EVERY Wrestler AEW Has Ever Released - Where Are They Now?
9. CIMA
For some wrestlers, their parting with AEW has been rough, others amicable, but for the likes of Dragon Gate mega-talent CIMA it was all an unfortunate matter of circumstance.
CIMA made his debut in 1997 for the Toryumon promotion, and, after a few appearances in WCW and a host of name changes -- from Shiima Nobunaga to Shiima to his now long-term moniker CIMA -- joined Japanese promotion Dragon Gate, where he held every available championship as a wrestler, as well as being a valued trainer and, laterally, President of Dragon Gate's Chinese ventures.
He joined AEW in 2019, premiering at the inaugural Double or Nothing event. Despite being a promising signing, the arrival of the pandemic in 2020 took him off their roster for good, as international talent was grounded and unable to travel for several years.
CIMA has since been president and head trainer of China-based Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, where he signed, nurtured and developed fighters from Dragon Gate, before leaving with teammates El Lindaman and T-Hawk to join Japanese wrestling and MMA promotion Gleat.