7 Exact Times Wrestlers Got Their Spot TAKEN

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Willow Nightingale > Hikaru Shida (AEW Collision, April 2, 2026)

Hikaru Shida Willow Nightingale
AEW

For a long time, Hikaru Shida was the ever-reliable stalwart of the AEW Women’s division.

Shida was prone to entering uneven performances, and her supposed hard-hitting style often looked a bit limp, but she was very expressive and passionate, seemed like the proverbial good egg, and weak strikes aside was still the most consistent full-time member of the division before the likes of Toni Storm and Mercedes Mone raised its ceiling (if sadly not its allotted TV time). Fans appreciated Shida’s efforts in bringing along Dr. Britt Baker - their April 8, 2020 Dynamite ripper was so good and bloody that it set Britt’s slow-burn face turn in motion - and recalled a tremendous over-delivery against Penelope Ford at Fyter Fest that same year. Shida was belatedly rewarded for her efforts in building the division when, as a more sporadic presence on AEW TV, she was able to enter the first All In: London as AEW Women’s World champion by virtue of dethroning Toni Storm on the August 2, 2023 edition of Dynamite. 

Shida was, in short, a sentimental fan favourite, infrequently parachuted into the title picture when the World champion needed a credible challenger who guaranteed a baseline of match quality (or when the championship itself required a transitional holder). 

This all started to falter at All Out 2024, when Shida returned to do a job for TBS Champion Mercedes Mone. In a sad scene, nobody cared a great deal. This wasn’t Shida’s fault, per se - it’s more that booker Tony Khan was lazy, and expected fans to care about Shida based entirely on her past contributions. This became all the more apparent on the April 2, 2026 Collision, when Khan once again brought Shida back without actually bothering to promote her. Shida’s match mostly just existed. The AEW fanbase weren’t cruel, or anything, and Shida did elicit a polite reception; they’d simply moved on.  

Also, it’s exceptionally difficult to be the sentimental favourite when the competition for that spot is the inordinately wholesome Willow Nightingale. 

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!