Io Shirai accepts offer to join WWE

Io Shirai, one of the biggest women’s wrestling stars in Japan, has accepted WWE’s offer to join the company, our Dave Meltzer reports.

Shirai, 27, is considered one of the top wrestlers in the Stardom promotion. She had previously attended a Performance Center tryout back in March, though WWE quickly wiped out all mentions of her in an accompanying article.

This would be a big blow to Stardom, with both of their top acts in Shirai and Kairi Hojo departing the company. Both had previously considered staying in Japan after receiving interest from WWE late last year, but it seems that both have now changed their minds.

Hojo announced her departure from Stardom earlier this month, and is expected to start at the WWE Performance Center shortly. As of right now, there is no start date for Shirai to come in.

More information concerning Shirai’s status will be in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.