Is Mina Shirakawa AEW bound?
The Toni Storm/Mariah May angle introduced audiences to STARDOM’s Mina Shirakawa, a talented wrestler who has won numerous titles such as the Goddesses of Stardom Championship (with Mariah May), RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship (a title she recently dropped to Mercedes Mone), and the Wonder Of Stardom Championship.
Shirakawa has accomplished a lot during her time overseas, but now, it seems that she’s hungry to become the best in America. The 28-year-old has previously teased coming to America permanently, but according to Kimoto Riju of Tokyo Sports, Shirakawa is set to leave STARDOM once her contract expires at the end of March.
Given her ties to AEW, one could assume that means she’ll be all elite soon. According to Sean Ross Sapp, Shirakawa does plan on going to AEW. There’s no word on exactly when she’ll make her television return or who her first opponent will be as a full time AEW member. There also isn't any news on whether WWE has any interest in the STARDOM wrestler.
The last time Shirakawa was in AEW was at the Winter is Coming episode where she challenged then AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May for her title. Shirakawa came up short, and that story effectively put an end to her partnership with Mariah May. I’ll be fun to see the dynamic with May and Shirakawa now that the former is no longer the AEW Women’s World Champion.
Plus, it would be great if Shirakawa mixed it up with more names like Thunder Rosa, Deonna Purrazzo, Hikaru Shida, or Jamie Hayter as those will surely be quality matches. However, Shirakawa isn't just exclusive to AEW as she’ll be working in the United States for New Japan Pro-Wrestling for the Windy City Riot show on April 11. She does not have an opponent yet for the upcoming Chicago event.
Shirakawa will be a strong addition to the AEW roster. Hopefully, Tony Khan gives the division more focus and explores stories beyond the title scene. The company is giving the women more television time these days, but it would be a waste if Mina Shirakawa came to AEW and ended up on the sidelines after a brief three week push.