The Royal Rumble match earlier this year saw a number of NXT stars making their presence felt and the stars that got a moment to shine include people like Bianca Belair, Shayna Baszler and Keith Lee.

However, during a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, NXT star Io Shirai revealed that she was actually scheduled to compete in the Battle Royal earlier this year.

Shirai revealed that she was pulled from the match because she suffered an injury while competing in a match with Toni Storm before the PPV in January:

“I had a match with Toni Storm before Royal Rumble, when Storm hit a tope to me at outside of the ring, my knee had bent to the wrong direction. I was scheduled to participate (in the) Royal Rumble, but I was so frustrated that I (couldn’t) participate.”

• Also Read: Drew McIntyre Reveals His Reaction To Learning That WrestleMania Will Have No Fans

Io Shirai returned from the injury in March and in April, she became the number one contender for Charlotte Flair’s NXT Women’s Championship after winning a ladder match.

The NXT star defeated Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Dakota Kai, and Chelsea Green to earn the opportunity and she will be challenging the Queen for her title at this week’s episode of the Black and Yellow brand

WWE NXT Superstar Io Shirai has opened up about the differences between wrestling in Japan and the United States.

Speaking with WWE show The Bump, Shirai detailed how wrestler win/loss records have an impact on how promoters decide on contenders in Japan. 

Shirai noted how in the United States, wrestling is “more than the win or the defeat.” She highlighted how the story and process that leads into the matchup is what makes an American audience react. 

When she wrestled in Japan, Io Shirai was only focused on winning. After arriving in America, however, “I realized that just winning the match won’t make me supported by the audience. It’s more about the process and the story that leads to the win or the defeat.”

It’s a moment she believes it shared between wrestler and audience. She explained how, upon realizing this, she was able to immerse herself deeper into pro wrestling.

Io Shirai is the current number one contender to Charlotte Flair’s NXT Women’s Championship. She won the right to face off against Flair after winning a #1 Contender’s Ladder Match on the 4/8 episode of NXT. Shirai defeated Mia Yim, Chelsea Green, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Tegan Nox for the right to challenge Flair.

The next challenger to WWE NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be Io Shirai.

During Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot. 

A Ladder Match that saw Chelsea Green, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.

It was a lengthy match that had a table crash spot as well as Knox going through a ladder off the middle rope. 

Io Shirai was victorious, earning the right to challenge Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women’s Title. 

WWE hasn’t announced exactly when this contest will take place as it will go down but it’s likely to be featured on an upcoming episode of NXT TV on the USA Network. 

This match was supposed to take place at the NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay event during WrestleMania 36. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the event was canceled. 

Thus, WWE made the decision to air matches planned for the show to take place on NXT TV. 

Flair beat Rhea Ripley to win the NXT Women’s Title at WrestleMania 36 – Night 2 this past Sunday night. 

• NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Announced

This week’s episode of NXT saw injured star Io Shirai making her in-ring return for the brand and she won a big match up during her comeback on the show.

This week’s episode of the Black And Yellow brand was expected to see Xia Li competing against Aliyah for a spot in the announced #1 contenders ladder match for the NXT Women’s Championship.

However, Li was attacked by someone backstage before the match can take place. After it was declared that she was unable to compete on the show, officials announced that Shirai has been cleared for in-ring action.

The Japanese star was then sent to the ring for the match. She went on to defeat Aliyah and earn herself the spot in the upcoming ladder match. You can check out some photos of the bout below:

Io Shirai suffered a leg injury during a match with Toni Storm on the January 22 episode of NXT. At the time, it was reported that she will stay out of action for two months.

With this win, the returning star has joined Chelsea Green, Tegan Nox, and Mia Yim in the list of confirmed names for the upcoming ladder match.

The winner of the bout is expected to receive a shot at the title after WrestleMania, where the current champion Rhea Ripley will defend her championship against the winner of 2020 Royal Rumble, Charlotte Flair

So far we have heard talks of stars being unhappy on the main roster but now a latest report reveals that an NXT star is also not satisfied with her position in the company.

According to reports from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio, NXT star Io Shirai is “not necessarily happy” with how she has been used in the Black and Yellow brand.

Meltzer did not go into the details on the reason behind her unhappiness, but it was noted that Io Shirai’s NXT pay is ‘nothing special.’ She used to make more money in Japan while working fewer dates.

