Hikaru Shida On Being Frustrated After AEW Women's Title Loss, Working On Her English

Hikaru Shida recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and admitted that she was frustrated when she lost the AEW Women's World Title earlier this year.

Shida won the strap back at AEW Double Or Nothing 2020 by defeating Nyla Rose in a No DQ match. She held the title for almost one year, dropping it to current champion Britt Baker at Double Or Nothing 2021 back at the end of May. Last night's AEW Dynamite from Boston saw Shida defeat Serena Deeb to advance in the tournament to crown the inaugural AEW TBS Champion. She will now face Rose in the quarterfinals.

Shida told SI that she was frustrated after losing to Baker, but now she's looking to get back to the top with the TBS Title tournament.

"After losing the title, I was very frustrated," Shida said. "I thought I could have done more and been better as champion. So this tournament for the TBS title means a lot to me. It is a great opportunity to get back to the top."

Shida spoke with SI right after her win over Deeb on Wednesday night, conducting the interview with a translator, giving her the option of speaking in Japanese. She still answered many of the questions in English, and noted that her English has improved by watching Sherlock Holmes, among others. She also credited Dustin Rhodes and boyfriend AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

"I have been learning so much from Kenny Omega and Dustin Rhodes, and they teach about what it takes to be on a TV show," she says. "Being on TV is something an actress does, so I took acting classes. And my English has got so much better from watching Sherlock Holmes on BBC."