It is expected that Io Shirai and Zoey Stark will shortly rejoin WWE NXT 2.0.
Stark and Shirai are both expected to return to in-ring action “relatively soon,” according to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, but no specific date was given.
Since losing the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles to Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne at NXT Halloween Havoc on October 26, 2017, in a Triple Threat Ladder Match that also featured Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta, Stark has not competed in professional wrestling. The following week, a backstage assault was used to remove her from the storylines.
It was eventually revealed that she had a torn ACL/Meniscus. Stark had surgery at the beginning of November and has been putting a lot of effort into healing ever since. Her most recent Instagram post, from the beginning of May, is shown below. The next stage of her rehabilitation, she said, had her back to jumping rope.
Since the NXT Stand & Deliver match during WrestleMania 38 Weekend, Shirai has not engaged in competitive wrestling. She participated in the Fatal 4 Way victory over Shirai, Cora Jade, and Alba Fyre that allowed NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose to keep her championship.
Shirai’s injury was never disclosed, however a few weeks ago it was rumored that she had been sidelined with an unspecified injury. WWE officials had hoped Shirai would return for the summer, but the extent and type of the injury were still unknown. The new report from The Observer supports that timetable.
There is currently no information on whether WWE will continue the Shirai-Stark storyline when they return. Before losing the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships to Toxic Attraction last fall, they had held them for 111 days.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
