Sumie Sakai
Encyclopedia
born November 11, 1971) is a Japan
ese professional wrestler
and mixed martial artist
. She currently resides in the United States
, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States
such as Women's Extreme Wrestling
and Chikara.
. From 1995 to 1997, she halted her practice of judo to work with senior citizens
at the Kasugamachi Care Center in Kanazawa, Ishikawa
.
, invited her to join the wrestling industry. Sakai trained under Jaguar Yokota
and made her debut on April 20, 1997 with the Yoshimoto Ladies Pro Wrestling promotion, facing Yabushita in the Korakuen Hall
in Tokyo
. She went on to form a tag team with Yabushita named .
Later in 1997, Sakai began wrestling for Yokota's JDStar
promotion, where she won both the JDStar Junior Championship and the JDStar Queen of the Ring Championship. She also won the Women's Championship of the affiliated American Wrestling Federation and the Tag Team Championship of the affiliated Trans-World Wrestling Federation. In 1999, she suffered a broken leg while wrestling Lioness Asuka
. While rehabilitating, Sakai became enamored of American professional wrestling, and resolved to one day wrestle in the United States.
While in Japan, Sakai faced several prominent male Japanese wrestlers, including Dick Togo, The Great Sasuke
and Jinsei Shinzaki
. She furthered her training under Bison Kimura, Cooga and Lioness Asuka.
in New England Championship Wrestling
. While in the promotion, she and Martinez traded the North American Women's Championship, but Sakai was champion when she returned to Japan. In 2003, she left JDStar and relocated to the United States.
In December 2003 and January 2004, Sakai appeared with Ring of Honor
, defeating Alison Danger
and losing to April Hunter
. She returned to Ring of Honor on August 20, 2005, losing to Lacey
at Do or Die 5.
On April 17, 2005, Sakai organised "WE LOVE SABU", a pair of shows held at the Differ Ariake Arena
in Tokyo. "WE LOVE SABU" was organised in support of Terry "Sabu" Brunk, an American wrestler who had been afflicted with a serious virus
in the summer of 2004, with the proceeds of the show going towards paying Sabu's medical bills. The show featured Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
alumni such as Masato Tanaka
and Extreme Championship Wrestling
alumni such as The Sandman
. Sabu eventually made a complete recovery, returning to the ring on May 21, 2005.
In 2009, Sakai began training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Bill Scott. She currently holds a blue belt.
debut on October 14, 2006, fighting American kickboxer
Amy Davis in a bout promoted by the Primal Tribe Fighting Club as part of the Xtreme Fight Series II event. The bout ended in a no contest at the end of the first three-minute long round after Davis suffered an arm injury and was unable to continue as a result of an armbar
applied by Sakai.
|align=center|2-3
|Iman Achhal
|TKO (punches)
|Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|2:30
|Fairfax, Virginia
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|2-2
|Jessica Penne
|Submission (armbar)
|Fatal Femmes Fighting 2
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|0:33
|Compton, California
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-1
|Amber McCoy
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Brawl at Bourbon Street
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:18
|Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|1-1
|Jessica Aguilar
|Decision (unanimous)
|Combat Fighting Championship 3
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Orlando, Florida
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|Melissa Vasquez
|Submission (armbar)
|Freestyle Combat Challenge 25
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Kenosha, Wisconsin
, United States
|
|-
| NC
|align=center|0-0
|Amy Davis
|NC (confusion over rules)
|Xtreme Fight Series 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:0
|Boise, Idaho
, United States
|
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
. She currently resides in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
such as Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling , also known as Women's Erotic Wrestling, is an all woman professional wrestling promotion based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with offices in New York City, New York. They are notable because their storylines usually are filled with erotic and sexual themes...
and Chikara.
Early life
As a young woman, Sakai practiced judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
. From 1995 to 1997, she halted her practice of judo to work with senior citizens
Old age
Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
at the Kasugamachi Care Center in Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
.
Japan
Sakai became involved in wrestling when her friend and fellow judo practitioner, Megumi YabushitaMegumi Yabushita
is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and judoka. She has participated in several Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions. She is a Japanese national judo champion and a former Smackgirl open weight champion and tournament...
, invited her to join the wrestling industry. Sakai trained under Jaguar Yokota
Jaguar Yokota
is a Japanese professional wrestler and later wrestling trainer, who wrestled under the name . She is widely considered one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time, and, during her heyday in the early 1980s, was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, irrespective of...
and made her debut on April 20, 1997 with the Yoshimoto Ladies Pro Wrestling promotion, facing Yabushita in the Korakuen Hall
Korakuen Hall
is an arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts matches. Part of Tokyo Dome City, it is one of Tokyo's biggest attractions. It opened on April 16, 1962 and has a capacity of approximately 1,800 people. The venue hosted the boxing...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. She went on to form a tag team with Yabushita named .
Later in 1997, Sakai began wrestling for Yokota's JDStar
JDStar
JDStar , was a women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. In the wake of the joshi puroresu boom of the early 1990s, several different groups opened with distinct approaches...
promotion, where she won both the JDStar Junior Championship and the JDStar Queen of the Ring Championship. She also won the Women's Championship of the affiliated American Wrestling Federation and the Tag Team Championship of the affiliated Trans-World Wrestling Federation. In 1999, she suffered a broken leg while wrestling Lioness Asuka
Lioness Asuka
is a Japanese professional wrestler from Tokyo. Along with long-time tag team partner Chigusa Nagayo she formed The Crush Gals, known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and the most successful women's tag team of all time.-Career:...