Another possible reason for this could be Shirai’s relationship with NJPW star Evil. Io is engaged to the Japanese star but there is no word yet on when the two wrestling stars are planning to tie the knot.

On a related note, it’s been said previously that Stardom promotion in Japan is interested in bringing both Io Shirai and Kairi Sane back to the company.

• Also Read: Stephanie McMahon Comments On Kairi Sane’s Injury

The women’s promotion was bought up by NJPW’s parent company Bushiroad last year and it’s expected that they will be putting a lot of resources into the promotion.

So they can make a significant offer to try and bring the female stars back to Japan when their contract expires and WWE is very likely to counteract this by calling Io up to the main roster which will greatly increase her pay.

Kairi Sane signed a 3 years long deal with WWE in March 2017 which means that her current contract should be expiring soon. On the other hand, Io signed with the promotion around the summer of 2018 but there are no more details available on her deal.

WWE NXT Superstar Io Shirai recently spoke with The Hindunstan Times. During the interview, Shirai opened up about her heel turn on the black-and-gold brand. She also shared who her current dream opponents would be.

“To the fans, my character changed suddenly. But I took a long time to think about it and it was a gradual process for me. When I came to WWE, I wanted to try out something different. They already had Asuka and Kairi [Sane]. So, I wanted to show something new,” Shirai explained. “I wanted to show a new side of Japanese woman wrestlers. I have mainly been a babyface in my career but I wanted to make a big change.”

This change has allowed her a new sense of confidence, one she credits directly to her heel turn.

“This has given me more confidence. The heel turn has added a lot of new things to my character and that has certainly boosted my confidence. I came with a different role but this change has been a boost for me.”

When it comes to potential dream opponents on WWE’s main roster shows RAW and SmackDown, Shirai was quick to list a few top names. For her, she would love the opportunity to compete against “The Boss” Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Asuka.

On last night’s episode of NXT, Shayna Baszler successfully retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Io Shirai in a steel cage match.

Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir came out during the match to help Baszler, by preventing Shirai from escaping the cage. Candice LeRae help keep things balanced by coming out to help Shirai.

• WWE NXT Recap & Results (6/26)

During the end of the match, Shirai was about to make it out of the cage when Baszler locked on her with her submission finisher ther Kirifuda Clutch through the bottom rope. Shirai was able to muster some strength to smash the cage’s door on Baszler’s head, but the champ ended up falling to the floor to win.

While The Horsewomen helped Baszler to the ramp, LeRae went to console Shirai. But what the Genuis of the Sky did next surprised the audience. She snapped, and put LeRae down, and kicked her multiple times. She next gets a chair and hit LeRae in the gut and on her back. Shirai then headed back to the ramp after beating up LeRae, and claimed that she didn’t need any friends.

The vicious attack left LeRae to recieve medical attention from WWE officials.

Before NXT Takeover: Phoenix gets going on the WWE Network at 8 PM est tomorrow night, 2 matches will be taped. Both will air on next week’s episode of NXT. The new matches for Saturday’s show in Phoenix’s Talking Stick Arena were made on NXT programming last night.

Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke will take on Io Shirai & Kairi Sane.

.@KairiSaneWWE & @shirai_io will team up once again to take on @jessamynduke & @MarinaShafir… NEXT WEEK! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/vVx38AGg3z

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 24, 2019

The Street Profits will also take on the Forgotten Sons.

– WWE NXT Recap & Results (1/23)

Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke vs Io Shirai & Kairi Sane

The 4 Horsewomen of MMA played a pivotal role in Shayna Baszler’s victory over Kairi Sane at the last Takeover event. This Takeover, Sane gets a chance at revenge when she teams up with her fellow Stardom alumni, Io Shirai.

The 4 Horsewomen tandem of Shafir & Duke is 0-1 on NXT programming. They lost their first match against the team of Io Shirai and Dakota Kai on the November 28th tapings.

Io Shirai is 6-2 on WWE programming. Her only single’s loss came in the finals of the Mae Young Classic this year. She was defeated by Toni Storm. Her only other loss was in a fatal 4-way match which was won by Bianca Belair, earning her the right to face Baszler on Saturday.

