Top AEW Star Says Japanese Female Wrestlers "Are Struggling To Survive In Current AEW"

By Sai Mohan

Former AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida recently penned down a column for Weekly Pro Wrestling, a Japanese weekly publication.

Through the piece, Shida detailed the various challenges faced by herself and other Japanese female wrestlers in AEW.

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"My feeling is that the hurdle for Japanese women's pro wrestlers to come to AEW has become much higher," Shida wrote. "The major cause is the Corona disaster which is not easy to finish. And it's because the AEW Women's Division has grown so much in the past year.

"AEW is an organization that is constantly changing, and the players come and go very rapidly. TV and YouTube. If you've been following AEW on FITE TV or YouTube, you'll know that the women's division in particular has seen an increase in the number of young, cute, and dynamic players over the past year.

"At the time of the launch, the women's division of AEW relied heavily on Japanese female pro wrestlers, and that was one of the selling points of the division. But that was only for a while after the launch. Nowadays, being a Japanese female pro wrestler is not as much of an advantage as it used to be."

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Elaborating further on why being a Japanese female wrestler was no longer an advantage in AEW, Hikaru Shida mentioned how she herself was "struggling to survive in the current AEW."

"On the contrary, it has become more of a handicap in terms of language barrier, obtaining a work visa, and the Corona disaster," Shida revealed. "I myself am no exception to this, and even as a member of the AEW since its inception and a former Women's Champion, I am struggling to survive in the current AEW.

"In AEW, there is a high degree of freedom for the players, but because of that, everything is their responsibility. For example, there is basically no assistance from the organization in finding a place to live, even if you are Japanese. That's how it was for me.

"So when I heard that Sakura-san was moving to the U.S., I was worried. I was worried. I've been studying English since I was a child, and I speak English better than most people think, but I still had a lot of trouble. Sakura-san, on the other hand, was at a level where even daily conversation was questionable.

"Even so, she found a room on her own and is desperately trying to seize the opportunity at AEW. But even though she came to America with such determination, she was not given a chance to participate in the TV matches. There is a fierce battle to get a chance to compete before you can show off your skills in a match. That is what AEW is today."

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In conclusion, Shida was hopeful that Japanese female wrestlers would return to prominence in AEW once the pandemic ends.

"AEW is an organization that is always pursuing new possibilities, and I don't think that Japanese women's wrestling has disappeared from that list of options," Shida wrote. "Once Corona settles down, there will be a day when AEW and Japanese women's wrestling can interact in a new way. That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to say that even if we are able to sign a contract, it's just the start."

Last month, Hikaru Shida returned to Japan to take time away from AEW. According to the aforementioned Japanese article, she's already back in the United States. Shida was last seen in action on the January 12 episode of AEW Dynamite, where she would lose to Serena Deeb by submission. She had defeated Deeb in their previous two televised encounters.

H/T to reddit user u/multiplyxdivide for the translation.

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