Which Women's Champion ruled the Summer of 2018?
Summer is over, and there were many exciting happenings in the world of women's professional wrestling. Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey became the face of Raw, ROH continued to grow its Women of Honor division, and the Knockouts are back to impressing people much as they did a decade ago. With the WWE preparing to launch its first ever all women's PPV, now is the time to take stock of the state of women's wrestling.
There is no better way to ascertain this than by examining the women's champions over the summer months and how they compare. In order to qualify, they must either be the current women's champion or have held the title for at least thirty days during June, July, or August.
The champions will be rated on four criterion;
Win/Loss Record: Wins and losses are an important part of a wrestler's overall story arc and help to separate the cream from the crop.
Title Defenses: How often did the champion defend? Were the defenses achieved by shaky means (count out, DQ, etc.) or were they legit victories?
Technical Ability: Wrestling is a sport, and that takes athletics and skill. How skilled/athletic is the champion?
Cross-media Appeal: How likely is someone outside of wrestling fandom to recognize the champion?
Without further ado, let's look at the champions.
Sumie Sakai - ROH Women's Champion
With combat sports experience, a Judo black belt and plenty of experience, Sumi Sakai presents a very legitimate world champion for Ring of Honor. Though nearing fifty years of age, Sakai holds her own and then some with some of the best athletes in the world.
Win/Loss Record: Sakai has eight wins, zero losses for Summer 2018, an excellent record. Grade: A+
Title Defenses: Sakai successfully defended her title five times, almost twice the number required every thirty days. Her defenses were all decisive victories against the best the world has to offer, including Madison Rayne. Grade: A+
Technical Ability: Sakai's legit combat sports experience translated well to pro wrestling, and with almost thirty years of experience she rarely makes a slip. Grade: A
Cross-media Appeal: Though Sakai did have some MMA bouts, she mostly is considered a dabbler in the sport, and few outside of wrestling are likely to know her. Grade: C
Overall Grade: A
Sakai is an excellent representative of women's wrestling in general and ROH in particular.