After over a year away from AEW, Hikaru Shida is back in a big way, winning the TBS Championship at the start of the month to join Kris Statlander as the only women to hold both the AEW Women’s World Championships and TBS Championships in their career. And with All In on the horizon, Shida looks poised to walk in as TBS Champion, much like she walked into All In 2023 as AEW Women’s World Champion. In an appearance on “Close Up with Renee Paquette,” Shida discussed the difference in her mindset compared to All In three years ago.
“The first time we had All In at London, actually I was there as champion…I felt that was my climax of my career,” Shida said. “So I felt I could retire after that…After finishing the match, I couldn’t, I just felt ‘I could do it more.’ That’s what I felt. So at the moment, my goal was [to] be there. Now I know I can’t be satisfied just to be there. I need to win. I can imagine with this title, holding this belt so high in the middle of the ring after the match, I’m like ‘The best is Shida.’ And the whole people scream with me. I can imagine it so clearly, because I was there before.”
Shida has plenty of goals outside of All In, however, including competing in an AEW ring in her native Japan, and returning to a promotion she first worked for back in the summer of 2012.
“There are so many things I want to do,” Shida said. “I want to wrestle all over the world, especially CMLL. I wrestled for CMLL…a long, long time ago. I loved it so much, so I really want to go back there. This is my big dream, but not Forbidden Door, an AEW show in Japan. That’s my big, big, big dream.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Close Up with Renee Paquette” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
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