This past Wednesday, on AEW Dynamite, Shanna made her in-ring debut against Hikaru Shida. In this nearly 11-minute encounter, Shida emerged victorious, though Shanna proved formidable. Her first AEW match, Shanna put forth considerable offense, showing that she could hang with Shida. In fact, many fans considered this to be the best women’s match in AEW yet. Not only was notice taken by viewers but AEW officials as well.
In a recent video interview, Shanna revealed that she signed a three-year contract with AEW. This was corroborated by different publications, Squared Circle Sirens included, and even AEW Executive Vice President Cody took to Twitter to declare that she was “excellent” and “full-time.” The overall response online was largely positive toward Shanna, who will undoubtedly be a featured competitor in AEW for the foreseeable future.
With 13 years of experience under her belt, Shanna is one of the most well-versed competitors in the AEW women’s division.
She began her in-ring career in 2006, competing not only in her home country of Portugal but around the world. Promotions where Shanna competed in include, but aren’t limited to, Pro-Wrestling EVE, SHINE Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and World Wonder Ring Stardom. Shanna has held multiple singles championships over the course of her career; now that she’s #AllElite, she plans to add the AEW Women’s World Championship to her resume.
https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1190346333670006784?s=20
Sutter’s Synopsis:
One of the most pleasant surprises, for many new viewers, was the performance Shanna had against Shida this past Wednesday on Dynamite. In just one match, she went from being an unknown to casual fans to one of the standout performers in the AEW women’s division.
Though the aforementioned women’s division houses tremendous potential, it hasn’t been without its bumps in the roads. One of the most obvious, to many, was the fact that there wasn’t much star power in the division itself. However, this should be expected, as AEW is still a new commodity and much of its talent isn’t recognized by a wide audience.
Nonetheless, there are numerous competitors that will help build the division over time. Alongside names such as Shida, Allie, and current AEW Women’s World Champion Riho, Shanna deserves to be in the discussion. Her debut match helped her make a solid first impression and it’s fair to say that the best is yet to come.
