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WWE star and former multi-time women's champion Natalya Neidhart had some massive praise for Japanese wrestling legend Sumie Sakai.
Prior to signing with the Stamford-based company in 2007, Nattie wrestled in different territories around the world, even Japan. In fact, her very first matchup in the far east was against Sakai, who wrestling fans may know from ROH. During that stint, Sakai became the longest-reigning Women of Honor Champion in the company's history.
During an interview with Dark Puroresu Flowsion, Natalya named her favorite joshi wrestlers of all time. Since the Queen of Harts had not forgotten about her encounter with Sakai, she threw additional praise on the longtime industry veteran on social media.
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"I didn’t include women who work in wwe. I’d also like to put @SumieSakai in there, too, because she was my first match in Japan and I’ll never ever forget how amazing she was to me. She’s an incredible talent," said Natalya.
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WWE is only a few days away from WrestleMania 39 weekend
When she's not praising joshi legends, Natalya will be preparing for WrestleMania 39, which takes place this weekend at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The two-night event is expected to break all kinds of attendance records at the venue, and will feature a ton of top action from your favorite superstars.
Headlining the event will be Cody Rhodes battling Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, a match that was made after The American Nightmare won the 2023 Royal Rumble. Rhodes has remained hot in this build-up with the Tribal Chief, and even defeated the previously unbeaten Solo Sikoa from Roman's Bloodline faction.
WrestleMania 39 will also feature Gunther, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Austin Theory, and the Usos defending their respective championships.
Regardless of the outcome, the Showcase of the Immortals serves as a nice reset for future storylines, and will certainly look to be an epic night of wrestling under the new regime.
