NXT's Io Shirai Out Injured For Two Months
Awful timing for the Genius of the Sky.
In some unfortunate news, the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer has reported that Io Shirai will miss two months of action after suffering a knee injury in her match with Toni Storm on last week's NXT. An awkward landing was attributed as the cause, and Shirai has more or less corroborated the report by recently tweeting a picture of a knee brace.
Author's note:
Shirai is a high point of NXT's excellent Women's division, a performer so awesome that fans in Full Sail (except for that one racist ar*ehole) simply denied that her heel turn ever happened, and continued to receive her as one of if not the most over babyface in the company. This injury comes at a time when NXT had perhaps began to recognise this, and when reports of her unhappiness have surfaced online. A performer of her calibre and popularity effectively imposed the NXT Championship match onto TakeOver: Tampa, but even if Shirai is cleared in time, NXT would have to get creative with the build.
Regardless, NXT's strong ecosystem of a Women's division means that this injury, while very unfortunate, is not disastrous.