Back in October, AEW‘s Marina Shafir competed in the Wrestling Revolver Women’s Grand Prix. Ahead of the match, an interview with Renee Paquette was posted to social media that featured clips of Shafir training in the BCC Dungeon in Cincinnati, Ohio, the home of Jon Moxley. Fans began to discuss what a Shafir addition to the BCC would look like. Following his NJPW Global Championship three-way match against David Finlay and Will Ospreay, Moxley is giving fans a taste of what’s to come for the stable in 2024, Shafir included.
“The Blackpool Combat Club has plans in Japan in 2024 and beyond,” Moxley said in his post match comments at NJPW WrestleKingdom 18. “I want to come back with Bryan Danielson, with Claudio Castagnoli, I want to get Wheeler Yuta, our young rookie out here and have him test himself and prove himself and prove his mettle with all the great young competitors in Japan.”
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“Bushiroad has some kind of relationship with STARDOM and there is a lot of great women’s pro wrestling, Joshi promotions in Japan and this is some of the best women’s wrestling in the world. Friend of the Blackpool Combat Club, Marina Shafir, it’s a goal of mine to get her out in Japan,” Moxley added. “Seeing Marina Shafir wrestle, I think the fans of Japan, when you see her submission skills or Judo skills, her martial art skills on the mat, I think fans of Japan will absolutely adore the violence she can bring to women’s wrestling. That’s something I hope to have in the future. Marina Shafir, she wants a shot in Japan. Bring the best women you’ve got because that’s one of the baddest b–ches walking the planet and she’ll come over here representing the Blackpool Combat Club.” (h/t: Fightful).
With Shafir’s background in combat sports, it makes her a natural fit for the BCC. Much like when Wheeler Yuta first joined, he got a lot of fan support and a rub from Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and William Regal. The idea of Shafir possibly heading to Japan in the future and doing an excursion, it would allow her to refresh her skillset and slowly build up that support from one of the strongest fanbases of wrestling fans in the world. Megan Bayne, who has been signed with AEW for quite some time, has recently been doing the same with STARDOM.
After being let go from WWE in June of 2021, Shafir began appearing in AEW just a few months later where she became a regular on AEW Dark. She has spent most of her time within the company sharpening her skills and has been featured on ROH television a few times in the last year. One of those times was in November where she teamed with her best friend and fellow MMA Four Horsewoman Ronda Rousey against ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and Billie Starkz. She most recently appeared on the New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Rampage against Ruby Soho.
