Riho returning to AEW in Women’s title eliminator tournament

Riho vs. Serena Deeb has been announced for the upcoming AEW Women’s title eliminator tournament.

AEW announced tonight during Dynamite that Rhio would be making her return to AEW to square off against the NWA Women’s Champion during the opening round of the tournament. It would be the first time Riho has competed in AEW since last March. 

The company announced the upcoming tournament last week. No start date has been set, though the graphic AEW aired tonight saidthat the tournament would be coming soon. The winner will be next in line for the AEW Women’s title.

In Riho’s last AEW match on March 18, she lost a fatal four way match that involved winner Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Penelope Ford. She has been mostly working for Stardom during the COVID-19 pandemic, but finished up with the promotion in December.

Riho was the first AEW Women’s champion, defeating Nyla Rose in a tournament final on the October 2, 2019 edition of Dynamite. Rose later went on to defeat Rhio for the title on February 20th of last year.