“I can feel it. They are coming. My Killer Queens.” For the past few weeks, Emi Sakura has alluded to the idea of recruiting members to join her in All Elite Wrestling. Following her return to AEW this past August, she was soon joined by her protege Lulu Pencil, who traded in her signature pink overalls and matching baseball cap for a servant’s attire. This week, on AEW Dark: Elevation, Sakura’s forces increased. Making her AEW debut, on a stateside level, is Mei Suruga, though it seems that “The Apple Girl” reemerged with not only a new look but an entirely unique demeanor.
Mei Suruga in AEW
TOMORROW!!@EmiSakura_gtmv @Mei_gtmv @lulupencil_gtmv #AEWDarkElevation premieres MONDAY at 7/6c
➡https://t.co/7YynEReguJEmi Sakura & Nyla Rose
vs
Ryo Mizunami & Ruby Soho#AEW#ChocoPro #gtmv https://t.co/Jjx4JATYul pic.twitter.com/W586UeoK34— Gatoh Move / ChocoPro🍫 (@gatohmove) November 7, 2021
What to Know About “The Apple Girl”
As a wrestler of Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling fame, Mei Suruga began her professional wrestling career in 2018. She started training in April of that year at Daredomo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Gatoh Move’s training facility. From there, she made her professional debut the following May; the fact that she only had roughly one month of experience under her belt spoke volumes about her skill, potential, and the trust of her mentor, Emi Sakura. At the young age of 18, “Mei-chan” was well on her way to carving a career for herself in the colorful world of professional wrestling she gravitated to.
Following months of losses, the newcomer in Mei Suruga picked up her first victory the following August, teaming with Aoi Kizuki to defeat Mitsuru Konno and the future inaugural AEW Women’s World Champion, Riho. She would also wrestle for promotions outside of Gatoh Move, building a name for herself in Japan. Promotions she worked for included, but weren’t limited to, PURE-J and Sendai Girls. The following year, “Mei-chan” started wrestling for organizations outside of Japan. The most notable of these was Pro-Wrestling EVE; in November, she competed in the SHE-1 Tournament, facing names such as Rhia O’Reilly and Jazz. As Suruga’s skill developed, so did her popularly on an international level.
The Year 2020 for Mei Suruga
To say that early 2020 rocked the professional wrestling world, as well as the world at large, would be an understatement. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, several wrestling companies, including Gatoh Move, either postponed or canceled shows. In the wake of COVID, Emi Sakura brought a new concept to life. Enter ChocoPro, a YouTube wrestling show that featured a handful of wrestlers, no audience, and the environment of Ichigaya Chocolate Square that Gatoh Move fans have come to associate with the promotion. In time, ChocoPro built a devoted audience.
To the surprise of few, Suruga became a prominent ChocoPro competitor. This was especially true in tag team competition, as she regularly teamed with real-life friend Baliyan Akki; together, they became known as Best Bros. This past December, they reached their greatest accomplishment to date, besting veteran stars Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama for the Asia Dream Tag Team Championship. To this day, more than 310 days later, they continue to hold the titles, standing at the precipice of ChocoPro.
This doesn’t even begin to touch on the success she found in Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. In November of 2020, in TJPW, she introduced a new character: Mei Saint-Michel, the servant of Sakisama. As NEO Biishiki-gun, they saw considerable success the following year. Not only did they win the promotion’s Max Heart Tournament this past March but captured the Princess Tag Team Championship the April after.
The #KillerQueens arrived in St. Louis. Don't miss us👑 #EmiTakesAEW @AEW pic.twitter.com/z6ENjVoYIt
— Emi Sakura🍫 (@EmiSakura_gtmv) November 6, 2021
Mei Suruga in AEW – In Closing
As mentioned earlier, Mei Suruga’s appearance on AEW Dark: Elevation marks her stateside debut in the promotion. One must not forget her participation in this past February’s AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament. As a member of said tournament’s Japan bracket, she faced TJPW’s own Yuka Sakazaki in the first round. Despite a valiant effort by “The Apple Girl,” it was “The Magical Girl” that advanced. Nonetheless, Suruga showed great potential in the tournament. Now that she seems to be a consistent fixture in AEW in the future, expect to see her do everything in her power to reach that very potential.
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. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
