WWE NXT: Io Shirai could be the next big heel champion

Saturday night, Io Shirai lost her first one-on-one match for the NXT Women’s Championship. Did the beatdown afterward foreshadow a character shift for the Japanese superstar?

Io Shirai is debatably the biggest star on NXT’s women’s roster. She’s certainly the most decorated member of the division due to her run as the “ace” of Stardom. At NXT TakeOver XXV, she unsuccessfully challenged Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship, but there’s no doubt she will raise the prize sooner or later.

One of the positives about her loss on Saturday was she illustrated how different she is from her best friend and tag partner, Kairi Sane. She showcased her fighting spirit, but she also showed she has an edge to her.

After she tapped to the Kirifuda Clutch, she picked up a kendo stick and got retribution on the champion. It seemed like a questionable decision for someone who is presented as a babyface.

It’s safe to assume this was a way to keep the feud going, but it could be more.

Even though Baszler deserved it, the ensuing beatdown kind of made Shirai look spiteful and self-aggrandizing. However, it could be argued that she has been heading in this direction for some time.

The “Genius of the Sky” pinned Baszler in a six-woman tag match a few months ago, and quickly positioned herself as the next in line to be NXT Women’s Champion. Her tag partner for the night, Bianca Belair, took umbrage with this. After all, she was focused on a potential rematch, and her own goal to be champion.

On the surface, this all seemed perfectly normal, but it’s easy to see why Belair felt slighted. Shirai put her own interests ahead of the team, and after she won she celebrated by herself until Kairi joined her.

The incident sort of caused a rift between Belair and Sane, who were getting along well until then. “The Pirate Princess” tried to deescalate the situation, but Shirai was completely unapologetic.

This seems minute, but it wasn’t exactly an isolated incident.

In the weeks leading to NXT TakeOver: New York, she stormed down to the ring to rescue her friend from the Horsewomen. Afterward, she stood alone in the ring and raised the title over her head, making her claim among her fallen opponents.

In her first TakeOver appearance, she and Sane worked together to gain an advantage in their fatal four-way match. However, when Kairi broke up Shirai’s pin attempt later in the match she seemed to take it personally. She returned the favor moments later.

For the first time, the Sky Pirates weren’t on the same page. One could imagine that slight tension may have come to a head if Kairi didn’t go up to the main roster.

Speaking of, the biggest benefit to Sane going to SmackDown alone was that Shirai could establish her own character outside of their friendship. Her actions on Saturday could’ve been the first hint that she could eventually turn heel.

For those unfamiliar with her work in Japan, she has done some intense and emotional angles as an antagonist in the past. Of course, it’s a shame fans missed out on a potential feud between Sane and Shirai, but the seeds are still there for Io to become the next big heel of NXT’s women’s division.

Lastly, when someone eventually defeats Baszler and she moves on to the main roster, there will be a void for a new heel. There are many others on the roster who could fill her spot. However, Io Shirai is perfectly suited to become the head of the division, and she isn’t a natural face like Sane.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see but Shirai could make an interesting and formidable antagonist this year.