AEW: 5 possible opponents who could challenge Hikaru Shida for the Women’s Title

At Double or Nothing, Hikaru Shida beat Nyla Rose to become AEW Women’s Champion.

In 2020, Hikaru Shida has been nearly unbeatable. As of the May 27 episode of AEW Dynamite, she is 10-1. You read that correctly; one loss in all of 2020. While Nyla Rose was unavailable for weeks due to the novel coronavirus, Shida was not only holding down the women’s division, she became the face of the division.

Shida was rewarded for her efforts with a title shot at Double or Nothing. Nyla and Shida have great chemistry. It was showcased here with Shida coming out as ultimately victorious and becoming the company’s third women’s champion. 

The win by Shida was somewhat as a surprise as Nyla didn’t get to defend her title often during her 101-day reign as champion. Her reign could’ve been better had a global pandemic not happened. However, Shida was the right person to take the title of Nyla. She has anchored the women’s division for months.

Shida had a match on the Dynamite after Double or Nothing against Christi Jaynes, but it wasn’t for her newly won title. Now that she’s the champ, Shida has the proverbial target on her back.

Here’s who might challenge Shida to become the next AEW Women’s champion.

Nyla Rose

The second AEW women’s champion is looking for payback. The “Native Beast” was served with an upset loss at Double or Nothing. As I mentioned before, Nyla didn’t get to defend her title often. After defeating Riho on the Feb. 12 episode of Dynamite, she wrestled just four matches. Two of those matches were tag teams.

She is definitely coming for Shida to get her title back. Nyla wants the chance to show everyone what she would’ve done as champion if circumstances hadn’t gotten in the way. She has really started to come into her own lately.

Nyla probably also wants to get her hands back on a certain kendo stick. Or to put her nemesis through a table.

Kris Statlander

Besides Shida, Statlander has been a fixture in the women’s division. She has quickly become a fan favorite with her out-of-this-world look and her famous nose boops.

Statlander had a title shot back in February against Nyla Rose. She tagged with and against Shida this year. Scheduled to face Dr. Britt Baker at Double or Nothing, she had to switch up her game plan when her opponent was injured. At the last minute, Statlander faced Penelope Ford.

With this victory, she moved to 4-4 on the year. She is currently second place in the AEW Women’s rankings. It is likely that she’ll face the women’s champion soon. If she can get the champ into the Big Bang Theory, there’s a good chance she’ll become the next champion.

Penelope Ford

The “SuperBad Girl” has being making a lot of noise lately (even more than normal). She did a good job filling in for Dr. Britt Baker in a pay-per-view match. She had just days to get ready for Statlander.

Even though she suffered a defeat, Ford is 3-3. That’s good enough for fifth place in the AEW Women’s rankings. With Baker out until ALL OUT and Yuka Sakazaki in Japan, she will likely leapfrog both of them in a matter of weeks.

She pulls double duty assisting her “SuperBad” fiancé, Kip Sabian in his matches. With more opportunities in the women’s division, he might have to return the favor.

Big Swole

We haven’t seen Big Swole in the ring lately, but she’s been making noise. She recently returned as part of the live crowd and was a fan favorite part of Double or Nothing. If Tony Khan allowed intergender matches, she would’ve already challenged Lance Archer. She might also challenge Brian Cage.

Swole seems raring to go and ready to make up for lost time. With Baker out for months and other wrestlers unable to get back to the US, this is the time for Swole Mentality. She can really make a name for herself and put herself in contention for a title shot.

Britt Baker

There is a good chance that Shida is still Women’s champion by the time September rolls around. Dr. Britt Baker has vowed to return at All Out in August.

Baker is 4-4 on the year and was well on her way to another title shot. She’ll be looking for revenge against the women who took her out (Nyla Rose, Kris Statlander and referee Aubrey Edwards – see above video). Shida was also part of the spot that ultimately put the dentist out of business.

What better way to get revenge on one of the women who injured her than to beat her for her title? Baker will have plenty of time to plot her revenge and there’s a very good chance that she could either return to challenge Shida or to cost her the title.

Unfortunately, the women’s roster is somewhat thin due to a combination of injury and a global pandemic. Several competitors are locked down in their respective countries. AEW has signed new women’s talent in Anna Jay. They will be forced to really build their division on the women who are available. This can help build a solid foundation and turn it into the division we know it can be.