is a Japanese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

currently signed to

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

(AEW). She is a former

AEW Women's World Champion The AEW Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on June 18, 2019, the inaugural champion was Riho. The current champio ...

. She was trained by

Emi Sakura , better known by the ring name , is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler performing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). After starting her career in International Wrestling Association of Japan in August 1995, Sa ...

and debuted for her

Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler wh ...

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

in May 2006, at the age of nine. She would work for the promotion for the next six years, becoming its first Triple Crown Champion, having won the ICE×60 Championship, the

International Ribbon Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Ice Ribbon promotion. The championship was introduced on April 4, 2007, at an Ice Ribbon and Neo Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling co-promoted event, where the Neo Machineguns (Tanny Mou ...

and the

Triangle Ribbon Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the Ice Ribbon promotion. The championship was introduced on November 28, 2009, when Riho defeated Nanae Takahashi and Tsukasa Fujimoto to become the inaugural champion. Championship m ...

once each. She also became a Jiyūgaoka 6-Person Tag Team, Sea Of Japan 6-Person Tag Team and

UWA World Trios Champion The UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. Since then, the championship has been defended in various pr ...

, unifying the three titles in July 2010, teaming with The Great Kojika and Mr. #6. Riho left Ice Ribbon in September 2012 to join

Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling , lead=yes, often referred to simply as Gatoh Move is a Japanese ''Joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2012, by Emi Sakura. The promotion is most known for hosting shows in Tokyo at ''Ichigaya Chocolate Squar ...

, a new promotion founded by Sakura, who had left Ice Ribbon the previous January. In November 2014, Riho won the

IWA Triple Crown Championship The was a title used on the Japanese independent circuit. The title was the world heavyweight championship of the International Wrestling Association of Japan (IWA Japan). It was later revived in the women's wrestling promotion Gatoh Move Pro ...

. In May 2019, Riho began making appearances for AEW. She defeated

Nyla Rose Nyla Rose (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and actress signed to All Elite Wrestling, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She also starred in the 2016 Canadian television series '' The Switch''. Rose beca ...

to become the inaugural

, holding the title for 133 days before Rose defeated her at

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. Riho also began appearing in

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

, working in conjunction with her AEW commitments. She won the

High Speed Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title was originally created on May 5, 2009, in the NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling promotion, where Natsuki☆Taiyo defeated Ray to beco ...

in her first match for the promotion, and held the title for 351 days, dropping it to AZM in July 2020.

Professional wrestling career

Ice Ribbon (2006–2012)

In 2006, when Riho was only nine years old and still in

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, she and her older sister Seina began training

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

under

at her

dojo. She made her debut in an exhibition match against

Nanae Takahashi (born December 23, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng. She has wrestled for prominent Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Sun, and is a two-time women's world champion in maj ...

on May 29, 2006, in

Shinagawa, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total are ...

. On July 25, Riho made her debut for Ice Ribbon at the promotion's third ever event, defeating

Makoto is a unisex Japanese name although it is more commonly used by males. As a noun, Makoto means "sincerity" (誠) or "truth" (真, 眞). People Given name * Makoto (musician) (born 1977), drum and bass artist *Makoto (Sharan Q) ( まこと), ...

. Riho's first year in professional wrestling consisted mainly of matches with Emi Sakura,

Hikari Minami is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for her work in the Ice Ribbon promotion, where she spent nearly seven years, making her debut in February 2006 at the age of eleven, becoming a two-time ICE×60 Champion and a one-time IW19 Ch ...

and Seina. In March 2008, Riho and Seina faced each other in a four match series, which Riho won 3–1. On October 24, 2008, Riho won her first professional wrestling championship, when she teamed with Yuki Sato to defeat Chounko and Masako Takanashi for the

. On December 23, Riho was entered into a tournament to determine the inaugural

ICE×60 Champion The , mainly known as the ICE Cross Infinity Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the Ice Ribbon promotion. History The championship, which is situated at the top of Ice Ribbon's champions ...

, but was eliminated in the semifinals by Seina, who would go on to become the champion. After successfully defending the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship against Emi Sakura and Ribbon Takanashi, Riho and Sato

vacated A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court. ...

the title, after Riho fractured her right leg on March 31, 2009. For most of 2009, Riho was involved in a storyline rivalry with

Chii Tomiya is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for her work in the Ice Ribbon promotion. Trained by Emi Sakura, Tomiya made her debut for Ice Ribbon in October 2008 and during the next three years went on to become a one-time International Rib ...

