It seems that WWE officials have been signing new talents left and right over the past few months, but one top Japanese star who was expected to join the company won’t be signing a contract.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Io Shirai will not be signing with WWE. Shirai said farewell to the Stardom promotion in Japan a few months ago, but she returned to Stardom during the event on July 30.
The report notes that WWE discovered an issue with a neck injury a few months ago when they did their testing. WWE never finalized the deal with Shirai, and wrestlers are not allowed to publicly announce they are joining WWE unless the company makes the announcement first.
WWE stalled on offering her a contract after she did her medical testing in the US. After the injury was discovered WWE wanted her to take time off to heal her neck, which she did, and she was recently cleared to return to the ring.
WWE officials then seemingly changed their minds on offering her a contract due to her neck issues. Every case is different, but WWE has had a general rule in the past of not signing new talents with neck issues or a history with concussions.
