Top WWE NXT Star Injured?
One of WWE NXT 2.0's biggest and best has been pictured on crutches recently.
Io Shirai has been photographed sporting a medical boot (and seemingly crutches as well), sparking speculation that the former WWE NXT Women's Champion is injured at the moment.
Credit to Twitter user Sean Slate for pointing this out. In the first picture below, Shirai is seen behind SmackDown star Shinsuke Nakamura (shot alongside joshi standout Hiroyo Matsumoto), clearly wearing a support boot around her right ankle - with crutches by her side:-
Io appears to be in a boot and on crutches (see bottom right of first picture), makes sense why she wasn’t called up and hasn’t been on NXT ? pic.twitter.com/GjNspM1052
Advertisement— Sean Slate (@slate_s42) April 19, 2022
Io's position at the table is clarified in the second photograph.
Again, it should be stressed that conclusions on Shirai's injury status are speculative at the moment. WWE has not provided an update on the Japanese star's status and concrete reports have not been forthcoming. That she has been seen using such medical apparatus isn't a great sign, though.
Shirai hasn't wrestled since competing for the NXT Women's Title in a Fatal Four Way at the Stand & Deliver live special on 2 April. Mandy Rose won that bout, successfully retaining the belt, with Io taking a nasty bump to the outside at one point. Moonsaulting from the top rope, her ankle appeared to collide with the announce table on the way down:-
Most likely the spot where the injury occurred. No clue why they decided to move the announce table so close to the ring. pic.twitter.com/SIDHzl2sfj
Advertisement— Sean Slate (@slate_s42) April 19, 2022
If she is injured, all the best to Shirai in her recovery.