Super Asia Championship. Using her vast experience and knowledge, she has trained dozens of wrestlers including RIHO, Shida, and Mei Suruga. In 2012, Sakura started Bangkok Girls Pro Wrestling, which was later renamed Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling.

During the pandemic, she started ChocoPro and their shows aired on YouTube and on demand. Minoru Suzuki, Kenny Omega, and Chris Brookes have all wrestled for the promotion. Sakura splits her time between America and Japan and is active in the Japanese wrestling scene.

“The Dictator” debuted on AEW Dynamite when she teamed up with Bea Priestley to defeat Shida and Kris Statlander on November 27, 2019.

According to Cagematch, Sakura holds six matches in AEW’s Top 10 women’s matches of 2023 (as of 7/20/23). Four of those matches were actually on TV and they all took place on Rampage. She faced Taya Valkyrie on April 12 and that match is ranked number 9. Her match with RIHO is ranked number 4 and took place on March 3. She got a shot at the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship against Willow Nightingale on May 31. The number 1 ranked women’s match is Sakura versus Jamie Hayer in an AEW Women’s World Champion Eliminator Match from January 25.

While it isn’t included in the top 10 matches, Sakura also had a banger with Athena on episode 5 of ROH.

 

After the match with Hayter, many fans finally saw what I had been seeing for months and asked the same question I had: why hasn’t Emi Sakura been on TV this whole time? Sakura is someone who could easily be both the TBS and Women’s Champion. She is incredibly talented, has a great on-screen presence, and good character work.

Sure, some would make a fuss about her English. But she’s posted a video series on Twitter of wrestlers teaching her American phrases. They could pair her with Rose and let Rose do all the talking because she’s excellent at it. Her promo skills are not enough to keep her off TV, especially when you consider some of the promo skills of some native English speakers.

Since AEW announced ALL IN at Wembley Stadium, Sakura has been tweeting how badly she wants to wrestle in the same stadium that her beloved Queen performed at. Fans may remember that when Sakura started wrestling in AEW, she wore Freddie Mercury inspired gear. She would don a yellow jacket, an all white outfit, and a fake mustache.

When her former student, Shida regained the Women’s Championship, Sakura took to Twitter to say she wanted to face her at Wembley. Teacher vs. Student II would have been a great match for Wembley. The champion will now put her title on the line against three other women based on a tournament leading up to the big show. Unfortunately, Sakura is not in the tournament. But that hasn’t stopped Sakura from her mission. A fan started using the hashtag #EmiForWembley and is encouraging others to use it.

If ALL IN is truly about giving the UK fans a taste of what AEW is like live and focusing on many of the originals, then Sakura should be on the card. She has been a cornerstone of the division, regardless of her lack of television time over the last couple of years. Sakura has faced many of the top talent in the division, including both current champions.

Perhaps, Sakura could challenge Statlander for the TBS Championship. While they’ve only had one singles match, they have faced each other eight times in both tag and trios matches. It’s unclear if the TBS Championship will be defended at ALL IN.

There is also the possibility of Sakura having a match on Zero Hour. It’s low stakes and provides a way for Sakura to live out her dream match. It could be a tag or trios match. Literally only one person can fulfill her dream and that’s Tony Khan. He has the power to make it happen whether it’s on the pre-show or the main card.

Sakura has proven herself time and time again in AEW and outside of it. She was tasked with wrestling on shows without the many viewers that watch the shows on television. She has wrestled rookies, up-and-coming talents, and champions. Sakura has had incredible title matches. She has sipped imaginary tea whilst sitting on the knee of a referee. Emi Sakura has earned a spot on the ALL IN card and rock the crowd at Wembley just like Freddie Mercury.