5 things WWE fans need to know about Io Shirai

#5 She and Kairi Sane have a storied history

One war of many.

Kairi Sane and Io Shirai worked together for half a decade at Stardom. During their tenures there, they developed a frenemy relationship, with a bitter rivalry when the two locked horns and a tense friendship at the best of times.

With Io on her way to NXT just as Kairi will challenge for the women's title at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, things are about to get very interesting.

Given their long history together, and Io's heartbreak that Kairi got to go to WWE last year while she didn't, NXT has the foundations of a potentially gargantuan feud in its women's division that may be able to rival Sasha Banks vs Bayley in intensity.

Whether Io comes in as a direct enemy, or an ally who becomes a turncoat - an angle centered on her jealousy and bitterness at being passed over last year in favor of Kairi is the fuel for the kind of bonfire that NXT burns so well.

In fact, Io Shirai has already seemed to throw down the gauntlet in response to Kairi's greeting!

やっとまた、闘える。 https://t.co/qof4ozeuy0

— 紫雷イオ、Io Shirai (@shirai_io) June 30, 2018

Rough translation: "Finally, we'll combat each other again."

Io Shirai is often a tweener on the heelish side, where Kairi Sane is undeniably a babyface. That tension between opposites with a storied history together will certainly make for a great feud in NXT. Stay tuned!