Tonight on AEW Rampage, it was made official that former AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida would not be involved in the Owen Hart Memorial Cup. Despite qualifying, she has been removed from the tournament, with Kris Statlander taking her place in the upcoming first round match against Red Velvet. This news first broke on Wednesday, when AEW Rampage was taped – and that was seemingly also when Shida found out.
Hikaru Shida Comments On Being Removed From Tournament
The reason given for Shida being removed from the tournament was that she was not cleared to compete following her recent Philly Street Fight with Serena Deeb. However, Shida has a different story to tell – and seems to be a bit upset at AEW for this choice. Shida had the following to say over Twitter.
“Well…. I already had 4 matches after the street fight and just finished the greatest fighting musical show. But I seem to have been injured… Japanese wrestling is nothing for them. I’m so sorry. And sorry I couldn’t be in the tournament too.”
Is This A Storyline?
Many fans are mixed on what exactly is going on here. Shida has proven she’s completely fine to compete, but if there was legitimate beef to be had with AEW – Shida would not have waited until now to release a comment. Her replacement in the tournament was known since Wednesday evening, and Shida almost certainly knew around that same time.
It’s possible this is being used as a storyline, perhaps leading to a more aggressive Shida retuning to AEW – and looking for revenge. A heel turn could be in the works for Shida, which would give a chance to refresh her persona in the company.
Another option lies in the influence that Jade Cargill has in the company. A theory floating around as a possible story is that Cargill pulled some strings in an attempt to get her new ally Red Velvet a shot to jump to the finals, which could help set up Shida vs. Cargill for the TBS Championship.
Do you think Hikaru Shida is actually mad at AEW, or is this a storyline that will play out over the following weeks? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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