Meiko Satomura To Make WWE Return In First Match Since March 2023
Former NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura will compete at WWE live events later this month in the veteran’s first match since March of last year.
Satomura is being advertised for the upcoming tour of Japan that will begin in Osaka’s Edion Arena on July 25. The tour will then feature back-to-back events in Tokyo’s Ryogouko Arena on July 26-27. Other names being advertised for the show include Shinsuke Nakamura, Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, Bianca Belair, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Interestingly, Asuka is also being advertised despite the Empress currently being out with an injury.
These events will mark Satomura’s long-overdue return to the ring as she has not been used in any capacity by the company in over 16 months. Satomura’s most recent match took place at WWE NXT Roadblock 2023 and saw her unsuccessfully challenge NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez.
Satomura debuted in WWE in 2018 as part of the Mae Young Classic but was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winner Toni Storm. In October 2020, Satomura signed with WWE and in addition to being an on-screen talent, served as a coach in NXT UK.
In June 2021, Satomura captured the NXT UK Women’s Championship from Kay Lee Ray (now Women’s Tag Team Champion Alba Fyre.) Dubbed the ‘Final Boss’ long before Dwayne Johnson had the moniker, Satomura defeated all challengers for over a year. Her reign, alongside NXT UK, would end at Worlds Collide in September 2022 when she lost to then-NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose.
While Satomura hasn’t competed in WWE in some time, fans can see matches from her career outside of WWE on the Network/Peacock. Decades before joining WWE, a young Satomura competed in WCW as part of a cross-promotional effort with the Gaea Wrestling promotion.
Satomura competed in a tournament to crown the first WCW Women’s Champion. She was eliminated in the first round by eventual winner Akira Hokuto. Ironically, when Satomura entered a tournament to crown the first Women’s Cruiserweight Champion, she was eliminated in the first round by eventual winner Toshie Uematsu.
