AEW Full Gear: 10 Things That Must Happen

7. Riho Just Retains

AEW Full Gear
AEW

Speaking of underdogs, there are few more heartening examples of a sympathetic babyface than Riho.

The current AEW Women's Champ has charmed the promotion's fanbase with her smile, then blown everyone's socks off with some of her matches on TV. They're arguably a little too long-winded at times (steady, "arguably"), but she hasn't exactly been outstaying any live crowd's welcome on Dynamite either.

AEW's dedication to showcasing joshi will ride again at Full Gear when Japanese legend Emi Sakura wrestles for the gold. This is a real coming-of-age moment for Riho's reign as champion, and it should set the tone for what fans can expect from her title defenses going forward. Basically, she has to scrape through.

Riho isn't the type who'd suit strong, dominating wins. Fans have to believe she could lose the title, and that'll only happen if Sakura controls 85% of the match. The champ has great facial expressions in her arsenal to sell the danger before she picks up a crowd-pleasing win.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.