Io Shirai Wants To Face Bayley At WWE WrestleMania 37

The clock is ticking, but could Bayley end up wrestling Io Shirai at WWE WrestleMania 37?

by Andy H Murray
Io Shirai Bayley
WWE

Io Shirai would love the opportunity to wrestle Bayley at WrestleMania 37 this weekend.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso ahead of the Showcase of the Immortals, the former NXT Women's Champion spoke on her immense respect for Bayley, but acknowledged that she hadn't been told of any plans for them at 'Mania:-

“I would love to compete against Bayley. I have a great amount of respect for her. If we ever got the chance, I would like it to be on a huge stage like WrestleMania. As far as that happening at WrestleMania 37, I have not been told that yet—but never say never.”

Triple H and Shawn Michaels refused to rule out the possibility of Shirai joining WWE's main roster after dropping the NXT women's strap to Raquel Gonzalez at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on Wednesday. At the same time, The Game acknowledged that there is still plenty for Io to do on the black and gold brand, with or without the belt.

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Bayley, meanwhile, is inexplicably missing from the WrestleMania 37 card, despite being one of WWE's standout performers over the past couple of years. The former SmackDown Women's Champion told talkSPORT that she doesn't know what's going on with her and the big event.

Could the duo tie up in a surprise 'Mania match on Saturday or Sunday? We'll have to sit tight and find out.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.