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Hikaru Shida Provides Update On Contract Status Amid AEW Hiatus

It's been nearly a year since Hikaru Shida has been seen on AEW programming, but her hiatus may be coming to an end.
Rick Ucchino|
Hikaru Shida
Hikaru Shida | Ring of Honor Wrestling

While she hasn't appeared on AEW programming in quite some time, Hiraku Shida is still All Elite.

It's been nearly a year since the multi-time AEW Women's World Champion has competed in the United States as she's been stuck overseas due to visa complications.

Shida has stayed busy by taking several independent bookings over in Japan, and she recently played the role of a retiring wrestler in a stage production.

Hikaru Shida
Hikaru Shida | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Some fans were left wondering if this was a situation of art imitating life, but Shida reassured folks that she's not done wrestling during a live stream on her YouTube channel on Friday.

“It’s about a wrestler. The title was ‘Retirement’ and this is the story of the wrestler (who) just announced her retirement, and that’s me. Actually, after the show many fans asked me like ‘Are you retiring or is it just a play?’ And of course it’s just a play. I’m not retiring."

Earlier this week, Shida posted online that she was preparing to head back to the United States and it appears there's a good reason for that. She has more matches in AEW ahead of her.

"I just renewed my Visa and contract, so I’m not retiring. But fans asked me so that means my acting was too good.”

MORE: Major Update On Bronson Reed's WWE Contract Status

There is still no word yet on the length of Shida's new contract or when she's expected back on AEW television.

Could Shida soon return to challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship?

Kris Statlander
Kris Statlander | All Elite Wrestling

Shida last competed for AEW on the November 20, 2024 edition of AEW Dynamite, where she lost to the now reigning AEW Women's World Champion Kris Statlander.

Stat is scheduled to defend her title later this month at WrestleDream when she takes on Timeless Toni Storm. Assuming she retains, perhaps Shida could make her comeback and attempt to position herself for a rematch against Kris at some point in the near future.

We will provide an update on Hikaru Shida's AEW status as soon as any new information becomes available.

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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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