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WWE can lose two major female superstars in 2020
NXT mainstay Io Shirai and WWE women’s tag team champion Kairi Sane can be on their way out of the company and their next destination can be a blast from the past for both the talented Japanese wrestlers.
WWE has seen a major shift in the recent past when it comes to their women’s division. From the trio of Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte headlining Wrestlemania 35 to the introduction of the tag team belts, the last few years have seen the division develop by leaps and bounds. As a result, the company has seen a huge influx of talent from the independent scene and the star-studded NXT roster is proof of their dominance. However, NXT mainstay Io Shirai and WWE women’s tag team champion Kairi Sane can be on their way out of the company and their next destination can be a blast from the past for both the talented Japanese wrestlers.
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In November 2019, Takaaki Kidani—the director of Bushiroad, which is the parent company of the STARDOM all women’s promotion in Japan—told Tokyo Sports (h/t Fightful) that he’d like to bring back both of them. “I will prepare the stage, so I’d like you to come back. Of course (multiple years with the WWE), it is a story after the contract is over, but I would like to show you coming back as an option. We are considering making a return offer.”
Dave Meltzer, on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, reported that Io Shirai is apparently upset with how her run in NXT has gone so far and she also wants to go back to Japan. Meltzer added that Bushiroad wants to offer them a lot of money because the feeling is that they need superstars there and that makes it a perfect time for Shirai to change companies.
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Earlier, Meltzer also reported that Sane’s contract will expire early this year and that she “has expressed interest in exploring other options” outside of WWE. A lot has changed since then as Sane has developed into a major powerhouse along with tag partner Asuka and it seems unlikely that he will be giving up her newly found position in the roster.
