Tony Khan announces returning AEW star as Mariah May's next world title opponent
AEW President Tony Khan officially announced the next challenger for the All Elite Women's World Champion, Mariah May. The title match will take place next week.
The returning star in question is Yuka Sakazaki. She is an AEW original who has been on the roster since the company's inception in 2019. She made her in-ring return after nearly five months last Saturday on Collision, where she defeated Serena Deeb. Sakazaki also confronted the Women's World Champion, Mariah May, on the same episode.
On the latest episode of Dynamite, Yuka Sakazaki teamed up with Queen Aminata to take on Mariah May and Serena Deeb. Yuka and Aminata were declared the winner due to a disqualification after Mariah attacked Yuka with her title belt.
Following the events on Dynamite, Tony Khan took to the 'X' social media platform and announced that the AEW Women's World Champion, Mariah May, will defend her title against Yuka Sakazaki next week on Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Khan wrote the following in his post announcing the match:
"AEW Women's World Title Match @MariahMayx vs @YukaSakazaki The Magical Girl has returned red hot, and now AEW original Yuka Sakazaki will challenge World Champion Mariah May in New York NEXT Wednesday!"
Tony Khan recently announced a match, but with a condition
At the All Out pay-per-view, Jon Moxley choked Bryan Danielson out with a plastic bag, and it was unclear whether the former would be able to compete.
Last week, Tony Khan announced that Danielson will wrestle Nigel McGuinness at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam if he is medically cleared:
"AEW World Champion @bryandanielson vs @McGuinnessNigel 2 weeks from tonight Wednesday 9/25, only if doctors clear Bryan to fight before showtime, then it will be Danielson vs McGuinness in 2024 in New York!" Khan posted.
Moreover, this will be the first match between The American Dragon and Nigel McGuinness after 15 years. It remains to be seen if the match will happen next week.