Kairi Sane is 17-4 in single’s matches on WWE programming. Her only losses have been to Shayna Baszler (3x) and Lacey Evans once. She’s 1-0 in tag matches and 1-3 in multi-person matches.

The Forgotten Sons vs The Street Profits

The Forgotten Sons are 3-1 on NXT programming. Their only loss was to Heavy Machinery. Their most notable win thus far was against the Street Profits in their debut on the August 23rd set of tapings.

The Street Profits went 3-5 on NXT programming in 2018. They are 1-0 to start 2019, however, and are also the current EVOLVE tag team champions.

The Mae Young Classic completes the 1st round tonight on the WWE Network. Matches 13-16 are scheduled to air following tonight’s episodes of NXT and 205 Live.

Mae Young Classic Preview 9/26

Io Shirai vs Xia Brookside

There is a lot of hype around both of these two. Shirai’s hype train was only derailed last year when WWE didn’t sign her following a medical. She was said to have been dealing with neck problems at the time. Shirai seems ready to go now, however, and WWE seems happy to have her.

At only 19, Brookside is likely the youngest person in WWE’s developmental system. Her step-father is NXT trainer and UK legend, Robbie Brookside, however, which likely means she’s been training long before her official debut as a wrestler in 2015 (when she was still only 15 years old).

Rachel Evers vs Hiroyo Matsumoto

Paul Ellering’s daughter, Rachel Evers, is a graduate of the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. While not signed to WWE, Evers has wrestled for the promotion frequently in the last few years. She has also competed professionally in power-lifting.

A 13-year pro, Matsumoto made a name for herself in Japan’s Stardom promotion. PWI ranked her 25th in the female single’s wrestlers in 2017.

Jessie Elaban vs Taynara Conti

23-year-old Taynara Conti is the first female Brazilian wrestler in WWE history. She is well-versed in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu and currently assigned to the WWE Performance Center. Conti has appeared several times on NXT, usually in a losing effort. She has also competed in artistic gymnastics.

Elaban is also signed to WWE developmental but hasn’t been as visible as Conti on WWE programming. She’s wrestled on the NXT live event schedule but tonight will be her first match on the WWE Network. Elaban is said to be a quirky Superstar who describes her style as a mix of clumsy and goofy.

Isla Dawn vs Nicole Matthews

The Scottish Isla Dawn (Stacy Coates above) also took part in the WWE UK tapings recently and will likely become a big part of that brand. She’s still competing elsewhere, however, so it doesn’t look as though WWE has locked her up yet.

Canadian Nicole Matthews is a veteran of the North American independent scene and was an alternate in the tournament last year. She is a veteran of promotions such as Shimmer, RISE, Defy, and PWA in British Columbia.

WWE’s newest signee, Io Shirai, was on hand at the WWE live event in Tokyo this morning. She was officially unveiled as the newest addition to the roster. Shirai will be assigned to the NXT brand.

Shirai is a former 2x Wonder of Stardom champion. She has been voted as Tokyo Sports’ Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize winner (the equivalent of woman’s wrestler of the year award) the last 3 years in a row.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkpvJjzgX3S/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1qqoted9k7qzi

Io Shirai

Shirai was rumored to be heading to WWE last year but failed medical evaluations prevented this from happening. It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that neck and heart problems caused WWE to back away from signing her. She continued to compete for Stardom the following year after not signing with WWE.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Shirai #6 in their female top-50 rankings in 2017.

Shirai confirmed her departure from Stardom back in late May with many speculating she would be headed to WWE.

Parts of Shirai’s blog in late May revealing her departure from Stardom were run through Google Translate.

“I’m going to leave Stardom with me aiming for a further leap of pro-wrestling life in the future.

The Korakuen Hall show on June 17 will be the last for Stardom.”

World of Stardom also Tweeted out the following facts about Shirai’s time with the promotion:

“Io Shirai’s done it all in Stardom.
World of Stardom champion twice, 1014 days.
Wonder of Stardom champion twice, 375 days.
Tag champion 407 days.
High Speed champion.
Artist of Stardom champion 6 times.
SWA champion.
5 Star Grand Prix champion.
Now she will show it to the world.”

According to Japanese media outlet, Tokyo Sports, Io Shirai is headed to WWE.

