Though she was released by WWE, Kairi Sane might not be totally done with the company.
Our Bryan Alvarez reports that, within WWE, there’s a belief that Sane could show up at Backlash this Saturday to finish out her storyline with IYO SKY and Asuka. It’s not clear if this would be a one-off appearance or not.
“Within WWE, it’s felt there is a better than 50% chance that Kairi shows up at Backlash to at least finish off that storyline,” Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on X.
A singles match between SKY and Asuka is set for this Saturday’s Backlash PLE in Tampa, Florida. Before her release, Sane was involved in a long-running storyline where she was stuck between those two. Asuka was bullying Sane and forcing her to prove that she was truly loyal to her over SKY.
Sane was among those released by WWE in the company’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts. Of those let go, Sane was especially surprising given her talent level and how important she was to the resolution of the SKY vs. Asuka program. Fans have shown their support for Sane through #WeWantKairi hashtags on social media, and AJ Styles said he was especially caught off guard by Sane’s release.
This was Sane’s second stint with WWE. After her 2021 departure, she spent time in her home country of Japan mostly working for Stardom/NJPW. Sane then returned to WWE in 2023.
Seemingly denying rumors that she was released because she wants to return to Japan again, Sane sent out a tweet on April 28 saying that she’s never walked away and has always given it her all.
“What I can say is I know there’s been a lot of speculation, but I truly love this work, my teammates, and my fans. I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do,” she wrote. “I hope you’re all doing well.”
AJ Styles says he was caught off guard by Kairi Sane’s WWE departure.
Sane was one of several names part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts revealed last week.
On an episode of his Phenomenally Retro podcast published on Sunday, Styles said he doesn’t have any answers for what led to Sane exiting the company, but did say he felt she was doing some of the best work of her career.
Styles said:
“We don’t know exactly what the case is. That one caught me off guard as well because it was a great tag team thing. I feel like Kairi is doing her best work as of now. I wish I had answers. I don’t have these answers for you guys. I don’t. I don’t know what this means for her. I don’t know. I mean, is she done wrestling? Is she going to go back to Stardom? What’s next for Kairi Sane? But I know that she was loved and she was amazing. Yeah, I just hate that.”
Styles also addressed the belief that Sane wanted to return to Japan.
“I will say this: the first time that she left, she went home to Japan. And I don’t know if that had anything to do with this. I doubt it was her choice because I felt like she was really rolling well. But I don’t know. I’m just saying that she went back to Japan last time that she left. I think she wanted to go home.
“So I get it. Given the opportunity, living in another country, I’d always want to go home myself.”
Kairi Sane’s WWE exit
Dave Meltzer wrote in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletterthat WWE being under the impression that Sane would like to move back to Japan at some point factored into its decision to release her.
Meltzer wrote:
“We were told part of it was the belief she wanted to move back to Japan at some point and with that knowledge it was part of the decision making.”
Sane has posted to social media that she did not “walk away” from WWE last week.
Styles’ full podcast is available below. The video is cued to his comments about the recent WWE releases.
On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa give their thoughts on the recent WWE releases, the arrival of Fatal Influence to WWE SmackDown, and Kevin Knight (pictured above) defeating MJF to earn an AEW World title shot this Wednesday.
An update is available regarding Kairi Sane’s departure from WWE.
Sane was one of several names revealed as part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts earlier this month.
Dave Meltzer noted on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that Sane may have indicated to the company that she wanted to move back to Japan. These comments were then incorrectly aggregated on some news sites as her having asked for her release. Sane put out a statement earlier this week stating this was not the case.
In today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer clarified that WWE’s belief that Sane would like to move back to Japan at some point factored into their decision to release her.
Meltzer wrote:
“The biggest surprise on the list was Kairi Sane (Kaori Housako, 37). She was in the middle of a program where they were teasing her eventually standing up for herself against the bullying of Asuka and getting back together as a team with Iyo Sky. But the angle was dropped cold.
While most were surprised, we were told part of it was the belief she wanted to move back to Japan at some point and with that knowledge it was part of the decision making.”
Meltzer added, “Talent is rarely told the actual reason they are let go past budgeting purposes.”
