Io Shirai press conference report

STARDOM held a press conference this afternoon to announce that Io Shirai is leaving. STARDOM owner Rossy Ogawa and Io were in attendance. As we have seen in the past at these kind of press conferences, Ogawa was in a bad mood. I recall he looked shellshocked when Yuzuki Aikawa left a few years ago. But this is a much bigger deal. Of course they didn't say where Io is going. But we all know she is coming to the WWE. She says her final STARDOM show will be June 17 at Korakuen Hall. She will be in a tag team match but they will announce the participants later. Io acknowledges the rumors that she was leaving last year. She doesn't mention failing the WWE physical but she does say she was hesitant to leave last year. She says the time is now right. She has told the STARDOM locker room and there was some crying. But they also said they would cheer for her. Her goal is for more people to see her work. Look, Io Shirai is one of the best performers in the world. She should be on the biggest stage in the world. What more can she do in Japan? This is why Asuka was going to retire. She's proud of what she has done for eleven years. But she's only 28 years old. The time is now. She says when she first started wrestling, she didn't think it would be her career. Someone asked her if she would return to STARDOM in a few years. She said she would like to but she doesn't know. At this point, Ogawa got annoyed and he wanted her to promise she would return someday. She said she can't. Believe it or not, someone asked Io about her cat. I thought that was funny. BTW, when Kairi Sane went home for Christmas, she returned to Florida with her dog Cheese. So I suppose Io could bring her cat. She was asked if there is any pressure to perform on a bigger stage. She says of course but she is confident in her abilities and she looks forward to the challenge. Io says she will always look back fondly at her days in STARDOM. But she's ready to perform on a worldwide stage. She appreciates the support of the fans and media. And that's it. So it's now official. Io Shirai is coming to the WWE.