10 Most Underrated Wrestlers Of 2023
7. Emi Sakura
One of many women in All Elite Wrestling who don't get anywhere near the time or creative attention they need and deserve, Emi Sakura has done well just to not get completely lost in the shuffle in 2023. Sailing over that low bar though, Sakura has maximised her AEW minutes and made herself unforgettable even with unflattering booking.
In this calendar year alone, she's lost big matches to Jaime Hayter, Riho, Athena, Taya Valkyrie, Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida, but they've all individually ruled to such an extent that after one loss she's never not been considered credible enough to line up for the next one.
Age is nothing but a number, but time is unfairly crueller on females in wrestling. Not for Sakura - at 47 she works like she's discovering new primes, and has become something of a cult favourite on social media since gaining extra television exposure in North America over the last few years. For all of AEW's faults when it comes to booking women, it's not shied away from sentiment here and there. To that end, she's as close to the title as she ever was, and expected at least one more challenge when a new Champion needs somebody credible in opposition.