Hikaru Shida is the new TBS Champion after being the last woman standing in the Survival of the Fittest match.
Competing on the July 1 episode of Dynamite, Shida outlasted Queen Aminata, Persephone, Kris Statlander, Harley Cameron and Maika to capture the title for the first time in her career. Shida won the match by last eliminating Kris Statlander after the referee stopped the match.
The final three were Statlander, Shida and Persephone. Statlander pinned Persephone to eliminate her. Shida then got an ankle lock on Statlander after a pin attempt exchange. Persephone then hit Statlander in the head with the title belt to knock her out. Shida then put on a submission until the referee called the match.
While Shida has never previously held the TBS Championship, she is a former 3-time AEW Women’s Champion. Shida last held the title back in October 2023.
The match saw all 6 women start at the same time, with competitors being eliminated via pinfall or submission. The order of eliminations was as follows:
- Persephone eliminated Harley Cameron
- Hikaru Shida eliminated Maika
- Persephone eliminated Queen Aminata
- Kris Statlander eliminated Persephone
- Hikaru Shida eliminated Kris Statlander to win
Hikaru Shida Is New AEW TBS Champion After Title Vacated
The title was previously held by Willow Nightingale. However, after suffering a shoulder injury, Nightingale was forced to withdraw from the Owen Hart tournament and relinquish her TBS Championship. All 6 competitors in the Survival of the Fittest match earned their spot in the match by winning qualifying matches.
Featured image: AEW
