Japanese Star Io Shirai Reportedly Accepts Offer to Join WWE

WWE has managed to score themselves another great Japanese talent. It has been reported by Dave Meltzer that WWE has offered Io Shirai a contract to join the company, and that she has accepted their offer. Shirai is only 27-years old, and has been wrestling for about a decade already. She is in the midst of her second reign as Word of Stardom Champion for the Japanese women’s wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, and she has been holding the title for over 500 days. Shirai went down to the WWE Performance Center back in March for a tryout, and was reportedly offered a contract not long after that.
The first and most likely way WWE could introduce her to an American audience would be to put her into the upcoming Women’s Tournament. Shirai is considered one of the best female wrestlers that the Stardom company had to offer, along with Kairi Hojo. Hojo has already announced that she is leaving Japan, and she will likely be reporting to the Performance Center in a matter of time. What’s interesting is that WWE has apparently been after Hojo and Shirai for a while, but the two women had chosen to stay with Stardom in the past. No word if WWE is considering acquiring anyone else from Stardom, but they are heavily focusing on the promotion’s talent for the Women’s Tournament this summer.
If WWE has truly signed Shirai, it will be a major boost to the women’s division on any brand she goes to. She is regarded by many to be one of the best female wrestlers on the planet today. Io Shirai is not going anywhere immediately though, she still has to drop the title and finish any other commitments up first. She and many others were rumored to be in talks with WWE for the new tournament coming up, and we may not have to wait too much longer to see their new recruits in action. The new show begins taping at Full Sail University on July 13th and July 14th.