, which eventually led to the two forming the tag team Miniature Dachs in November. On November 28, 2009, Riho defeated Nanae Takahashi and

Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team C ...

to become the inaugural Triangle Ribbon Champion. After one successful title defense, Riho lost the title to

Miyako Matsumoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her work in the Ice Ribbon promotion, where she is a former two-time ICE×60, three-time Triangle Ribbon Champion and a two-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion, ma ...

on March 22, 2010. However, just twelve days later, Riho came back to defeat Matsumoto for the ICE×60 Championship, the promotion's top title. In the process, Riho also became Ice Ribbon's first Triple Crown Champion. During the post-match celebration, Riho nominated her trainer Emi Sakura as her first challenger for the belt. On May 3 at ''Golden Ribbon'', Riho became the youngest person to ever main event a show in

Korakuen Hall is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...

, when she lost the ICE×60 Championship to Sakura in her first defense, ending her title reign at just 30 days. Riho

In January 2011, Riho came together with Ice Ribbon's younger wrestlers, including former associates Chii Tomiya and Hikari Minami, to form the Heisei YTR (Young Traditional Revolution)

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

, under the leadership of Makoto. On February 6, Riho and Makoto made it to the finals of the Ike! Ike! Ima, Ike! Ribbon Tag Tournament, before being defeated by Muscle Venus (

Hikaru Shida is a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, actress, and model, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former and the longest-reigning AEW Women's World Champion. On February 25, 2021, she became the longest reign ...

and Tsukasa Fujimoto) in a match that was also contested for the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship. On March 31, Riho made her debut for Smash at ''Smash.15'', where she teamed with Hikari Minami and Tsukushi to defeat Emi Sakura, Makoto and Mochi Miyagi in a six-woman tag team match, scoring the deciding pinfall over Miyagi. The following month, Riho and Minami began producing their own events under the banner of "Teens", which would focus on spotlighting Ice Ribbon's younger wrestlers. In August, the alliance between Riho and Makoto was broken, when Makoto announced that she would be leaving Ice Ribbon for Smash. On August 11, Riho interrupted a Smash press conference, where the transfer was made official, by attacking Smash promoter Tajiri and challenging him to a match. The match took place on August 21, during Makoto's final night in Ice Ribbon, and saw Tajiri pick up the win. On December 25 at ''RibbonMania 2011'', Seina returned to Ice Ribbon, after a two-year hiatus, to wrestle her retirement match against her Riho. Riho won the match in eight minutes and afterwards refereed a three-minute match, where Seina was defeated by her longtime friend Hikari Minami. In early 2012, Riho began teaming regularly with Hikari Minami, after the latter brought back the Teens concept, producing ''Teens4'' on March 3. On April 15 at ''Teens5'', Riho won a tournament to earn the right to book herself a match for ''Teens6''. On May 24, Riho made her debut for

Wrestling New Classic was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in April 2012 by Yoshihiro Tajiri. WNC was the follow-up promotion to Smash, which folded in March 2012. History On April 5, 2012, Tajiri held a press conference to annou ...

(WNC), the follow-up promotion to Smash, when she replaced an injured

Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP Jo ...

in a tag team match, where she and Makoto were defeated by

Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...

and

Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...

. On June 16 at ''Teens6'', Riho was defeated by

representative Nanae Takahashi in the match she was allowed to choose herself. On September 1, Riho announced that she was quitting Ice Ribbon after the September 23 Korakuen Hall event to reunite with Emi Sakura, who had left the promotion in the beginning of the year. On September 17, Riho wrestled her final match at the Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, teaming with her hand-picked partner Tsukasa Fujimoto in a tag team match, where they defeated

Hiroyo Matsumoto (born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other w ...

and

Hamuko Hoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Ice Ribbon promotion. She is also a former two-time ICE×∞ Champion and a four-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. She also makes regular appearances for the World Woma ...

, with Riho pinning Hoshi for the win. On September 23 at ''Ribbon no Kishitachi 2012'', Riho was defeated by Aoi Kizuki in her Ice Ribbon farewell match.