There had been reports last year that Shirai was WWE bound as well but the 27-year-old’s offer was rescinded after she failed a company medical. Shirai was found to have an injured neck and ended up returning to Stardom.

It appears WWE once again has a contract offer on the table for Shirai. It’s not clear if WWE has taken a second look at her medical records or not at this point, however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HStTqJRjOxk

Io Shirai

Tokyo Sports is reporting that Shirai’s last match for Stardom will be June 23rd, 2018. The media outlet notes that Stardom’s advertising for their July shows does not feature a picture of Shirai.

Shirai lost her “Wonder of Stardom” championship last week, spurring rumors she was leaving the company. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported the title change had always been in the works, however, and likely had nothing to do with Shirai leaving. The Observer also reported that WWE has made offers to several other talents from Stardom likely for the upcoming Mae Young Class tournament this summer. Stardom’s Toni Storm also recently signed with WWE as part of the UK division.

Shirai is one of the most talented and respected female athletes in all of Japan. She has won Tokyo Sports’ “Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize” award a record 3 straight times. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked her #6 in their Top-50 countdown of female wrestlers in 2017.

Last May it was reported that 27-year-old, Io Shirai, had signed with WWE. The next month, however, Shirai’s medical examination with the company revealed a neck injury and her offer was rescinded. It is also believed the medical examination revealed a minor heart ailment as well.

Shirai’s doctors in Japan are willing to clear her to perform but evidently, WWE doctors are not. Since her experience with WWE, Shirai has returned to Stardom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFpuWEHRW8

Io Shirai Turns Down Women of Honor Opportunity

According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Shirai turned down a chance to be in ROH’s Women of Honor tournament due to feeling as though it could hurt her chances of going to WWE someday. Other Stardom wrestlers, such as Mayu Iwatani and HZK will be participating.

WWE has told prospective recruits in the past that they prefer performers who have not wrestled on a national TV program, such as Ring of Honor has. They have made several exceptions to this rule in recent years, however.

Should this report prove correct, it would mean Shirai is of the belief WWE doctors could potentially clear her somewhere down the line.

Io Shirai (real name Masami Odate) will not be heading to WWE for some time it appears. the 27-year old who made her name in Stardom, was discovered to have a neck injury during a recent WWE medical, that will delay her debut with the company.

According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, there is no timetable for her return, but she is expected to be out awhile. Shirai signed with the company back in March.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhqD2iTZs9w

Io Shirai

In 2012, Shirai, along with then-boyfriend Kazushige Nosawa, was involved in a bizarre legal incident . The two were travelling back to Japan from Mexico when they were arrested for drug smuggling. 75 grams of marijuana was discovered inside a painting of the 2 of them. Shirai and Nosawa said the painting was a gift from a fan, and they knew nothing about the marijuana inside.

Marijuana charges are still a big deal in Japan. Matt Sydal spent several weeks in a Japanese prison late last year as a result of possession charges. Sydal also had his relationship with NJPW severed as a result.

Eventually wrestler Takuya Sugi admitted to planting the marijuana in the painting. According to Sugi, he had been promised a contract extension with AAA Lucha Libre by Masahiro Hayashi if he did. Evidently, Hayashi was holding quite a grudge against Nosawa.

WWE’s initiative to scour the globe for the top talent continues to yield strong results. Io Shirai, arguably one of the top women’s wrestlers in the world, has accepted an offer to join with WWE [via Wrestling Observer]. The 27-year-old took part in a WWE tryout camp at the Performance Center back in March and recently finished up with Japan’s Stardom promotion.

Io Shirai appeared for Lucha Underground last year under the name Hitokiri as part of the Black Lotus Triad group. In this match from November 2016, Shirai wrestled Pentagon Dark  in a must-see match that includes Shirai jumping off the balcony.

Joining Io Shirai in WWE will be fellow stardom performer Kairi Hojo. Back in March, the Observer reported that Hojo signed a 3-year deal with WWE. She is expected to start training at the WWE Performance Center soon.

With WWE’s Women’s Tournament taking place this summer, you can bet Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo will be two of the 32 competitors involved.

Finally, WWE has reportedly signed independent wrestler Kennadi Brink [via SquareCircleSirens]. She has worked for various promotions including SHIMMER and MCW. Brink recently worked as a referee for a few NXT live events in Florida and will be joining WWE/NXT as a referee.