Wrestling Opinions/Rants

10 Best Moments of Io Shirai In NXT

Well, looks like the rumors are true, Io Shirai, the Genius of The Sky and my favorite Japanese wrestler, has declined a new offer WWE has made and she'll be going back to Japan when her contract expires in August.

It's a crushing shame because, Masami Odate, the woman behind the persona, given us so many memorable moments that we should all cherish when she leaves next month.

Thank you for everything, Io. You are one hell of a wrestler.

Let's look at some of the memories she's given us over the four years she's spent with WWE because it's only appropriate and worth reflecting on.

Also, I won't be putting in the moment where she yelled "WarGames". Yes, it sounded cool, but William Regal yelling sounds way better than wrestlers yelling it to get the crowd hyped up.

I'm Freedom_Fighter24, and here are "10 Best Moments of Io Shirai In NXT"

10. Her WWE Debut

Now, it might've been in the Mae Young Classic where she came up short in the whole thing, but her actual debut was when WWE was in Japan for a tour, where they announced her signing in June of 2018, the year where I turned 21. 10 + 9 = 21, kids, don't forget that.

Yes, it was a live event, but the way the fans exploded in her hometown of Tokyo, it was worth seeing her face: pure excitement and happiness to the point that she was about to cry. I mean, when she gave her little speech in Japanese about her signing, her voice was breaking as she spoke because she said, like many others, it was her dream.

It may haven't been a moment, but when you think about it, it's definitely worth listing as one because of how much of a big deal it was at the time.

9. Teaming With Kairi Sane

Kairi Sane and Io Shirai are best friends in real life and their chemistry inside the ring was iconic, but not as iconic as Billie Kay and Peyton Royce's main roster run.

Back in Japan, the two were once teammates in World Wonder Ring of Stardom, where they dominated the Joshi wrestling scene until they teamed with their then protégé Mayu Iwatani to invade Lucha Underground as a group called the Black Lotus Triad, where they dominated the field.

In NXT, Mayu wasn't with them, but seeing Kairi and Io teaming up brought back so many nostalgic memories. As the team of Sky Pirates, Io and Kairi really got the fans invested and while some of them didn't know about their history as tag partners before NXT and I don't blame them, seeing those two team up was worth watching because their chemistry is just so good, even if they had to face each other at Takeover in New York on Wrestlemania weekend in 2019 and at Survivor Series that same year.

Still, it should be a moment worth remembering before was a tag team champion, but first...

8. Shayna vs Shirai

This rivalry was the fucking best in NXT history. Their chemistry was pretty good with Shayna being an absolute monster in NXT before being called up in a year to be booked to absolute nothingness.

Their back and forth rivalry was just so delicious that deserved a chef's kiss, but the most memorable thing from that rivalry was that it featured the first ever women's match inside a steel cage. That's history making and Io Shirai had gotten to be a part of it.

Even though Shayna would win the match, you can't deny the fact that it would lead to...

7. Her Heel Turn

Io Shirai turning heel on Candice LeRae was the greatest ever and it's always awesome when a sweet and cute girl turn into a hot and sexy badass.

It was a blessing in disguise too because she was going bland as a babyface, so for Io to turn heel was what saved her career by a mile.