Reported reason why Hikaru Shida was pulled from the AEW Owen Hart Foundation Tournament
The situation with AEW and Hikaru Shida has been tense over the last few days. However, a recent report suggests the real reason behind the incident was far from malicious.
Hikaru Shida was recently removed from the AEW Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament. While Tony Schiavone stated that she had suffered an injury that meant she couldn't participate, Shida took to Twitter to allege that the claim was false. This post led to a lot of attention on social media, as people argued about the truth of the matter.
Soon afterwards, Hikaru Shida posted another tweet explaining that she had not been able to return to the US in time for the tournament.
Bryan Alvarez spoke about the incident on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Live. According to him, Shida's inability to return on time may have been due to a visa problem.
Hikaru Shida & Riho are my in-ring MVPs of the Women's Division
They just don't miss man
#AEWRampage https://t.co/kaaiarpnr8
Regardless of the cause, Hikaru Shida isn't expected to be back anytime soon before the conclusion of the Owen Hart Tournament.
AEW's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament is in full swing
While Hikaru Shida is no longer in the Owen Hart Tournament, the finals of the competition are right around the corner.
Ruby Soho previously defeated Riho to become the first semi-finalist on the women's side of the bracket. Toni Storm also advanced to the next round by defeating Jamie Hayter. Likewise, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. beat Maki Itoh, who was the Joker entrant, to clinch her spot in the semifinals on the latest episode of AEW Dynamite.
The women's Owen Hart Cup tournament bracket is out annnndddd....
We got a Joker to fight Britt Baker.
If it's a random female wrestler from Impact Wrestling or Stardom, Britt wins.
But if it's Athena!???
Sorry Britt. 😐 https://t.co/Q2WL004sTm
In the last Quarterfinal bout, Red Velvet will face Kris Statlander, Shida's replacement, this week on Rampage.
No matter the complications, it is clear that the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament will be crowned at the next pay-per-view.