. While rehabilitating, Sakai became enamored of American professional wrestling, and resolved to one day wrestle in the United States.
While in Japan, Sakai faced several prominent male Japanese wrestlers, including Dick Togo, The Great Sasuke
Masanori Murakawa
, , is a Japanese professional wrestler who is best known by his stage name The Great Sasuke, as well as a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly legislator. He has wrestled in Japan and in the United States in various wrestling promotions...
and Jinsei Shinzaki
Jinsei Shinzaki
Kensuke Shinzaki is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his stage names Jinsei Shinzaki and Hakushi...
. She furthered her training under Bison Kimura, Cooga and Lioness Asuka.
United States
Sakai wrestled her first match in the United States in 2002. In May 2002, she began a three month tour of the US, where she feuded with Mercedes MartinezMercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez is a American professional wrestler, currently performing for Shimmer Women Athletes, as well as numerous independent promotions including World Xtreme Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and Full Impact Pro....
in New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...
. While in the promotion, she and Martinez traded the North American Women's Championship, but Sakai was champion when she returned to Japan. In 2003, she left JDStar and relocated to the United States.
In December 2003 and January 2004, Sakai appeared with Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
, defeating Alison Danger
Cathy Corino
Cathy Allison Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager, better known by her ring name, Allison Danger.-Career:...
and losing to April Hunter
April Hunter
April Hunter is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model. She has appeared in many publications, from MuscleMag International to Playboy Magazine and even has her own comic book series, Code Red by Pickle Press.-World Championship Wrestling :In...
. She returned to Ring of Honor on August 20, 2005, losing to Lacey
Lacey (wrestler)
Lacey is an American former professional wrestler, most known for working with numerous promotions throughout Northern America career such as Ring of Honor, Shimmer, IWA-Mid South, Full Impact Pro, and NWA Midwest. She has also wrestled for Chikara, ChickFight, and was part of Wrestling Society X...
at Do or Die 5.
On April 17, 2005, Sakai organised "WE LOVE SABU", a pair of shows held at the Differ Ariake Arena
Differ Ariake Arena
is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ariake neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan, next to the Pro Wrestling Noah headquarters office. The capacity of the arena is 1,246 seats and it was opened in 1999...
in Tokyo. "WE LOVE SABU" was organised in support of Terry "Sabu" Brunk, an American wrestler who had been afflicted with a serious virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
in the summer of 2004, with the proceeds of the show going towards paying Sabu's medical bills. The show featured Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
alumni such as Masato Tanaka
Masato Tanaka
Masato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in Japan and in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States where he was a one-time world champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once...
and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
alumni such as The Sandman
Jim Fullington
James "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...
. Sabu eventually made a complete recovery, returning to the ring on May 21, 2005.
In 2009, Sakai began training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Bill Scott. She currently holds a blue belt.
Mixed martial arts
Sakai made her mixed martial artsMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
debut on October 14, 2006, fighting American kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
Amy Davis in a bout promoted by the Primal Tribe Fighting Club as part of the Xtreme Fight Series II event. The bout ended in a no contest at the end of the first three-minute long round after Davis suffered an arm injury and was unable to continue as a result of an armbar
Armlock
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...
applied by Sakai.
Mixed martial arts record
|Loss|align=center|2-3
|Iman Achhal
|TKO (punches)
|Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|2:30
|Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|2-2
|Jessica Penne
|Submission (armbar)
|Fatal Femmes Fighting 2
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|0:33
|Compton, California
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-1
|Amber McCoy
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Brawl at Bourbon Street
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:18
|Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|1-1
|Jessica Aguilar
Jessica Aguilar
Jessica Aguilar is a Mexican American female mixed martial artist who currently competes for Bellator Fighting Championships...
|Decision (unanimous)
|Combat Fighting Championship 3
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|Melissa Vasquez
|Submission (armbar)
|Freestyle Combat Challenge 25
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
| NC
|align=center|0-0
|Amy Davis
|NC (confusion over rules)
|Xtreme Fight Series 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:0
|Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Diving seated senton
- Fisherman buster
- Signature moves
- Inside cradle
- MoonsaultMoonsaultA moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Tara Bush
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s - "Pune Tang" (WEW)
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Women's Pro-WrestlingAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, nicknamed Zenjo was a joshi puroresu promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held their first card on June 4 of that year...
- AJW Tag Team ChampionshipAJW Tag Team ChampionshipThe AJW Tag Team Championship was the secondary tag team title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The title was introduced in 1986 and was retired in April 2005 when the promotion closed.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Yuko Kosugi
- American Wrestling Federation
- AWF Women's Championship (2 times)
- JDStarJDStarJDStar , was a women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. In the wake of the joshi puroresu boom of the early 1990s, several different groups opened with distinct approaches...
- JDStar Junior Championship (1 time)
- JDStar Queen of the Ring Championship (1 time)
- New England Championship WrestlingNew England Championship WrestlingNew England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...
- NECW North American Women's Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked her #20 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.
- Pro Wrestling Unplugged
- PWU Women's Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling WORLD-1
- Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 Women's Championship (1 time)
- Trans-World Wrestling Federation
- TWWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Cooga (1), Hiroyo Mutoh (1) and Megumi Yabushita (1)
- Women Extreme Wrestling
- WEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Annie Social