WWE's Meiko Satomura Confirms Impending Retirement, AEW Star Arrives To Challenge Her

Former WWE NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura recently announced her impending retirement. Satomura had been on WWE's tour of Japan, culminating in a recent loss to WWE Women's Champion Bayley at Ryogoku Sumo Hall. As Satomura prepares for retirement, the renowned wrestling legend will have one final lineup of matches.

At a recent press conference, Satomura announced that her retirement will be in April of 2025, and the lead-up to her final match will include a series of matches for the Sendai Girls promotion, of which Satomura is a co-founder, in September. Sendai Girls has yet to announce Satomura's opponents. During the press conference, AEW star Emi Sakura made a surprise appearance and made it clear she hopes to face the former World of Stardom Champion before Satomura retires.

Satomura initially joined WWE as a "player/coach" in the NXT UK brand, which shuttered in 2022. Following the closure of the UK NXT, Satomura remained under contract with WWE, wrestling select appearances in "WWE NXT." Satomura even challenged NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez at last year's Road Block event, albeit unsuccessfully. Satomura has also appeared in other promotions, making a cameo earlier this year during an hour-long match on a moving bullet train in the first-ever Toden Train Match. Satomura joined Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and WWE Hall of Famer Jushin "Thunder" Liger as cameos in the match, which saw former GHC Heavyweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defeat former DDT KO-D Openweight Champion Sanshiro Takagi after 55 minutes of wacky train hijinks.