10 Women AEW Need To Sign

9. Sumie Sakai

Emma Aew
ROH

Sumie Sakai has been performing since 1997, but she is living proof that age is but a number when it comes to pro wrestling.

Sakai trained to wrestle in her native Japan, but made a big splash in the US in the early 2000s. Since then she has appeared for such promotions as Women's Extreme Wrestling, Chikara and Ring of Honor.

The final of those promotions is where fans may know her best from. She initially worked for ROH between 2002 and 2005, but returned to the company in 2015. Since 2018, Sakai performed as part of ROH's Women of Honor division and was part of a tournament to crown the first ever WOH Champion.

Sakai not only entered this tournament, but won it. She captured the WOH title at ROH's 16th Anniversary Show and held it for 251 days, the longest reign in the title's history.

Sakai would be a great veteran figure in AEW with enough knowledge and credentials to help break in younger talent, as well as put on entertaining matches in her own right.

An established name like Sakai would go a long way in securing interest in AEW's women's division, as well as possibly opening doors to the coveted Japanese wrestling market.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.