Absent superstar makes major WWE return announcement after year long hiatus

WWE is set to tour Japan next week and ahead of the show, a superstar recently announced her in-ring return to the Stamford-based company. The name in question is Meiko Satomura.

The 44-year-old's last appearance inside a WWE ring was against Roxanne Perez on the March 7, 2023, edition of NXT, where failed to capture the NXT Women's Championship from Perez.

Meiko Satomura recently took to Instagram to announce her return to the WWE ring. In a recent update, the veteran performer revealed she will be a part of the company's Japan tour. She will appear at Live Events in Osaka on July 25 and Tokyo on July 26 and 27.

"I’ll be appearing at the WWE Japan show🇯🇵 Be prepared ‼️ 🟩Thursday, July 25 – Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan 🟪Friday, July 26 – Ryoguko Arena in Tokyo, Japan 🟪Saturday, July 27 – Ryoguko Arena in Tokyo, Japan," she wrote.

You can check out Satomura's Instagram post below:

The veteran performer joined the global juggernaut in 2020 and started appearing on the wrestling promotion's developmental brand in the United Kingdom, where she also won the NXT UK Women's Championship. She made her first appearance in NXT in August 2022.

WWE NXT Superstar Meiko Satomura reacted to her in-ring return

Despite her absence from television for over a year, Meiko Satomura is still signed with the wrestling promotion. She recently competed in a wrestling match in Japan.

Meiko Satomura returned to Japan after over a thousand days to team up with Takumi Iroha to take on Chihiro Hashimoto and Yuu in a tag team match at Fortune Dream 9 last month. Before the bout, her last in-ring appearance in her home country was on June 27, 2021, as she joined forces with Chikayo Nagashima and Toshie Uematsu to lock horns with Chigusa Nagayo, KAORU, and Sakura Hirota in a Six-Woman Tag Team match at the GAEAism Decade Of Quarter Century pay-per-view.

After appearing inside the squared circle on her home turf, Satomura took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message and thank her teammates.

"First domestic fight in three years. Thank you so much for choosing Mr. Komiya. For this day, I've gained seven kgs and pushed through every day. My mentor is Chikane Nagoya! I stood in the ring with my shoulders up. The team that has grown so far [is] 200k, the paintballers. We've separated from three years ago. I'm going to stand in front again!! ️2024.6.12," she wrote. [Translated from Japanese]

Meiko Satomura will finally compete at a WWE show later this month. However, it remains to be seen if she will be a part of the company's programming as well.