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Hikaru Shida Gives Fans An Update On Her Visa Renewal Amid AEW Absence

The three-time AEW Women's Champion has not competed for the company yet in 2025.
Rick Ucchino|
Hikaru Shida
Hikaru Shida | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

There is still no timetable for Hikaru Shida to make her return to All Elite Wrestling.

The three-time AEW Women's Champion has not wrestled for the company yet in 2025, as she's been back in Japan waiting for her Visa renewal process to play out.

Shida held a live stream on her YouTube channel this week and gave fans an update on where things currently stand. Unfortunately, the status quo remains unchanged.

"Visa, especially nowadays, it's getting hard. AEW has so many wrestlers and the lawyer has to do so many things. I know it takes time. I hope I can go back to AEW soon. For now, I am enjoying my stay in Japan and getting more energy to wrestle in the US again. I'm looking forward to my comeback. Please wait and I'm so glad if you support me." h/t Fightful
Hikaru Shida

This latest update is not much different than the one Kenny Omega gave a few weeks back. The reigning AEW International Champion is currently cat sitting for Shida while she's away.

Hikaru last wrestled for AEW on the November 20 edition of Dynamite when she came up short in a match against Kris Statlander. Shida has remained active in Japan during her absence from AEW, wrestling for a number of independent promotions.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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