Top Japanese Female Wrestler Among Try-Outs At WWE Performance Center This Week
Several WWE hopefuls attended the latest round of Performance Center tryouts this week, including one that the WWE doesn’t want you to know about.
Most of the attendees were female, leading to speculation by some that the WWE is ramping up preparations for their rumored Women’s Tournament.
The two male try-outs were former Puerto Rican Olympic Silver Medalist Jaime Espinal, as well as former TNA star Wes Brisco, who once competed in WWE’s old developmental league, Florida Championship Wrestling.
But there was one name that was conspicuously absent from the press release, which you can read below:
International standouts attend WWE tryout
The WWE Performance Center is hosting several top female prospects from around the globe, as well as two male candidates, as part of a mini-tryout this week in Orlando, Fla.
Representing Norway’s independent wrestling scene are Ingrid “Kira” Hoftun and Kamilla “Natasja” Tjöstland, and luchadora Chik Tormenta from Mexico. Six-foot-five Katsiaryna Kavaleva, a championship kickboxer-turned-MMA fighter from Belarus, was invited back to the Performance Center after attending a tryout earlier this year.
Former Olympian Jaime Espinal and second-generation wrestler Wes Brisco also attended the camp.
Espinal is a Dominican-born freestyle wrestler who became Puerto Rico’s first medalist in wrestling when he took silver in the 84 kg division in London in 2012. He also competed and served as Puerto Rico’s flagbearer at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.
Eight-year veteran Wes Brisco is the son and nephew of WWE Hall of Famers Gerald & Jack Brisco, respectively. He used to compete for NXT’s predecessor, Florida Championship Wrestling, and has also wrestled internationally, including for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Io Shirai, the top wrestler in Japan’s all-female STARDOM promotion, also attended the tryouts, according to Squared Circle Sirens. Sirens founder Casey Michael even posted photos to his Twitter account, evidence of Shirai running drills in the tryout.
It was reported that she might be considering leaving Japan along with fellow STARDOM wrestler, Kairi Hojo–who is reportedly signing with NXT--but nothing was confirmed.
The thing is, Shirai was originally included in the press release and accompaying photo gallery, then the story was taken off the WWE website and re-published without her.
Casey Michael had a few things to say about that:
It’s currently unclear what would have prompted WWE to try to erase any record of Shirai’s Performance Center tryout, but Michael speculated that WWE wants to keep a good relationship with STARDOM and knows that STARDOM is upset at potentially losing their top star.
