Tony Khan Confirms Return Of Former AEW Champion For Owen Hart Foundation Tournament

Blockbuster qualifier match set for Friday's Rampage.

by Michael Hamflett
Yuka Sakazki Riho
AEW

Riho and Yuka Sakazaki will do battle in an Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament qualifier on this week's edition of Rampage.

The match was announced by Tony Khan on Twitter, marking the first meeting between the two since they battled in a three way dance that also featured Nyla Rose back at Fyter Fest 2019. Sakazaki hasn't wrestled at all for AEW since July 2021, when she worked three Dark: Elevation matches as well as a single Dynamite contest against Penelope Ford. Former Women's Champion Riho has been slightly more active for the group, but neither have been involved in any major angles or stories outside of the latter's three-match series with Dr Britt Baker DMD.

Khan's tweet generated some speculation that this might trigger more battles with some of the Joshi stars that had featured in AEW's women's division back in 2019. Plans to further the hybrid league were halted by the pandemic, but a return to normality hasn't seen women's wrestling benefit in any significant way.

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A match like this - particularly with these stakes attached - might aid a continued programme of slow growth.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett