Former AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida Announces She’s Returning To US

Ricky Havlik/AEW

It’s been 11 months since All Elite Wrestling fans saw Hikaru Shida on their television. Luckily, that may soon change as the former AEW Women’s World Champion is once again en route to the United States.

“Soaking in the hot springs at the airport, eating curry in the lounge, and fully prepared!” Shida wrote on X alongside a photo of herself smiling at the airport. “See you later, Japan. I’m ready to go back to the US.”

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I’m ready to go back to the US✈ï¸ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸ pic.twitter.com/R3L3lVSQTT

— HIKARU SHIDA 志田 光 (@shidahikaru) October 2, 2025

Shida’s last AEW match pitted her against Kris Statlander on the November 20, 2024 episode of “AEW Dynamite.” Following that, reports indicated that she was confined to her homeland of Japan while she waited for her visa to be renewed.

While in Japan, Shida kept herself busy with a string of matches at independent promotions, such as WAVE, Gokigen Pro Wrestling, and Prominence. In April 2025, Shida competed at a special Lucha event in Tokyo, firstly in a tag match. Elsewhere in the show, she took part in a 16-person elimination match featuring wrestlers from all over the world, including her AEW colleagues Willow Nightingale, Viva Van, and Emi Sakura. Her latest in-ring performance took center stage in a tag match alongside Syuri at OZ Academy on September 7.

In July, Shida revealed that she had received a brand new Japanese passport, which allows her to travel internationally. Within the United States, Shida has found success as a three-time AEW Women’s Champion, with her latest reign ending at the hands of Toni Storm at AEW Full Gear in November 2023.

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