8 Interesting Facts About Io Shirai
2. She Was Framed For Smuggling Drugs Into Japan
Even after typing the this out, it's hard to believe it actually happened.
In May 2012, Io Shirai and her then boyfriend Kazushige Nosawa were arrested for allegedly smuggling marijuana into Japan from Mexico. This resulted in nearly three weeks of jail time for Io, and she and Nosawa were forced to break up due to the pressure placed on their relationship by the scandal. At only 22 years of age this nightmare could have easily overwhelmed the young superstar, but Shirai showed a tremendous sense of resolve in the immediate aftermath by pledging to continue wrestling and rebuild her reputation.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. The real culprit, a wrestler named Takuya Sugi, admitted to planting the drugs on Shirai and Nosawa in Mexico in a bid to appease a wrestling promoter who disliked Shirai's boyfriend. Vindicated, and with her reputation fully restored, Shirai has since displayed her incredible inner strength by rising above the scandal to become the joshi legend she is today.