The road to the crowning of Ring of Honor‘s first women’s champion, to hold the Women of Honor Championship, is underway, as qualifying matches have begun to name the sixteen women who will compete for the Women of Honor title. The official 16-women tournament kicks off on January 20, 2018 at the ROH Music City Excellence event in Nashville, Tennessee. It was also announced today that the entire tournament will air on ROH TV as well as Ring of Honor’s YouTube Channel.
#WOH News! The WOH Championship Tournament to crown the first ever Women Of Honor Champion will be aired on both #ROHTV & the @ringofhonor YouTube channel! pic.twitter.com/IrU77mlxcq
— women of honor (@Women_of_Honor) January 17, 2018
So far, thirteen women have officially been announced for the Women of Honor tournament, including four members from Japan’s Stardom promotion. There are still three spots expected to be announced in the coming week.
WOMEN OF HONOR CHAMPIONSHIP: The Announced Participants
'The Exotic Goddess' @MandyLeonxo to compete in the @Women_of_Honor Championship Tournament https://t.co/54s6oOxis5 pic.twitter.com/eWaSOCT8ZE
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 10, 2018
International star @MadisonRayne to compete in the @Women_of_Honor Championship Tournament! https://t.co/lCRgOhRvXx pic.twitter.com/pRvIGvxJt8
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 10, 2018
Does @TheBrandiRhodes have what it takes to outlast 15 top international stars and become the first Women of Honor Champion? If her heart is any indication, she's got a fighter's chance! https://t.co/YWQb4H7iuD pic.twitter.com/8SA4zxYUjX
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 12, 2018
With her confidence at an all-time high, @karenmeee thinks she has the tools to become the first-ever @Women_of_Honor Champion. https://t.co/Hxh4VMZeMv pic.twitter.com/ssznsZ3hVu
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 12, 2018
The Baddest Woman on the Planet @BonesawJessieB is set to compete in the @Women_of_Honor Championship Tournament! https://t.co/HF6ogCozIU pic.twitter.com/nTZcIae2VH
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 17, 2018
BREAKING NEWS! @wwr_stardom Stars… Mayu Iwatani, Hana Kimura, Kagetsu & HZK will be competing in the #WOH Championship Tournament To Crown The First EVER @Women_of_Honor Champion! #WOH #ROH #Stardom pic.twitter.com/d2YTEt53Lx
— women of honor (@Women_of_Honor) January 4, 2018
Also announced to be taking part were Women of Honor veterans Kelly Klein, Deonna Purrazzo, Jenny Rose and Sumie Sakai.
WOH Stars Competing In The #WOH Championship Tournament… @MadisonRayne @BonesawJessieB @TheBrandiRhodes @MandyLeonxo @JennyRose_JRo @DeonnaPurrazzo @SumieSakai @RealKellyKlein @MayuIwatani @doranyanpa @0929_HZK @hanadayo0903 @karenmeee! Who Will Be The Last 3 Competitors?! pic.twitter.com/i8TLH64H4X
— women of honor (@Women_of_Honor) January 16, 2018
Last week for Women of Honor Wednesday, Ring of Honor posted an amazing match-up between two of the tournament competitors, Deonna Purrazzo and Karen Q, in a No DQ match.
Women of Honor has been an active brand for Ring of Honor since it was relaunched in 2015, with weekly airings of WOH matches taped at ROH events. Up until the announcement that WOH would getting their own Championship, effectively giving Ring of Honor their first Women’s title in the company’s history, Ring of Honor had promoted the SHIMMER Champion on their events and broadcasts.
Sumie Sakai, at 46 the oldest competitor in the tournament, was part of the very first Women of Honor match back in 2002 against Simply Delicious. The former student of legendary Jaguar Yokota and Lioness Asuka also trained under Killer Kowalski in her early days in the US. She worked various other US indies, including EVOLVE, CHIKARA, CZW, WSU and Pro Wrestling Syndicate, before making her return to Ring of Honor in 2014.
