WWE: 5 superstars who could beat Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship

3. Io Shirai

Another NXT star with the potential to dethrone Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is “The Genius of the Sky” Io Shirai. After an impressive ten-year career in Japan, Io Shirai entered WWE by competing in the 2018 Mae Young Classic where she made it all the way to the finals at WWE Evolution before losing to Toni Storm.

Io Shirai continued to be a staple of the NXT women’s division, including title pursuits and a period teaming with eventual WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane prior to Sane’s move to Raw and partnership with Asuka. Despite her efforts, Shirai failed to break through the grouping and find singles success.

On the June 26, 2019, episode of NXT, after yet again failing to defeat Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship, Shirai snapped and attacked her former friend Candice LeRae. It marked the first time Shirai had been a heel since arriving in WWE, and she followed it with an instant classic when she defeated LeRae at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

If she were to move to the Raw brand, Shirai would present an altogether new challenge for “The Man” Becky Lynch. While she has a similar history to Lynch’s former rival Asuka, Shirai’s style is significantly different. She’s more chaotic and brings an unorthodox high-flying acumen that could present an opportunity for her to become an instant star by upsetting Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.