Mina Shirakawa has been associated with AEW for some time now. She has also been known to feature regularly for a number of promotions, including ROH, NJPW, and Stardom. However, in a major coup, Tony Khan and the AEW brass have locked down Shirakawa on a permanent contract.
With the news confirmed during last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Shirakawa will make her first pay-per-view appearance as an AEW superstar at Double or Nothing this Sunday. Shirakawa will be facing Toni Storm for her women’s world title, having earned the shot on Dynamite Beach Break last week.
Facing Storm, AZM, and Skye Blue in a four-way title eliminator, Shirakawa emerged victorious, pinning Storm in the process. She marked her official AEW status last night with a victory over former TBS Champion Julia Hart. Hart and her ally Skye Blue attacked Shirakawa after the match, prompting Toni Storm to intervene.
The Women’s World Champion was on commentary duties for the match. Storm and Shirakawa formed a fearsome, but short-lived, alliance to dispose of Hart and Skye. Shirakawa would turn on Storm soon after her attackers were quelled.
Double or Nothing: Third Time Lucky for Mina Shirakawa?
Mina Shirakawa’s move to AEW was widely expected following confirmation of her Stardom exit in March. She had made it clear that she intended to move to the United States soon after, strengthening industry chatter around a permanent AEW transfer.
The Japanese model-turned-wrestler made her first appearance in AEW last year, quickly forming an alliance with Mariah May. Shirakawa played a key role in the acclaimed May/Storm rivalry that saw May win the women’s world title for the first time last August.
After May turned on Shirakawa at Full Gear last November, she challenged May for her title in a losing effort the following month. During her initial AEW run, Shirakawa also unsuccessfully challenged Storm for the title.
Despite only debuting in 2018, then aged 31, Shirakawa’s rise to stardom (no pun intended) has been quite remarkable. Her time in Stardom was marked by five championship reigns, including a nearly year-long Artist of Stardom title run. She was also the RevPro Women’s Champion until January.
She lost the title in a winner-takes-all match to Mercedes Moné at NJPW’s Wrestle Dynasty. Her recent accomplishments landed her a peak ranking of 16 on the PWI Women’s 250 in 2024.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on Mina Shirakawa, AEW Double or Nothing, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content is available on their YouTube channel.
