Hikaru Shida has been with AEW since the promotion's first pay-per-view in 2019, but she didn't immediately sign with the company.
Speaking to Sportiva in Japan (DeepL translation with clarification help), Shida revealed that she initially turned down AEW's offer as she wanted to keep performing for MAKAI.
"At first, I refused AEW because there was MAKAI. But I was told, 'I can do it while continuing,'" she said.
Shida has taken time off from AEW to return to MAKAI. She last wrestled on the January 12 episode of AEW Dynamite, losing to Serena Deeb.
Speaking about her potential future in AEW, Shida said, "In the future, I want to hold tournaments not only in Japan but also all over the world. That way, you can do a world tournament. After that, I think AEW will perform in various countries in the future, so I want to do it in Japan as well. I want to support and realize it."
Shida also noted that she would like to go to Hollywood.
It is unknown when Shida will return to the ring in AEW.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Dynamite beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
