Hikaru Shida signals return to US after visa renewal

Hikaru Shida, a three time AEW Womens World Champion, signaled on Thursday that she is returning to the United States after nearly a year away from All Elite Wrestling, posting a photo from an airport and writing that she is "ready to go back to the US." The Japanese star has not appeared on AEW television since losing to Kris Statlander on the November 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite and has spent most of 2025 wrestling for independent promotions in Japan while awaiting travel clearance.

"Soaking in the hot springs at the airport, eating curry in the lounge, and fully prepared! See you later, Japan. I'm ready to go back to the US," Shida wrote on the social platform X alongside the airport image. AEW has not announced a return date or matched her to a specific program, but the post prompted speculation that she will rejoin the promotion as it moves into a fall schedule that includes several major shows.

Shida and AEW officials previously said her prolonged absence was tied to visa renewal procedures. Fellow AEW performer Kenny Omega commented in May that the work visa renewal was taking longer than expected. "You never really know how long the process is going to take. And in...