What’s the story?
Upon rumours of Io Shirai signing with WWE, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that there is no start date set for the Japanese sensation.
In case you didn’t know...
Io Shirai was rumoured to have signed with WWE a few months back. She had initially done a WWE tryout at the Performance Center in Orlando, and two pictures were released on WWE.com, however, the pictures were removed shortly after.
She is the current World Of Stardom Champion, the most prestigious prize in the Japanese Joshi promotion and is considered the ace of the promotion and her WWE debut is highly anticipated. Her fellow Stardom superstar Kairi Hojo has finished up with the promotion and is set to make her WWE debut soon as well.
The heart of the matter
The Observer noted that there isn’t a planned date for Shirai to start. Some fans speculated that both Kairi Hojo and Io Shirai could be part of the Mae Young classic. At this point, it’s entirely possible that the two Japanese stars could be featured in the tournament, but that is depending on when Shirai finishes.
There’s still a high possibility of Hojo featuring in the Mae Young Classic. If either of the two are in the tournament, they would have to be favourites to win. Unlike Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi in the Cruiserweight Classic, the two would be locked into deals, so WWE would definitely crown one of them if they are to be in the tournament.
What’s next?
Io Shirai will finish up with Stardom then move to Orlando and begin in the Performance Center before making her WWE debut.
Author’s Take
WWE should take their time with Io Shirai since they have a unique talent in their hands. She can even be saved for post-Takeover: Brooklyn. Now that Shirai and Hojo are WWE bound, it is a good time to eventually have Asuka called up to the main roster later this year.
Whatever it is, the NXT Women’s division will become even stronger with the addition of these two world class athletes.
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