DDT Pro-Wrestling (2010)

In June 2010, Riho began making appearances for

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

(DDT). On June 13, she teamed with

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...

and Mr. #6 to defeat Mr. Strawberry, Muscle Sakai and O.K. Revolution for the Sea Of Japan 6-Person Tag Team Championship. On July 20, Omega left the championship team, after which the title was declared vacant, before Riho, Mr. #6 and The Great Kojika were announced as the new champions on July 24. The following day, Riho, The Great Kojika and Mr. #6 defeated

Hikaru Sato is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name . Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five time ...

Keisuke Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Ishii also competes for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Professional wrestling career DDT (2008–pr ...

and Yoshihiko, and Antonio Honda, Kudo and Yasu Urano in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to retain the Sea Of Japan 6-Person Tag Team Championship and win the

Jiyūgaoka 6-Person Tag Team Championship The was a six-person tag team title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Dramatic Dream Team, today known as DDT Pro-Wrestling. The title, established in 2003, was named after the Jiyūgaoka neighborhood in Meguro. It has since been ...

and

UWA World Trios Championship The UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. Since then, the championship has been defended in various p ...

s, unifying the three titles in the process. After defending the Trios Triple Crown Championship against

Jaki Numazawa is a Japanese professional wrestler best known by his stage name . He currently wrestles for Big Japan Pro Wrestling in the Deathmatch division, where he has held the BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship on one occasion. Personal life Numazaw ...

Jun Kasai (born September 9, 1974) is a Japanese professional wrestler, primarily competing for Pro Wrestling Freedoms. Dubbed the for his violent and often self-harmful style of hardcore wrestling, Kasai is considered a breakthrough talent in Japanese ...

and Miyako Matsumoto at an Ice Ribbon event on September 23, Riho, The Great Kojika and Mr. #6 lost the title to Hikaru Sato,

Michael Nakazawa , better known by the ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and judoka signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Early life Nakazawa attended Tokai University before studying abroad in the United States were he obtained an MSc Sports Scienc ...

and Tomomitsu Matsunaga back in DDT on November 3.

Union Pro Wrestling (2010–2011)

In late 2010 and early 2011, Riho also made appearances for

Union Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

, where she performed under a mask and the character of Black Cherry, a storyline nemesis of Cherry. The storyline also came to include Black Cherry #2 and Black Cherry #3, portrayed by Ice Ribbon wrestlers

and

, respectively.

Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling (2012–2019)

On September 23, 2012, Riho officially joined Emi Sakura's

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

-based

promotion. Riho made her in-ring debut for Gatoh Move on October 7 in

Shinjuku, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

, wrestling Emi Sakura to a ten-minute time limit draw. As part of her transfer to Gatoh Move, it was announced that Riho would be changing her ring name. On November 4, Riho changed her ring name from

hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...

"" to

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

"", another way of writing her old ring name. She then went on to lose to Emi Sakura in a main event singles match. In January 2013, Riho took a temporary break from Gatoh Move to concentrate on her

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

entrance exam. On May 4, Riho and

Antonio Honda is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). He is the son of actor Tetsu Watanabe. Professional wrestling career Indepe ...

first defeated

Choun Shiryu is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his time in the Japanese promotions DDT Pro-Wrestling and Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. His ring name is based on the Chinese military general Zhao Yun ...

and Hiroyo Matsumoto in the semifinals and then Emi Sakura and Hikaru Sato in the finals to win the Go Go! Green Curry Khob Khun Cup mixed tag team tournament. From December 22 to 23, Riho and Emi Sakura worked two

Wrestle-1 was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by ...

events, wrestling singles matches against each other; Riho won the first and Sakura the second. On August 9, 2014, Riho defeated Sakura in the finals to win the Gatonun Climax one-day tournament. On November 2, Riho defeated Sakura to win the

, after which she announced she was entering the

business. Riho made her first successful title defense on December 27, defeating Sakura in a rematch. Her second title defense took place on March 26, 2015, when she defeated Reina Joshi Puroresu's Makoto. On August 13, Riho main evented Gatoh Move's first ever Korakuen Hall show, successfully defending the IWA Triple Crown Championship against Kotori. On September 21, Riho lost the title to male wrestler

DJ Nira is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his tenure with the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling and Kaientai Dojo. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2002–present) As ...

