On last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Hikaru Shida defeated Toni Storm to capture the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Speaking to Denise Salcedo on the “Instinct Culture” podcast, the newly-crowned champion commented on her reaction to winning the title, whether she expected it to happen, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On her reaction to winning the title: “The night was the, I think that was the greatest moment in my life. For me, it’s more important is [it was] in front of fans because the last time I was champion [was] no fans. Actually, I got the title at the first pay-per-view without fans, and I lose the title at the pay-per-view the first week the fans come back. So yeah. When I was champion, all the time is without fans. So I’m so happy, I could hear the cheers of the fans. The moment, that was the best. I felt it was like a dream.”
On her first AEW Women’s World Title win: “During the pandemic, fans cheer us, and I can see that [online]. But I think I always felt like of unsteady because I couldn’t actually hear them. That feeling was so strange. I felt like it was a dream, but also felt, ‘Oh my god, it’s real.’ The fans are there, and I can hear that.”
On if she expected the win: “To be honest, not really. Of course, I always wanted. But the first time I was champion, it was only six months since I moved here. There’s a lot of things I couldn’t do. For example, the interview, I [didn’t] feel comfortable with interviews because I worry about my English. I know I still need to do work. But now I’m feeling much, much better. I can relax and I can talk what I want to. So I’ve always felt there were a lot of things I couldn’t do as a champion. So I always wanted, but I really didn’t expect it happening, especially right before our biggest show, Wembley, so I was so surprised. But I did it.”
