Most known for her performances in All Elite Wrestling, Riho has been tied to Emi Sakura and Gatoh Move for the last part of her career. In early July, Riho said goodbye to Gatoh Move with the intention to wrestle for AEW and do some freelance work in Japan.
During Stardom’s Big Summer In Tokyo show, Riho came out following a match between STARS and Tokyo Cyber Squad to announce she would be making her debut for Stardom at August’s Korakuen Hall show.
Riho announced she will be wrestling in Stardom beginning with the August Korakuen Hall show.
— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) July 24, 2019
It is not uncommon for a wrestler to leave their home promotion announcing their intention to go freelance but instead join other promotions. Shingo Takagi to New Japan is one big example of this, as is Taiji Ishimori. It has not yet been confirmed whether Riho has joined Stardom full time or is freelancing here but with Stardom’s reluctance to use many freelance talents, it would suggest she has committed to them.
The fanbase is split on this news, as some welcome the opportunity to see Riho face fresh opponents and have matches with Stardom’s best like Hazuki, Kagetsu, Mayu Iwatani etc. While others are unhappy to see Stardom’s already bloated roster poach more talent, after taking Andras Miyagi from Sendai Girls earlier this year.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. And make sure to subscribe to Stardom World to see how Riho gets on in her new environment.
