Whenever a champion in NXT loses their championship, the prospect of a potential call-up to Raw or SmackDown immediately becomes a talking point.
Io Shirai held the NXT Women’s Championship for 10 months before dropping it to Raquel Gonzalez back at NXT Takeover Stand & Deliver in April.
While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Shirai revealed that she would be open to a main roster call-up, listing Sasha Banks and Bayley as two women she wants to face off against.
“Of course, I would be open to a move to SmackDown or Raw. The opportunity would present new goals and encounters different from what I have achieved and experienced in NXT. I would like a rematch with Sasha Banks as soon as possible. I also heard Bayley say she wanted to have a match with me, and I would definitely relish my first confrontation with her. If it is a title match, even better.”
Shirai was also asked what she’s learned most so far about her WWE experience.
“I learned with my own eyes that the world’s top performers within sports entertainment are created on a scale much larger than I expected,” she responded.
Io Shirai is set to enter War Games for the third time in her career tomorrow night, when she teams with Raquel Gonzalez, Cora Jade and Kay Lee Ray against Toxic Attraction and Dakota Kai. Speaking about the event, Shirai added the following:
“I learned with my own eyes that the world’s top performers within sports entertainment are created on a scale much larger than I expected,” she responded. I understand that each WarGames match will have a completely different feel depending on the participants. I do not think anyone here is a friend, but I know Kay Lee Ray and Raquel González will be big threats to win. As for Cora Jade, her ability is unknown, so I am looking forward to seeing what she can do in a match like this. ”
