WWE Officially Announces Io Shirai Signing

The WWE announced signing yet another big name wrestler from Japan, this time bringing over Io Shirai to NXT.

The WWE is making a clear push to continue its effort in picking up the best talent from around the world. In recent years we’ve seen the likes of AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Ricochet and others get added to the roster, much to the delight of independent wrestling fans.

But what’s even more compelling is how the WWE has worked to signed big name Japanese stars. On Saturday, news broke that the WWE has welcomed its newest name to the organization, and it’s quite a name as Io Shirai is now a member of the WWE family.

Shirai’s journey to the WWE has been a compelling story to watch in the last year. Many who follow the independent scene may remember that her name was initially mentioned as a new signee back in 2017.

However, a serious injury to her neck came to light and the WWE rescinded their offer to sign the Japanese star. A year would pass and Shirai would continue to compete at a high level, overcoming the medical issues with her neck and heart that put the initial deal on pause. That resilience led to her officially signing the offer, being introduced on June 30 and becoming the newest name to head to NXT.

Shirai is widely recognized as one of the top female wrestlers in the industry today. In their announcement, WWE called Shirai “one of the most decorated women’s wrestlers in the world.” She competed throughout Mexico and Japan where it was within the promotion known as World Wonder Ring Stardom that she grew he claim to fame. She was a multiple-time champion for that organization, with 13 total title reigns to her name. In 2017 she was listed as the sixth best female wrestler in the world by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Led by Triple H, NXT and WWE as a whole is continuing to look to other countries, especially Japan, to find the top talent needed to bolster the WWE roster. What started with Kenta (Hideo Itami) in 2014, the WWE has looked at the men and women who are the biggest stars in Japan, and found a way to bring them to the States. Finn Balor, Kairi Sane, Karl Anderson, Asuka, Kota Ibushi and Shinsuke Nakamura are the most recognizable names of men and women that built the biggest aspects of their brand in Japan, and then continued to find fame in what’s regarded as the biggest promotion in wrestling today.

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In Shirai, fans will welcome a female wrestler that brings intensity and high flying abilities into the ring. She has the perfectly mixed style of top rope and brawling tactics that can go toe-to-toe with any other lady on the roster. No word has been released as to when she will make her debut on WWE NXT, but trends have shown that these individuals tend to show up after major NXT TakeOver events. Shirai is a woman that the NXT fan base will welcome with open arms and hopefully the rest of the WWE Universe will do the same.