AEW Star Emi Sakura Wins First Singles Championship In North America

Since its inception in 2019, one of the consistent members of AEW's women's division has been Emi Sakura. Debuting at the inaugural Double or Nothing event in 2019, Sakura has since permanently moved to the United States and become a regular fixture on both "AEW Dark" and "AEW Dark: Elevation."

While Sakura has been unable to win championship gold in AEW, she has just claimed her first singles title in North America as a part of DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling. The North Carolina independent company has been booking Sakura since August and has been the only non-AEW company the Joshi legend has competed for in the United States. Her most recent appearance at their 1st Anniversary Show saw Sakura defeat Texas-native Raychell Rose for the DPW World Women's Championship.

Sakura has a cult following amongst fans of her work, not only on AEW programming but also from her decades-long career that has spanned legendary Joshi companies such as AJW, JWP, Ice Ribbon, and, most recently, Gatoh Move. The Freddie Mercury aficionado hasn't been seen on "AEW Dynamite" or "Rampage" since 2019, though she did compete in the 2021 Women's Casino Battle Royal at All Out 2021. Despite this, Sakura has remained a valuable member of the AEW roster, with her recent matches against Hikaru Shida on August 28 and against Toni Storm on October 11 being two of the best matches on "AEW Dark" in recent memory.

Sakura was not the only member of the AEW roster at the DPW 1st Anniversary event, as Konosuke Takeshita made a triumphant return to the company by defeating NWA star Colby Corino in singles action.