Riho's AEW Return Confirmed, Faces Serena Deeb In Eliminator Tournament

Former AEW Women's Champion Riho faces Serena Deeb in long-awaited comeback match.

by Andy H Murray
Serena Deeb Riho
AEW

The first ever All Elite Wrestling Women's Champion is on her way back to the promotion.

AEW confirmed during last night's broadcast that Riho will face reigning NWA Women's World Champion Serena Deeb in the first round of the Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament. There's no word on an exact date for the bout, though "coming soon" was plastered across the match banner.

The tournament's original advertising featured a United States flag on one side and a Japanese on the other, birthing talk of individual brackets for both countries. The Deeb vs. Riho pairing suggests it'll be mixed instead.

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Riho's announcement comeback follows a report in last week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating that AEW was working on bringing her back. February was mentioned as a potential comeback month, which looks increasingly likely after last night's Dynamite.

Riho hasn't wrestled for AEW since March 2020. Unable to travel from her native Japan as a result of the ongoing global health crisis, she was recently targetted by Stardom, where she had been freelancing, but finished up in December and may now be on her back to the US on something closer to a permanent basis, given the country's new restrictions.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.