Kairi Sane recently provided an interview to the prominent Japanese magazine Weekly Pro Wrestling. Addressing her release in April, Sane stated, ‘it was just as much of a bolt out of the blue for me as it was for everyone else,” noting, ‘I was appearing on Raw almost every single week without missing a beat, and I was involved in storylines both inside and outside the ring.’
‘The storyline was reaching a turning point where my character was about to explode into action… I had been building up frustration and holding back for so long, and I was finally at the stage where I thought, ‘Now I can unleash my true potential!’ So getting released right at that moment was a huge shock.’
WWE concluded the Asuka-Sky storyline in Sane’s absence. The narrative culminated with Asuka losing a nearly 20-minute match against her Japanese counterpart before entering an indefinite hiatus. It remains to be seen if Asuka will return to WWE.
Kairi, 37, took time to reflect before pursuing new opportunities. She recently hired professional wrestling agent Barry Bloom, whose clientele includes Bill Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Will Ospreay. Sane indicated that she is currently receiving offers from numerous pro-wrestling companies, including companies in her native Japan.
‘Right after the release, my head was an absolute jumble, so I tried not to think about it for a bit,’ Sane remarked. ‘But now, I’m extremely grateful… I’ve received offers from so many promotions around the world that I can’t even count them on both hands.’
‘I actually met with the people who reached out from Japan. I haven’t made a final decision yet. I’m prepared to complete a new story from here, all the way to the end.’
Sane’s departure from WWE marked the conclusion of her second tenure with the company. She originally signed with WWE, capturing the NXT women’s championship before advancing to the main roster. She rejoined WWE in 2023, aligning herself with Sky and Damage CTRL. Sane is a three-time WWE women’s tag team champion, having secured the titles with Asuka during her two WWE periods.
She developed her skills in the dojos of Stardom, Japan’s leading women’s professional wrestling promotion, before moving to its main roster. Following her 2021 WWE release, she returned to Japan to compete for Stardom and New Japan Pro Wrestling. During her time with NJPW, Sane won the inaugural IWGP women’s championship, the female counterpart to Japan’s most prestigious men’s world championship.