Tag: Hikaru Shida

Hikaru Shida Returns to AEW, Falls Short in TBS Title Clash on Collision

Hikaru Shida is officially back in All Elite Wrestling—and she didn’t waste any time stepping into a high-stakes situation.

On the special Thursday edition of AEW Collision, the former three-time AEW Women’s Champion made her long-awaited return by answering an open challenge issued by reigning TBS Champion Willow Nightingale. With Nightingale calling out the best competition AEW has to offer, Shida emerged as a fitting—and surprising—response after more than a year away from AEW action.

The match itself delivered down the stretch, with Shida nearly reclaiming championship gold in dramatic fashion. After avoiding Nightingale’s top-rope moonsault, Shida connected with a running knee that almost sealed the deal. She followed up with a second knee strike moments later, but Nightingale showed resilience by kicking out again. In a sudden twist, the champion caught Shida off guard with a backslide pin to retain her title.

Tensions teased boiling over after the match. Shida grabbed her signature kendo stick and appeared ready to attack Nightingale from behind, but ultimately thought better of it and dropped the weapon. Nightingale responded with a respectful thumbs-up, signaling mutual respect despite the heated battle.

This marked Shida’s first AEW match since November 2024, when she faced Kris Statlander on Dynamite. Her absence was largely due to visa complications, which were resolved in October 2025. Around that same time, Shida reportedly secured a new contract with AEW, setting the stage for her eventual return.

While away from AEW programming, Shida remained active in Japan, competing for several promotions including WAVE, ZERO1, and OZ Academy. One of her most recent appearances came in November 2025 at OZ Academy’s Sonoko Kato retirement event, where she competed in an eight-woman tag match.

With her return now in the books, the big question is what comes next. Whether this was a one-off appearance or the beginning of a more consistent run remains unclear—but if this performance was any indication, Shida is ready to make an impact once again.

Thunder Rosa Injured, Interim AEW Women’s Champion To Be Crowned At All Out

AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa is unable to defend her title due to an injury … but she’s not relinquishing the gold. Instead, AEW will crown an interim AEW Women’s Champion at the promotion’s upcoming All Out pay-per-view.

During a backstage interview with Tony Schiavone on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS, Rosa revealed that she will be taking some time off to recover from an injury. As a result, Toni Storm, and Jamie Hayter, former AEW Women’s Champions Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida will compete in a four-way match at All Out on September 4.

Hikaru Shida Removed From AEW’s Owen Hart Tournament, Replacement Announced

A segment taped ahead of time for this week’s Rampage revealed Shida is injured and can’t compete in the cup.

There has also been a slight shake-up in AEW‘s Owen Hart tournament on the women’s side of things, one that won’t be announced officially until this week’s Rampage airs.

As is usually the case in AEW, this week’s Rampage was taped ahead of time. That means spoilers are out there, and among them is the reveal that Hikaru Shida will no longer be a part of the tournament. As reported by PWInsider, Tony Schiavone has taped a segment with Jade Cargill and The Baddies, one of whom is Red Velvet, Shida’s first round opponent.

During that segment, Schiavone will reveal Shida is still suffering from injuries sustained during her Street Fight against Serena Deeb two weeks ago. Velvet will now have to take on Kris Statlander in her first round match on next week’s Rampage. Statlander never had the chance to compete in a qualifying match but will have the opportunity to compete in the tournament and progress should she beat Velvet next week.

Whether Shida is actually injured or not remains unclear. Shida is currently in Japan, and even though her last official match was the street fight in AEW, the former AEW Women’s Champion boasted that she had wrestled almost three hours worth of matches in just three days. If that’s where she sustained an injury, if she really does have one, that likely won’t sit well with AEW.

The men’s and the women’s tournaments will continue over the coming weeks, both culminating at Double Or Nothing. Owen’s widow Martha Hart will be at the event to present both winners with trophies. There are also still two Joker spots to fill. Mystery opponents who will compete in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Source: TheSportster