Sumie Sakai re-signs with Ring of Honor
The longest-serving member of Ring of Honor’s women’s division has signed a new contract with the company.
It was announced on Saturday that Sumie Sakai has re-signed with ROH. In 2002, Sakai defeated Simply Luscious in the first women’s match in ROH history. Sakai also became the first-ever Women of Honor World Champion in 2018.
ROH’s full announcement is available below:
Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Sumie Sakai has re-signed with the company.
Sakai has been synonymous with women’s wrestling in ROH since the company’s inception. She was victorious in the first women’s match in ROH in 2002 and went on to become the inaugural women’s world champion in 2018, holding the title for a record 251 days.
In addition to her accomplishments in ROH, Sakai also has won championships in Japan and earned a third degree black belt in judo along with a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Daniel Gracie.
Sakai, who was trained by the legendary Lioness Asuka and Jaguar Yokota, is also a head trainer at the Worldwide Wrestling Dojo in Bristol, Pa.
Following Kelly Klein’s departure from the promotion, ROH was set to hold a tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting their plans. ROH announced that the new title was going to be named the ROH Women’s World Championship instead of the Women of Honor World Championship.
ROH has also announced this week that Mark Haskins, Bandido, Amy Rose, Bateman, and Brian Johnson have signed new contracts with the promotion.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.