Hikaru Shida earns future AEW Women’s title shot
Former AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will get another shot at the title after successfully defending her Regina Di WAVE title against The Bunny on Friday’s Rampage.
Shida got the victory after having to deal with both Bunny and Penelope Ford, hitting a meteora on the outside of the ring and a Michinoku driver on the inside of the ring for a near fall. She then followed up with her Katana finisher to get the pin.
Current AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter decreed on Wednesday that she would defend the title against the winner. She came out from the back after the match and jaw-jacked with Shida from the ramp.
While the two have faced off in a four-way and tag team matches in AEW, this will be their first-ever singles match. No date was announced for the bout.
Shida held the title for over a year starting in May 2020. After losing it in May 2021, she eventually got a shot at regaining it in a four-way for the interim version at September’s All Out. She got a one-on-one opportunity at the interim version in November, but was unsuccessful in unseating then-champion Toni Storm.
This will be Hayter’s first title defense since defeating Storm for the title at last month’s Full Gear.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.