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Kenny Omega Gives Update On Hikaru Shida Amid Her AEW Absence

Omega says he's been cat sitting for Shida while she's been back home in Japan.
Rick Ucchino|
When will Shida be back in AEW?
When will Shida be back in AEW? | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Hikaru Shida has been off of AEW television for all of 2025 and we now know why.

Former AEW World Champion and Executive Vice President for All Elite Wrestling Kenny Omega held a recent Twitch stream and was able to give fans an update on where Shida has been.

She's been back home in Japan for the past few months, waiting to get her visa renewed. In the meantime, Omega says he has been taking care of Shida's cats.

"It's unfortunate, every couple of years, everyone has to go back to their home country and re-up their visa. I would've hated for her cats to have been alone for, who knows how long, because you never really know how long the process is going to take. In this case, it's taking quite a while. Her cats get separation anxiety and don't like being alone. Dobby [Kenny's cat] is generally very gentle. They do get along. It's nice and it's fun. I would do it anytime. It's not a chore."
Kenny Omega on Twitch

The three-time AEW Women's Champion last wrestled for AEW this past November. She lost to Kris Statlander on the November 20 edition of Dynamite.

MORE: AEW Dynamite Preview (5/21/25): Start Time, Match Card, How To Watch & Live Stream

Shida has remained active during her AEW hiatus, wrestling for a number of Japanese promotions. It's currently unknown when she'll be allowed to come back and compete in the United States.

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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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