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Hikaru Shida Is Reportedly Back In The U.S, AEW Return Could Be Near

The 3-time AEW Women's World Champion seems to back in the United States after having visa issues.
Lyric Swinton|
Hikaru Shida is reportedly back in the U.S.
Hikaru Shida is reportedly back in the U.S. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

Holy Shida! It may not be much longer before we see the 3-time AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida back on AEW TV.

On a stream in May, Kenny Omega shared that he was taking care of Shida's cats while she was still in Japan dealing with visa issues and that "you never really know how long the process is going to take".

Her last appearance in AEW was in November of 2024 when she lost to Kris Statlander on Dynamite. Shida has wrestled several times in Japan while away from AEW, appearing on Maya Yukihi's 10th Anniversary show, Lucha Fiesta Especial, Hiragi Kurumi's 15th Anniversary show, opening night of the WAVE Catch The Wave tournament, Gokigen Pro Hataage, and most recently, Jaguar Yokota's 49th Anniversary show.

On Yokota's show, Shida teamed up with STARDOM's Saori Anou and Wonder of STARDOM Champion Starlight Kid to take on Jaguar Yokota, Mayumi Ozaki, and World of STARDOM Champion Saya Kamitani.

This week, Shida posted a picture of herself holding her passport while seemingly preparing to travel overseas and earlier today, she posted another photo, this time being reunited with one of her cats.

Hikaru Shida's recent Instagram posts.
Hikaru Shida's recent Instagram posts. | Hikaru Shida (@shidahikaru) on Instagram.

With her visa issues presumably in the past, there is plenty of new terrain for the 3-time AEW Women's World Champion to cover upon returning to AEW. While they haven't been formally introduced on screen, the existence of AEW women's tag team championships has been confirmed, and AEW CEO/GM Tony Khan has confirmed that he plans to introduce them when more of the women's division is off the shelf from injuries and other issues.

At AEW All In Texas, Shida's longtime former tag partner in Japan, STARDOM's Syuri made her AEW debut in the women's Casino Gauntlet. Syuri is a former IWGP Women's World Champion and World of STARDOM Champion, the latter being a historic reign that led her to topping the PWI Women's 250 list at #1 in 2022. While they were a tag team, Shida and Syuri won gold together in Sendai Girls, OZ Academy, and REINA.

Syuri is currently on excursion away from STARDOM to heal from some nagging injuries and train overseas. She is expected to make more appearances for AEW/ROH once she recovers from her recent elbow surgery.

As for Shida, it's only a matter of time before she returns to AEW in some capacity. With several new women and alliances being added to the roster since her last appearance, the possibilities for her return are endless.

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Lyric Swinton
LYRIC SWINTON

Lyric Swinton is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Sport & Entertainment Management. Her lifelong passion for wrestling has taken her around the world, primarily writing about alternative and international promotions for several major wrestling and media outlets, such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine, Blavity, Fightful, and more. She has covered wrestling for seven major promotions in some of the most famous venues in the world, including Wembley Stadium and the Tokyo Dome.

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