AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament
First Round – Japan Bracket
Original Air Date: February 15, 2021
Event Date: February ?, 2021
(streamed and archived on YouTube in English and Japanese)
City: Warabi, Saitama, Japan
Venue: Warabi Wrestle Budokan (Isami Wrestle Arena) (empty arena)
Commentary (English): Excalibur (recorded remotely)
Commentary (Japanese): Haruo Murata, Hikaru Shida
Ring Announcer: Rikiya Shindo
Intro Video
Excalibur welcomes us to the Japanese half of the Women’s Eliminator Tournament and introduces tonight’s first round matches.
Match 1
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament First Round Match
Mei Suruga vs “The Magical Girl” Yuka Sakazaki
(referee: Tommy)
Result: Yuka Sakazaki wins via pinfall after the Magical Girl 450 Splash (springboard 450 splash)
Time: 10:13
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Suruga seemed to surprise Sakazaki early and often with a lot of very unique and flashy attacks and fake-outs. Suruga was getting Sakazaki in a lot of predicaments, but she wasn’t doing a ton of damage. Sakazaki’s attacks were more more impactful, and that proved to be the difference in this fun match.
Match 2
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament First Round Match
Veny vs Emi Sakura
(referee: Tommy)
Result: Emi Sakura wins via pinfall after a Tiger Driver
Time: 12:33
Match Thoughts
Great match. Emi Sakura did not look impressed at all by Veny as the match started, but she had to respect the fight Veny gave her. Veny got off to a good start with a lot of powerful and agile attacks, and Veny continued to look good later in the match with lots of nice strikes. Sakura ended up fighting defensively for a while, but she would begin to turn things around solidly in her favor as the match went on. This was a very hard-fought match with a little bit of everything as far as action goes. Flying, strikes, and technical chains were all incorporated, and the match was a ton of fun.
Match 3
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament First Round Match
Maki Itoh vs Ryo Mizunami
(referee: Tommy)
Result: Ryo Mizunami wins via submission with a head and arm triangle
Time: 10:45
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was a highly entertaining battle between a fun and charismatic young wrestler (Maki Itoh) versus a tough and experienced veteran wrestler (Ryo Mizunami). While this could have been a comedic match, it ended up being a very good fight. Of course, there was still a good deal of comedy, but it was incorporated well into the ongoing fight. Mizunami seemed supremely confident at times, but the fight of Maki Itoh forced the veteran to take her seriously. Mizunami’s experience gave her the edge tonight though, and the little things Mizunami did made the biggest difference in the match.
Match 4
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament First Round Match
Rin Kadokura (Pro Wrestling Wave Tag Champ) vs Aja Kong
(referee: Tommy)
Result: Aja Kong wins via pinfall after a diving elbow drop
Time: 7:02
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I was kind of expecting a squash here, but even though Aja Kong was certainly dominant, Rin Kadokura showed tons of heart and fight. Kadokura had a tough time figuring out how to attack Kong at first, but Kong let her opponent stick around too long. Kadokura kept kicking out of pins after some heavy slams and strikes, and eventually Kadokura started to use Kong’s own size against her. Kadokura also used the ropes for some diving attacks, and that forced Kong to shut things down before Kadokura got on too much of a roll. Kong ended up looking dominant as I expected, but Kadokura put up a great fight in a match I don’t think anyone expected her to win.
Show Impressions
This was a great show. When I first heard that the Japanese matches of the tournament would be a separate, YouTube-only thing, I was a little disappointed. I wanted to see all of these wrestlers on Dynamite. But as I thought about it, and especially after having watched it, I think doing it this way makes a lot of sense. Each of tonight’s matches was given the time and focus it needed, while any of these matches might have been somewhat lost in the chaos of Dynamite. Plus, seeing matches in a different venue made up of competitors from multiple different promotions gives the tournament a more worldly feel. I think I’m already more invested in this Eliminator than I was the men’s tournament.
Match of the Night
Veny vs Emi Sakura
I was most looking forward to seeing Maki Itoh, and her match with Mizunami was super fun, but Veny and Emi Sakura surprised me with their highly engaging match. Out of all of tonight’s matches, Veny versus Sakura makes me want to follow both of them to see if this match leads to anything else. That said, tonight introduced me to a lot of new faces I want to see more of, but the storytelling Veny and Sakura did had me the most intrigued.