Io Shirai Returning to STARDOM, Not Signing With WWE

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Io Shirai is returning to STARDOM and will not be signing with WWE. When Shirai left STARDOM, she did her farewell and stated that she was taking time off due to a neck injury. There was an issue with a neck injury when WWE did their testing of her several months back. Nobody has officially said that WWE decided against offering her a contract due to her neck issues that they found in her physicals, but they had stalled on offering her a contract several months ago when they found out about the injury while she did her medicals in the US. WWE wanted her to take time off to rehab her neck. She did that and was just cleared by doctors to return to the ring after her therapy. WWE has been avoiding signing talent with concussion or neck issues.

Shirai contacted STARDOM’s Rossy Ogawa, telling him that she got some bad news and was ready to come back. She returned to STARDOM on July 30th, hitting the ring after the main event and attacked Oedo Tai. She then asked Viper to join her as a tag team in the Queen’s Quest group, and Viper accepted. She will also compete in the upcoming Five Star Grand Prix tournament (which is their version of G-1).