Former World Champion injured in AEW; no timeline on return - Reports
AEW has gotten several of its sidelined stars back over the last few months, including former World Champions MJF and 'Hangman' Adam Page. However, the inaugural Women's World Champion is now out of action after suffering an injury this week.
Riho is a foundational star in All Elite Wrestling, but her tenure in the company has been sporadic at best. The diminutive Japanese star made her mark in the company on the very first episode of AEW Dynamite back in October 2019, stealing the show in her match against Nyla Rose.
Despite being the first champion of the women's division, Riho's run with AEW has been plagued by visa issues, injury, and travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27-year-old recently returned to begin a feud with Serena Deeb, but according to Fightful Select, she suffered an injury in her match against Lady Frost on Collision this past Saturday.
Fightful's report also noted that ROH star Cole Karter has undergone surgery for a broken arm, putting him out of action for at least the next several months.
Jim Cornette believes AEW President Tony Khan is paying Riho too much
Riho is a fan favorite in All Elite Wrestling, but not everyone believes she's worth keeping around. Industry veteran Jim Cornette has been a major critic of the Japanese star in the past.
After rumors of Tony Khan paying Riho $400,000 per year surfaced, Cornette addressed the matter on his Drive Thru podcast. He claimed that if the rumor was true, then it was "stupid" of Tony Khan to pay so much for the 27-year-old to only wrestle a few times per year:
"The guy said she wrestled like 10 times. Do you think she could’ve wrestled more than 20 or 25? Even doing dark matches on YouTube or whatever? (...) My God, if she’s making half of that and she had 20 matches then $200,000 for 20 matches, he paying her 10 grand a match. It’s getting a little bit more believable although stupid."
Riho was reportedly set to feud with Serena Deeb this summer, but her injury has likely put those plans on hold. It remains to be seen when the inaugural AEW Women's World Champion turns up next.