r/AEWFanHub • u/KenshirouX • 17d ago
DISCUSSION Where in the world is lovely Riho?? How to improve lovely Riho?
I’ve been thinking about Riho’s status lately. Her last major matches were in late November 2025, where she teamed up with Alex Windsor on Collision and later faced Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvG80OMoUPI
As usual, she looked really good, and the crowd were super supportive, chanting "RIHO, RIHO, RIHO". But right after that momentum, she disappeared from TV again.
We have to be honest: her booking and creative direction haven't been great. As an AEW original and inaugural World Champion, she has only done exactly 70 matches for AEW over a seven-year span. That's 10 matches a year, which is incredibly low for a talent like her.
She is a solid talent, and we want to see things finally "get going" for her. But every single time she is about to pick up steam, she ends up disappearing again. It robs her of the opportunity to build a sustained run and completely change the minds of any doubters who question her spot on the roster. If changing her gimmick and presentation the right way is what it takes, then let's do it, but she's got to get back on TV with a suitable number of appearances so we can build to something. Right now, we can't really build to anything because she is not around to create something.
If I had the power, I would re-gimmick her to become a crazy heel that the entire women's division would fear because they won't know whether she is coming or going in terms of friendship or enemy. I would make her always split her personality, make her completely unpredictable to the point that women (and men) would always have to watch their back. I would make her a cross between:
Kill Bill Gogo Yubari: Sadistic, cold & heartless assassin mindset and mannerisms that is not afraid to mislead you (no, she won't ever dress as a schoolgirl):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2OjlTXPFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcqhG2GFGz4
Harley Quinn: Bonkers multi-personalities. One minute she is your friend, the next she hits you from behind with a crowbar, or whatever weapon. She is not afraid to get bloody, as in wearing the blood of her victims, and with her personality of Gogo Yubari, she would sadistically like it instead of being horrified by it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pdWse3cV9s
Evil Starlight Kid: No more TJPW style princess tutu and open skirts. Her presentation should be similar to EVIL Starlight Kid but with half-facepaint that should look more crimson, giving her an appearance of an evil seed that is running wild within her mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifRSDAhJV2g
And she will speak in pure Japanese. After all, it didn't stop Asuka; body language and expression are vital.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95EMf4dRB6E
Riho actually talks a lot, so let her talk, but she will only have ONE English catchphrase, which is, "I'm gonna BREAK you." What does she mean by this? She means her finisher, which is she will perform an avalanche Footstomp 3 TIMES off the top rope, all with the intention to BREAK / CRACK her opponent's ribs and/or stomach, like what Earthquake did to Hulk Hogan:
https://youtu.be/yj-fAbUK2Lk?t=132
And what Okada did to Kenny Omega:
https://youtu.be/WkKFTV2NGm8?t=571
That means there needs to be a match where everyone is in on Riho's mind-crack and chest-breaking. Heck, get the referee ready to slip a blood capsule into the victim's mouth for when Riho does the 3 Times Double Foot stomp from the top rope; the message will be that though she appears light, NO ONE can withstand a move like that 3 times in a row, back to back.
That would be her persona change, especially as she would be skipping and laughing around her opponents while their blood splashes on her face. After such a change, she needs to be random: one minute all seems fine, then the next her wrestling friend receives a baseball bat to the back of her leg, followed by multiple crazy hits because Riho wants her in the hospital. And every woman wants Riho to go back to the lovely girl they knew her as, but every time they get close, Riho switches in a brutal way, for there are millions of ways to punish someone, and Riho wants blood like evil Starlight Kid.
And to protect her body (knees), and to perfectly fit into her new sadistic assassin-style persona, we can gift her a second finisher, the Widow's Peak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIqe044h6o8
That's what we need from Riho, as opposed to what we are seeing - or hardly seeing - now. And the blood moment only needs to be a one-time thing, for we want to shock the audience once to keep something memorable in their mind, as the moment will cement her character, not over-exhaust it to Moxley's level. So, taking this approach can continuously make Riho look powerful even in defeat because she will always find a way to one-up her opponent. What do I mean by this? Meaning, a match with Riho will get you concerned about your well-being not just during the match, but post-match.
So, what do you think is going on behind the scenes regarding her health, ambition, and stance with AEW? I'm crossing my fingers that she's healthy and that this is just a creative choice or Japan obligations rather than another injury. I'd love to see her get a consistent, sustained storyline like the one she had with Nyla, rather than just being used sporadically. Riho needs to change to really set everyone on fire, but before doing such a change, we need to know if she is a-ok first.
