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Breaking out in North America thanks to All Elite Wrestling, Hikaru Shida would be one of the company's major players within their women's division beginning in 2019 with the arrival of the company. Before this, Shida would hone her craft mainly in Japan through a variety of Joshi promotions in the country. A year after her debut in AEW, Shida would win the AEW Women's World Championship, though under less-than-stellar conditions as she would become the woman tasked with carrying the division through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Still, AEW fans look back fondly on her run, often citing Shida as the best AEW Women's Champion to date.

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Hikaru Shida Elevated Her Opponents During Her AEW Women's Championship Reign

Hikaru-Shida-Vs-Penelope-Ford-at-AEW-Fyter-Fest-1

An argument that often gets tossed against Britt Baker's lengthy reign as AEW Women's Champion is that she never elevated any of her opponents. While that may or may not be true, it certainly cannot be said for Hikaru Shida. During her time as champion, Shida would take on any challenger given to her while never belittling them or failing to get them over.

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During her reign as champion, Shida would defend the belt against three up-and-coming names in the company; Abadon, Penelope Ford, and Tay Conti. All three of these matches would not only be memorable championship matches, but they would also work well to get her opponents over. For Abadon, it was a chance to show that she was a real threat in the company while also working with her supernatural gimmick. For Penelope, it was her first real chance to breakout from just being an eye candy valet, with her and Shida putting on one of the most underrated AEW matches to date. Lastly, her match against Tay Conti saw Tay go from a former WWE Enhancement Talent to a genuine star within AEW.

Even In The No-Crowd Era, Hikaru Shida's Matches Delivered

Hikaru Shida Vs. Tay Conti

An area where all wrestling struggled during 2020 and 2021 was in the crowd aspect of shows. AEW would opt to use wrestlers at ringside, before eventually allowing small groups of fans to attend while being socially distanced, as WWE would innovate with the ThunderDome. Wrestlers would struggle to deliver the best performances during this time, as wrestling without a real audience takes something away from the whole idea of pro wrestling. Still, from an objective standpoint, Hikaru Shida's in-ring work never faltered during this time period.

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Even without real crowds to support her, Shida would go on to defend her championship in matches that not only saw her elevating her opponents, but delivering great in-ring work as well. With memorable bouts against younger stars like Tay Conti and Penelope Ford, as well as a big-time cross-promotion match against NWA Women's Champion Thunder Rosa, Hikaru Shida's reign on top would be beloved by fans. Even the match in which she lost the belt to Britt Baker is fondly remembered, as both women worked in front of AEW's first major crowd for Double or Nothing 2021.

Hikaru Shida Is A True Fan-Favorite AEW Original

Hikaru Shida

Taking part in the first-ever AEW show, Hikaru Shida is as much of an AEW Original as the likes of Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Britt Baker, and Chris Jericho, with her being a staple of the women's division from the jump. Shida would also take part in a major singles match at the 2019 edition of All Out, facing off against the first-ever AEW Women's Champion, Riho, as the two would do battle in a highly underrated match.

For fans of AEW that have been with the promotion since the jump, there is an attachment to a lot of the AEW Originals, as they were the faces of the company from 2019 and through the Pandemic. Shida not only delivered high quality performances across the board, but was also one of the first female stars in the company. She may be used less than fans may like nowadays due to her regularly traveling back and forth between America and Japan, but one thing that remains certain is that Hikaru Shida is viewed as the best AEW Women's World Champion.