in her fifth defense. On June 22, 2016, Gatoh Move held Riho's tenth anniversary event, which saw her defeat

Kaori Yoneyama is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. Yoneyama started her career in 1999, working with the JWP Joshi Puroresu promotion. During the following years, she became a one-time J ...

in the main event to regain the IWA Triple Crown Championship. She lost the title to Makoto on November 19. On December 24, Riho and Kotori defeated

Aoi Kizuki is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her tenure with various Japanese promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP Joshi Puroresu and Oz Academy. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2005–2018) Kizuki made her pr ...

and

Sayaka Obihiro is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling, Ice Ribbon and JWP Joshi Puroresu. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit ...

to win the

Asia Dream Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the ''Joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. Though Gatoh Move is a ''joshi puroresu'' promotion, this title has no gender restriction. ...

. They lost the title to Emi Sakura and Masahiro Takanashi in their second defense on March 28, 2017. The following May, Riho took part in Pro-Wrestling: EVE events in the United Kingdom. On September 22, 2017, Riho defeated Kotori in the finals of a tournament to become the inaugural Super Asia Champion. She made her first successful title defense on November 7 against Emi Sakura and afterwards announced she was going on an overseas tour. On March 31, 2018, she made her second successful defense of the Super Asia Championship vs Saki. Her third defense came against Jibzy in Bangkok, Thailand on May 12. Her next defense in Japan would be against Aoi Kizuki on July 28. A few weeks later she defended against Makoto in China, there was some controversy after the end of the match when Makoto complained that she kicked out before the count of three. On July 2, 2019, Riho was defeated by Emi Sakura in which after the match was over was given a farewell from Gatoh Move.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)

On May 25, 2019, Riho made her debut for

(AEW), competing in the six women tag-team match at

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

. On June 29 at

Fyter Fest AEW Fyter Fest is an annual professional wrestling event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event was established by the promotion in 2019 and is held during the summer; the first event was held in June but moved to July in 2020. The name, ...

, she participated and won a three-way match. On August 31 at All Out, Riho defeated

, advancing to face

on the October 2 episode of ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

'' to crown the inaugural

. On October 2, she defeated Rose to become the inaugural champion. Riho made successful title defenses against

Britt Baker Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxs ...

on ''Dynamite'', her mentor

at Full Gear, and in a

four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against Baker, Shida and Rose on ''Dynamite''. On the January 8, 2020, episode of ''Dynamite'', she successfully defended the title in a match against

Kris Statlander Kristen Stadtlander (born August 7, 1995) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kris Statlander. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, and has also performed on the independent circuit. She is currently ...

, due to interference from the Nightmare Collective (

Awesome Kong Kia Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ri ...

Brandi Rhodes Brandi Alexis Runnels (née Reed; born June 23, 1983), known professionally as Brandi Rhodes, is an American professional wrestler, ring announcer, model, businesswoman and television personality. She is known for her time as the former Chief B ...

Dr. Luther Len Olson (born October 30, 1968), better known by the ring names Dr. Luther or simply Luther, is a Canadian professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling, where he is also a producer. He is also known for his appeara ...

and

Mel Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

) against

, which caused Baker,

Big Swole Aerial Hull, better known as Big Swole, is an American professional wrestler. Previously signed to All Elite Wrestling, she performs on the independent circuit, where she is the current Phoenix of Rise champion. Early life Hull was born in the ...

and Shida to fend off against the stable. On the February 12 episode of ''Dynamite'', Riho lost the AEW Women's World Championship to Rose, ending her reign at 133 days. After an 11-month hiatus due to travel restrictions resulting from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, it was announced in January 2021 that Riho would be returning to action and would be participating in the AEW Women's World Title Eliminator tournament. On the February 17 episode of ''Dynamite'', Riho defeated the

NWA World Women's Champion The NWA World Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first won by Mildred Burke in 1937 def ...

Serena Deeb Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the develop ...

in the opening round in a non-title match. At the semi-finals of the American bracket, which aired on February 28 on

B/R Live Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...

Riho lost to the former NWA World Women's Champion

Thunder Rosa Melissa Cervantes (born July 22, 1986), known by her ring name Thunder Rosa, is a Mexican professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former one-time AEW Women's World Champion. She is ...

