10 Wrestlers Who Are Enjoying A Career-Best Year In 2020
4. Io Shirai
NXT has long boasted one of the finest women’s division in all of wresting, and in Io Shirai they seem to have discovered their next major star. The Japanese grappler is well over a decade into her career, but 2020 has seen her take a major step in NXT, a company in which she has steadily been building her profile over the past three years.
It started so badly, too - in January, Shirai took a bump which put her on the shelf for two months. She came back with a point to prove, though, and quickly established herself as the number one contender for Charlotte’s championship in a cracking ladder match against five of NXT’s top female talent.
Her match with Charlotte and Rhea Ripley at In Your House was a hard hitting joy, and upon clinching the belt Shirai has been unstoppable, a true fighting champion. Her feud with Candice LeRae in particular has been great viewing, headlining NXT’s delightful revival of Halloween Havoc.
Shirai is keen on a high spot and is never less than entertaining - her run as the company’s top woman should yield more great results.