During a recent interview with SEScoops, Billie Starkz commended Sumie Sakai, mentioning that the former ROH Women’s World Champion sparked her interest in women’s wrestling.
Sakai will retire following NJPW’s Battle In The Valley 2025 next month.
Starkz said, “Sumie was just an extraordinary talent back in the day, paving the way for women’s wrestling in ROH. As a fan growing up in ROH, when I first came around, I was not a huge fan of the women’s wrestling and Sumie made me fall in love with it so all the credit to her. Truly, being around wrestling, I’ve got to meet so many extraordinary people but Sumie is such a kind and caring person. I’m sad that she has to let go of wrestling, but Final Battle I’m truly gonna put my all in for her.”
During a recent interview with “Inside the Ropes,” Shelton Benjamin reflected on his current run in AEW, expressing surprise at the fans’ responses to his matches.
Benjamin’s most recent match took place on Saturday at AEW Collision, where he lost to Daniel Garcia.
Benjamin said, “My biggest surprise is that the fans really appreciate what I bring to the table. I found that I have a lot of great chemistry with the guys I’ve been working. I feel like I’ve been having nothing but just great matches with pretty much everyone I’ve been in the ring with. Just the fact that I’ve been able to gel so well with guys who I never have worked with before and put on great performances, that has been the biggest surprise to me. It shouldn’t be, because again, these are some of the best athletes in the world, some of the best professional wrestlers in the world. But it’s definitely a pleasant surprise.”