. On the November 26 episode of '' Rampage'', Riho faced Britt Baker (with the stipulation being that if Riho won, she would earn a title opportunity), and successfully won the match. On January 8, 2022, on

AEW Battle of the Belts ''AEW Battle of the Belts'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is broadcast on TNT in the United States. Only four episodes were originally planned to air quarterly through ...

Riho faced Baker for the AEW Women's World Championship which Riho lost by

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

. On January 31 it was announced that Riho suffered a broken collarbone injury and returned back to Japan. After nearly four months of inactivity due to injury, On the May 6 episode of ''Rampage'', Riho participated in the

AEW Owen Hart Cup The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, is a series of professional wrestling tournaments produced annually by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in partnership with The Owen Hart Foundation. It consists of two single-elimination tourn ...

and defeated

Yuka Sakazaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is the current Princess of Princess Champion and former two-time Tokyo Princess Tag Team Champion, and is also signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). E ...

in the qualifier match, and in the following episode of ''Rampage'', she was defeated by Ruby Soho in the quarterfinals.

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2019–2020)

On July 24, 2019, Riho made a surprise appearance on

, announcing that she will wrestle for the company starting August. In her debut match on August 10, she won the

from Death Yama-san after pinning

Starlight Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a former High Speed Champion. She became the first wrestler to wear her mask full-time in Stardom as part of her ''luchadora'' persona. Greatly infl ...

in a three-way match. She successfully defended her title against Death Yama-san on September 29. From October 14 to November 4, she teamed with Starlight Kid to participate in the Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2019 as part of the Red Goddess block; they failed to advance to the finals but picked up a win over the

Goddess of Stardom Champions The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference to announce the first ever Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, which would cu ...

Jungle Kyona better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in the joshi puroresu promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she was a former three-time Artist of Stardom Champion and Goddess of Stardom Ch ...

and

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

. On December 14, they unsuccessfully challenged the champions in a title match. Riho made her first appearance since February 16, 2020, on July 11 after the company went on hiatus due to the

. She teamed with

World of Stardom Champion The is a women's world professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title, which is situated at the top of Stardom's championship hierarchy, was introduced on June 26, 2011, and the inaugural champio ...

Mayu Iwatani (born February 19, 1993) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom. Since making her debut in January 2011, she became a two-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, one-time ...

to defeat AZM and

Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Since making her debut on November 16, 2014, she became a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Cha ...

. On July 26, Riho lost the High Speed Championship to AZM, in a

which also involved Starlight Kid. In late December,

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

confirmed that Riho would no longer appear for the promotion due to AEW commitments.

Championships and accomplishments

AEW Women's World Championship The AEW Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on June 18, 2019, the inaugural champion was Riho. The current champion ...

( 1 time, inaugural) *

( 1 time) – with The Great Kojika and Mr. #6 ** Sea Of Japan 6-Person Tag Team Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with

and Mr. #6 (1), and The Great Kojika and Mr. #6 (1) **

( 1 time) – with The Great Kojika and Mr. #6 * Fuka Matsuri ** Fuka Matsuri Rumble (2010) *

(

) – with Kotori (1) and

(1) **

(

) **

Super Asia Championship The is a championship (professional wrestling), title defended in the ''joshi puroresu'' (Japanese women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. There have been a total of three recognized r ...

( 1 time) ** Gatonun Climax (2014) ** Go Go! Green Curry Khob Khun Cup (2013) – with

** Super Asia First Champion Determination Tournament (2017) *

** ICE×60 Championship ( 1 time) **

( 1 time) – with Yuki Sato **

( 1 time) ** Teens5 Tournament (2012) ** First Triple Crown Champion * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Ranked No. 8 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 100 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

'' in 2020 *

Singapore Pro Wrestling Singapore Pro Wrestling, commonly shortened to SPW, is a professional wrestling promotion based in Singapore. It was the first modern professional wrestling promotion in Southeast Asia, and was founded by Andruew Tang (known as "The Statement" ...

** Queen of Asia Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time)

References

External links

*
Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Riho 1997 births All Elite Wrestling personnel AEW Women's World Champions Expatriate professional wrestlers Japanese female professional wrestlers Japanese idols Living people Masked wrestlers Sportspeople from Tokyo Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century professional wrestlers High Speed Champions UWA World Trios Champions Jiyūgaoka 6-Person Tag Team Champions Sea of Japan 6-Person Tag Team Champions