44-year-old WWE star breaks down in tears after announcing retirement; Last match confirmed for April 2025
A WWE Superstar's three-decade-long storied wrestling career is finally set to come to an end. During the tour of Japan, the legendary star announced her final match at just 44 years old.
That legend is none other than the Japanese figure Meiko Satomura. Officially signed to WWE and a former NXT UK Women's Champion - she was occasionally in the mix for the NXT Women's Championship. Her last appearance in WWE saw her challenge Roxanne Perez for the title in an intense bout that saw her lose to the prodigy via a roll-up. Satomura is a highly-respected figure backstage among her peers - mainly due to the wealth of knowledge and experience she has in wrestling.
Satomura is a world-traveled, seasoned veteran. In her press conference, she officially announced that she would be retiring in 2025 at the age of 44. Understandably, she was emotional and in tears as she said she wanted to move on to the next stage of her life while she was still healthy.
Satomura, who turns 45 in November, revealed that she is giving herself until April 2025. Until then, she will participate in several Sendai Girls matches.
Meiko Satomura returned to a WWE ring for the first time in over a year in Osaka.
Meiko Satomura hadn't been in a WWE ring for quite a while and finally made her return on WWE's tour of Japan. Starting in Osaka, she teamed up with three major names - WWE Women's Champion Bayley and former tag team champions, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
The four of them faced Damage CTRL and Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton in a winning effort. Even Damage CTRL had Asuka return to their side - albeit just for an appearance and not for the bout. The Empress is reportedly still in the early stages of her injury which is expected to keep her out for the rest of 2024.
It was a good start to what will be an incredible farewell to the three-decade-long career of Meiko Satomura. Like many other stars in Japan, she got her start very early and established herself over the years - earning the status of a wrestling legend in her 30s.
That's rare territory to be in and we at Sportskeeda wish her a happy retirement in 2025. Not many wrestlers get to do it on their own terms the way she did.