Hikaru Shida shares her ‘big, big, big dream’ for AEW
Hikaru Shida’s biggest dream is for AEW to hold a standalone event in Japan.
While appearing on AEW Close Up with Renee Paquette, Shida — the current TBS Champion — addressed the goals she still wants to accomplish in pro wrestling. Returning to CMLL for the first time in more than a decade is something Shida hopes to make happen. And she really wants to compete for AEW in her home country of Japan someday.
“There are so many things I want to do,” Shida said. “I want to wrestle all over the world, especially CMLL. I wrestled for CMLL [a] long, long time ago. I loved it so much, so I really want to go back there. This is my big dream, but — not Forbidden Door — AEW show in Japan. That’s my big, big, big dream.”
AEW has never held its own show in Japan but did partner with NJPW, Stardom, and CMLL for Wrestle Dynasty at the Tokyo Dome in 2025. If AEW did run an event in the country, it’d likely be similar to the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite the company stages in Mexico, which has become an annual event over the past couple of years.
Hikaru Shida on AEW All In 2026 —
Shida told Paquette that, only a couple of weeks into her TBS title reign, she hasn’t really thought about her plans for August’s All In pay-per-view yet. At the time, Shida considered the first All In at Wembley Stadium as the climax of her career. She entered that show as AEW Women’s World Champion but lost the title to Saraya in a four-way match. Shida’s goal this year is to walk into London as TBS Champion and retain the title.
AEW still has its Redemption PPV coming up on July 26, with All In then set to be held on August 30.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.