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#3 Io Shirai
Whether she has been a face or a heel, the crowd at Full Sail loves Io Shirai. She was heavily cheered during the battle royale to crown the next challenger to Rhea Ripley despite being a heel. Against another heel, Bianca Belair, Shirai was treated as if she was the gallant babyface.
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Shirai is great in either role but bookers apparently decided to have Ripley be the one to eventually dethrone Shayna Baszler. The Genius of the Sky was my pick a few months ago when she challenged the Queen of Spades, but it was not to be.
If there aren't any title plans for Shirai, she should immediately join either Monday or Friday nights. Both divisions need a shake up in terms of new faces getting pushes and Shirai is a legitimate contender on either brand. Who wouldn't want to see her mix it up with Nikki Cross, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka or Kairi Sane?
There are three titles to chase for women on the main roster instead of one in NXT. Shirai has already shown up in a Royal Rumble and will likely show up this year with barely a third of the field already announced. Instead of bringing Tamina back to TV, Shirai should get called up instead and put in a heel or face role.
