There was a lot of hype behind Io Shirai coming to WWE after the former's strong run in Japan, with WWE starting to look towards the Japanese free-agent market as the company was expanding more internationally. Shirai started off with the NXT brand and is still in a top role there. The success of Io saw her having great matches and memorable moments with fellow great talents.WWE has had a history of booking Japanese talents poorly. Vince McMahon rarely pushes and trusts a talent long-term if they can’t cut promos in English fluently. Shirai being in NXT instead of the main roster has helped in that regard, with her overall body of work making her a strong candidate in any debate regarding WWE's best imported talent. Despite not being on the "main roster", Shirai has earned her place among the greatest Japanese talents to wrestle on WWE's platform.

Shirai Has Had Prolonged Success In NXT

The NXT tenure of Io Shirai has seen her already accomplishing enough for a strong run. Shirai signed with WWE following years of hype wrestling in Japan. Triple H’s desire to make NXT more international with some of the best talents in the world saw Io as the next major name to make the jump.

RELATED: The 10 Best Matches Of Io Shirai's NXT Career

NXT pushed Shirai strong in the Mae Young Classic by having her go all the way to the finals, before losing to Toni Storm. WWE wanting Storm to be a major part of the NXT UK expansion decided that finish, but Shirai was booked as an equal. Shirai's stint in NXT continued to improve her standing on the show, with storylines against Shayna Baszler and others all being warmly received.

Io Shirai

Kairi Sane teamed with Io as The Sky Pirates before WWE split them up to pair Sane with Asuka on the main roster. This led to Shirai having a bigger singles role when feuding with Candice LeRae. Io showed a darker side that made her a more noteworthy star for the women’s division. The matches against Candice, Rhea Ripley and others proved that Shirai was starting to find her groove.

Shirai's Booking Compares Favorably To Other Japanese Imports

As stated earlier, WWE has had a negative track record in regards to booking Japanese wrestlers. This issue was especially prevalent in the 90's but has progressively gotten better in recent times. Names like Taka Michinoku and Tajiri deserve to be in the argument for the best Japanese talents to have graced WWE's landscape, but their inconsistent booking has marred their reputations; neither man was able to keep their momentum and eventually were made to look foolish.

The recent success stories of Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka made them the biggest threats to Io Shirai’s place among WWE's Japanese talents. Asuka’s undefeated streak in NXT would be followed up with a stint on the main roster that is considered to be hit-and-miss. Even though she’s won every title possible, there have been prolonged periods of time where Asuka hasn't been featured on television.

Shinsuke Nakamura Crown

Nakamura has witnessed the same kind of main roster run shortly after his call-up from a tremendous NXT tenure which included him becoming NXT Champion. The accomplishments of winning the Royal Rumble match, both mid-card titles, and becoming a king all showcase the times he's been booked to look like a star. However, WWE has pulled the rug from under him on many occasions, severely hampering his abilities to become a perennial figure in the main event picture.

Her Run In NXT Is The Difference

The career of Io Shirai reached new heights when she feuded with Charlotte Flair over the NXT Women’s Championship. Many fans were unhappy with Flair winning said title from Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36, but it was worth it in terms of getting Shirai over. The moment of Shirai beating Flair and Ripley in a stellar triple-threat match made her title reign more impactful from the start.

Shirai’s character, technically a heel, then organically transitioned to that of a babyface due to the fans connecting with her. Her innovative and high-risk moves added a new level to the NXT women’s division. Fans witnessed an all-time great title reign before Shirai dropped the belt to rising star Raquel Gonzalez.

Fans were curious if the main roster call-up would come after the title loss, but NXT would continue to utilize Shirai after the loss to Gonzalez. The new NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship picture saw Shirai team up with newcomer Zoey Stark. Fans would warmly receive the duo eventually capturing tag-team gold.

Io Shirai NXT Women's Champion

The argument that Shirai is the top Japanese star in WWE history is supported by her NXT legacy, with her overall run being branded with a better reception than that of most of her compatriots. However, a main roster run could doom that argument if things unfold as they did for Nakamura and Asuka. Until then, Shirai deserves some love when discussing her all-time status in this category.