Former AEW Women's World Champion Reportedly Signed Extension With The Company

A former AEW Women's World Champion is nearing her return to All Elite Wrestling after missing nearly a full year of action, and is reportedly committing her future to the company as well.

It was recently announced that former AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida had her US visa renewed after not appearing on television since the November 20 episode of "AEW Dynamite." To go along with her brand new visa, Dave Meltzer reported in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Shida has not only returned to the US, but she has also signed a new contract with the company. It's currently unknown how long the contract will last or how much money Shida will be making over the next few years, but she remain as part of the AEW roster for the foreseeable future.

While she's been back in Japan, Shida has remained active by competing at various events across the country, even crossing paths with fellow AEW stars Willow Nightingale, Emi Sakura, and even Kota Ibushi. Her most recent match took place on September 7 at OZ Academy's "Flowers of the Cemetery" show where she teamed up with former IWGP Women's Champion Syuri to take on Sonoko Kato and Joshi legend Aja Kong.

Before her lengthy absence from AEW, she was one of the most decorated members of the women's division, and still holds a number of records that have yet to be beaten. Shida still holds the record for the longest individual reign with the AEW Women's World Championship, holding the title for 372 days between 2020 and 2021. In October 2023, Shida made even more history by defeating Saraya on that year's Title Tuesday edition of "AEW Dynamite" to become the first-ever three-time AEW Women's World Champion, before being defeated by "Timeless" Toni Storm at Full Gear in November, who in turn became the second woman to hold the title three times.