It would be easy for Sumie Sakai to overlook her first round opponent in the ROH Women’s Championship tournament. After all, she’s a former Women of Honor Champion, a 19 year veteran, and has wrestled in a sold out Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, Rok-C is only 19 years old, and while she started training at 13, she’s nowhere near the level of Sakai… or is she? You don’t get called The Prodigy for nothing. She was trained by Booker T, and this is her biggest test yet.
Sumie Sakai Might Be Too Confident In This Match
Sakai would show some overconfidence early on, before they’d lock up in the middle of the ring. Rok-C would be taken down to the mat, but wouldn’t be pinned this quickly. Sakai would fight a takedown off with an attempt at a Kimura, which she moved into a pinfall. Rok-C broke free again, before Sakai moved into a cross armbreaker. Getting the rope broke the hold, before Rok-C took Sakai down and hit a big knee drop to the midsection.
Another lockup in the middle of the ring, would see Sakai get the go-behind, but Rok-C would get a slap to the chest and a big lucha libre armdrag out of the corner. A rushing uppercut in the corner and a flying knee strike took Sakai down, before she’d be taken into a half crab in the middle of the ring. Rok-C pulled to the ropes, before Sakai grabbed the arm to get an extra few seconds in the hold.
Back in the middle of the ring, Sakai looked for a full crab and was rolled up into a pinfall for a two count. They’d trade blows in the middle of the ring, with Rok-C showing heart but Sakai was better in this world. She’d take her down and hit a running knee strike for a two count. A choke in the corner before a big knee strike would show the darker side of Sakai, before applying the Texas Cloverleaf before turning it into a backbreaker.
Rok-C Isn’t To Be Overlooked By Anyone
The high angle crab would be applied in the middle of the ring, with Sakai sitting in. Rok-C had to pull the full weight of Sakai to get the rope, and was able to break the hold. The back was the target of some elbow drops, before Rok-C broke free. A kick to the face allowed a second rope Thesz Press to be set up, before hitting a knee strike and a big side russian leg sweep for a two count.
Rok-C hit a neckbreaker, but got greedy and went for a second. Sakai would counter into a Saito Suplex, before propping Rok-C on the top rope. Rok-C slipped out only to take some knees to the jaw, before kicking Sakai in the head twice as she sat up top. A frankensteiner took them both down into the ring hard, with Rok-C rolling into a pinfall, before Sakai countered for a two count.
The spinning back elbow took Rok-C down, before Fisherwoman Buster would drop her for a two count. Sakai was getting desperate, and would have her finisher countered, showing that Rok-C did her homework. A deep roll up would follow, and Rok-C gets a surprise win to push forward into this tournament.
A back and forth contest from start to finish, with some sloppy moments but overall just solid action from bell to bell. Rok-C really showed her potential in this match, and was the right choice of a winner, as ROH needs to push fresh faces in this division reboot. Match Rating: 3.25/5 (*** 1/4)
Rok-C will now go on to face the winner of Quinn McKay vs. Mandy Leon. Will we see Rok-C win the whole tournament? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!
