Hikaru Shida was a dominate AEW Women’s Champion and was arguably the best women’s champion in AEW’s history as well as one of the best.
Her run lasted over a year, beginning with her win over Nyla Rose and then losing it to Britt Baker. During her reign, she successfully defeated all challengers and established herself as one of the best in the world.
The biggest downside to her reign was it was during the pandemic and before crowds were allowed back, and she’s shared her thoughts on that before, but this time was different.
Changing Landscape
Hikaro did an interview with Weekly Pro Wrestling based in Japan, and she talked about how it’s harder to survive as a Japanese wrestler than when she first signed with AEW.
Special thanks to Inside the Ropes for the following transcript.
“At the time of the launch, the women’s division of AEW relied heavily on Japanese female pro wrestlers, and that was one of the selling points of the division. But that was only for a while after the launch. Nowadays, being a Japanese female pro wrestler is not as much of an advantage as it used to be.
“On the contrary, it has become more of a handicap in terms of language barrier, obtaining a work visa, and the Corona disaster. I myself am no exception to this, and even as a member of the AEW since its inception and a former Women’s Champion, I am struggling to survive in the current AEW.”
She then talked about how AEW gives their talent a lot of freedom, but it also means she and others were on their own in a strange country.
“In AEW, there is a high degree of freedom for the wrestlers, but because of that, everything is their responsibility. For example, there is basically no assistance from the organization in finding a place to live, even if you are Japanese. That’s how it was for me.
“So when I heard that Emi Sakura was moving to the U.S., I was worried. I’ve been studying English since I was a child, and I speak English better than most people think, but I still had a lot of trouble. Sakura, on the other hand, was at a level where even daily conversation was questionable.
“Even so, she found a room on her own and is desperately trying to seize the opportunity at AEW. But even though she came to America with such determination, she was not given a chance to participate in the TV matches. There is a fierce battle to get a chance to compete before you can show off your skills in a match. That is what AEW is today.”
This reminds us of the “I take care” story when Karl Anderson was struggling with money in Japan and Shinsuke Nakamura told him, “I take care” and helped support Karl until he was making enough to do it himself.
After everything we’ve heard about AEW we’re surprised they don’t have something in place to help their talent and other employees to get settled, but maybe that’s on the horizon?
We wish Hikaru and Sakura the best and hope they can work through these times and continue breaking down doors.
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