Emi Motokawa (October 4, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Emi Sakura.
Career[]
After starting her career in International Wrestling Association of Japan in August 1995, Sakura worked for several promotions across Japan, winning numerous titles, before founding her own promotion, Ice Ribbon, in early 2006. Sakura not only wrestled for the promotion, but was also solely responsible for training wrestlers for the promotion, where she went on to become a two-time ICE×60 Champion and a record five-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. During 2009, Sakura held not only both the ICE×60 and International Ribbon Tag Team Championships, but also the Daily Sports Women's and JWP Tag Team Championships and the NEO Singles and NWA Pacific Women's Championships, which led to the Tokyo Sports magazine naming her the 2009 joshi wrestler of the year. After six years with Ice Ribbon, Sakura left the promotion for "personal reasons" in January 2012. The following month, Sakura formed the Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling promotion in Bangkok, Thailand. During 2012, Sakura also became a regular for Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling (JWP) Project, winning the JWP Openweight Championship in October.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Ice Driver (Double underhook overhead gutwrench flipped sideways into a facebuster)
- La magistral
- Nyan Nyan Press (450° splash)
- Signature moves
- Cream Puff (High-angle Gory special backbreaker drop)
- Lifting double underhook backbreaker
- Mongolian chop
- Moonsault
- Reverse STO, sometimes preceded by an STO backbreaker
- Rolling Future (Discus double chop)
- Sakura Emi 70kg / 60kg / 40kg (Running crossbody to a cornered opponent, with theatrics)
- Sitout double underhook powerbomb
- Smash Mouth (Inverted facelock spun out into a DDT)
- Surfboard
- Trouble Clutch (Arm trap single leg Boston crab)
- Entrance music
- "Sakura Ebichu" by Ice Ribbon-Project
- "Sakura Go Round" by Ice Ribbon-Project
Championships and accomplishments[]
- All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
- AJW Championship (1 time)
- Ice Ribbon
- ICE×60 Championship (2 times)
- International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Kaori Yoneyama (1), Nanae Takahashi (1), Ray (1), Makoto (1), and Tsukushi (1)
- Pubil Belt 24 Championship (1 time)
- International Wrestling Association (Japan)
- AWF World Women's Championship (2 times)
- Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project
- Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kaori Yoneyama
- JWP Openweight Championship (1 time)
- JWP Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kaori Yoneyama
- Enemy Award (2009)
- NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling
- NEO Singles Championship (1 time)
- NEO Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yoshiko Tamura
- NWA Pacific Women's Championship (1 time)
- Mid Summer Tag Tournament VIII (2009) – with Nanae Takahashi
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked her #75 in the 2021 PWI Top 150 Females
- PWI ranked her #87 in the 2023 PWI Top 250 Females
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize (2009)
External links[]
Profile- Official blog
- Emi Sakura on Twitter
- Emi Sakura at the Internet Movie Database