Former WWE star makes AEW debut, faces Hikaru Shida on Collision

A former WWE star made her AEW debut on last night's Collision against former Women's World Champion, Hikaru Shida. The star is Aleah James.

Due to the pandemic, WWE was forced to shut down the NXT UK brand which had a lot of promising talent including Aleah James who later got released by the promotion. The former NXT UK star made her debut on this week's Collision against former AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida, but was used as an enhancement talent to put over Shida.

It will be interesting to see if the Jacksonville-based promotion offers Aleah James a full-time contract, given that she was noticed by many wrestling fans in the audience as well as on social media.

Former AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida on her relationship with WWE star Asuka

Asuka is one of the most respected women in professional wrestling. She made her name in Japan and crossed paths with Hikaru Shida in Ice Ribbon and Pro Wrestling Wave.

In an interview with Denise Salcedo last year, Hikaru Shida spoke highly of the former WWE Women's Champion and revealed how she taught her many things regarding her professional wrestling career.

"For now, we don't talk. But I had been [a] freelancer after six years, I started wrestling, and when I became [a] freelancer, Kana-san told me many things, like how I negotiate with the companies and how I [sic] wrestle as [a] freelancer. She was always like a teacher to me. I don't know how she feels, but for me, she was kind of a teacher, especially after I became a freelancer because she was also freelancer. She told me a lot of things. And after she came to the U.S., actually, we [didn't] talk, maybe only one or two times. So, we don't talk, and we don't text each other, but still, I learned so many things." H/T:[WrestlingInc]

Hikaru Shida is a former AEW Women's World Champion. It will be interesting to if she challenges for one of the women's championships in the upcoming months.