KAIRI Sane is reportedly in talks to return to WWE.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that Sane has “come to terms” to return to the company. Per Johnson, her return would be imminent, possibly this week.
Sane previously made her WWE debut in 2017, and she had a successful run in NXT. She moved to the main roster in 2019. Sane started working as an ambassador for WWE in Japan. She left the company after her contract expired in December 2021.
During her time with the company, Sane won the NXT Championship and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Sane and Asuka, collectively known as the Kabuki Warriors, won the 2019 Year-End Award for Women’s Tag Team of the Year. Sane is also a former Mae Young Classic Winner.
Since she left WWE, Sane has competed throughout the wrestling world. She wrestled for Stardom and NJPW, and she became the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion. Sane then confirmed her free agency in March 2023.
KAIRI Sane On Leaving WWE
Sane previously discussed her departure from WWE. Speaking with Entame Next (translation via Reddit user DamieN62), KAIRI shared her thoughts on her decision to leave.
“When I left Japan in 2017, I promised my fans that I would go on a long journey, but that I would come back grown up. I told that to President Rossy Ogawa (now Executive Producer). In the first place, my goal was to learn first-class professional wrestling, and I didn’t really intend to live permanently in the US. I thought about retiring from wrestling. This is a personal story, but I lost my best friend to illness. I made a vow at her graveside and promised to make it happen: I was going to participate in WrestleMania. I wanted to make it happen for sure. Thanks to that, I was able to compete in three WrestleManias, had a title match with Asuka as Kabuki Warriors, became a champion in both NXT and WWE, and even received an award for the NXT overall competitor of the year,” she said.
“After I moved to the U.S., my personal life was secondary to my professional life, and I was flying around and competing four times a week without a break, but then the pandemic hit, and I suddenly had time to myself. Then I took the time to do some introspection. I thought, ‘Where am I going to go from here? I had a sense of accomplishment that I had fulfilled my promise to my best friend and that I had done everything I could in my three years with WWE, and after several consultations with WWE, I decided to leave.”
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
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