10 Huge AEW Full Gear Predictions You Need To Know

7. Riho Vs. Emi Sakura - AEW Women's Championship Match

Kenny Omega
Scott Lesh

The exchanges in Wednesday's tag team match were very promising.

Emi Sakura played the bully to great effect, employing the body language prowess of a true veteran to smash the language barrier: after ripping Riho's hair out and throwing her to the mat, she feigned a boo-boo face to draw heat. Sakura trained Riho, and they've shared the ring on countless occasions, which accounted for the slickness and inventiveness of the mat wrestling.

Riho is winning. That seem obvious.

But then, it seemed obvious that Nyla Rose was going over Riho for the Women's Championship, after her dominant performance in All Out's Casino Battle Royale, and AEW sprang the shock. Used sparingly, the shock works to excellent long-term effect. If it happened once...

Realistically, Sakura is in this match to put Riho over because she is best-equipped to put Riho over. She trained her, and their chemistry has been forged over the entire course of her career - literally, from day one.

It's a sensible match, a guaranteed very good match, and if it's a predictable match, the AEW crowd like Riho so much that they'll bite on every near-fall regardless.

PREDICTION: Riho

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!