What I can say is I know there’s been a lot of speculation, but I truly love this work, my teammates, and my fans. I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do. I hope you’re all doing well ❤️
Triple H promoted WWE’s latest video revealing the behind-the-scenes preparation for WrestleMania 42.
He posted a snippet on X, featuring his interaction with CM Punk from the official WWE video. However, that was met with a majority of the WWE fans instantly responding with #WeWantKairi to the post.
“It’s a team effort. Just a small glimpse into what makes #WrestleMania happen. Watch now on @WWE YouTube” Triple H captioned the post.
Last Friday, WWE released nearly 20 talents from the roster including Kairi Sane. She was in the middle of an ongoing feud, aligning with Asuka against IYO SKY. Their rivalry had been building up since the second half of 2025.
Before WrestleMania 42, there were reports on Asuka and Sane’s participation in the PLE. There were initial plans of a triple threat match among Asuka, Sane and SKY. Later, The Kabuki Warriors were rumored to replace The Bella Twins in the fatal-four way Tag Team Title bout due to Nikki’s injury. However, Paige returned as her replacement and eventually won the Tag Team Championship with Brie.
WWE fans have often relied on social media to make their voices heard, and they have proven to be impactful in the past. In 2024, when The Rock returned and hinted at taking over Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania spot against Roman Reigns, #WeWantCody flooded social media platforms forcing WWE to alter plans.
Similarly, last year when R-Truth announced his abrupt WWE release, fans chanted ‘We want Truth’ on Raw and SmackDown in addition to X. This ultimately led to his return at Money in the Bank, a week later.
In a new post on social media on Tuesday, Sane seemed to respond to a report from this website indicating that she had signaled to WWE officials that she wanted to move back home to Japan.
“What I can say is I know there’s been a lot of speculation, but I truly love this work, my teammates, and my fans. I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do. I hope you’re all doing well,” she wrote.
On Tuesday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Sane “had kinda indicated she wanted to move back” to Japan, and that could have been a factor in WWE choosing to release her.
Sane’s release this past Friday along with a slew of other main roster and NXT talent was shocking to fans, as Sane was in the middle of a storyline involving herself, Asuka, and IYO SKY. Asuka briefly mentioned dropping Kairi on this week’s Raw without explicitly naming her, challenging SKY to a match at Backlash for next month.
“I’m truly grateful to have people like you by my side. Thank you for always being with me. I’ll set sail… in my own time. Until then…I love you,” she wrote after the news broke.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including the latest on the wrestling fan who went missing over WrestleMania weekend, the situation with Kairi Sane, RAW injury updates, the full RAW report from Monday, Brock’s retirement, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
The IYO SKY and Asuka storyline continued on Raw, with Asuka costing SKY the Women’s Intercontinental title after a distraction. After Becky Lynch retained the title, Asuka entered the ring and latched on the Asuka lock to further hammer her point home. Loud chants of ‘We Want Kairi’ could be heard as Asuka ended the segment stood tall.
Kairi Sane ended up being one of the more shocking releases on Friday, which saw cuts across both WWE and NXT. Over the weekend, ‘We Want Kairi’ trended on social media with fans hoping WWE would reverse their decision, similar to when R-Truth was released and later brought back last year.
After Grayson Waller complained about everyone else getting opportunities, he started to complain about Oba Femi, saying he was overrated and only beat Brock Lesnar at the end of his career. Femi was right behind him and told Adam Pearce to make the match. After the quick victory, Femi said that with all the top champions tied up, he would officially start his own open challenge, offering anyone back in the locker room a chance to stand up.
On the same show, Joe Hendry appeared and held a concert with a new song making it clear that he had signed with Raw. Austin Theory and Logan Paul came out and heckled Hendry, who ended up calling them losers. They got into a brawl until the Street Profits came out for the save.
Later, the Profits welcomed Hendry to Raw and suggested he change his blue shirt to a red one.
Regarding the main roster cuts, among those were Zoey Stark and Santos Escobar, both of whom were dealing with injuries. Stark had been cleared for an in-ring return prior to her release, while Escobar was recovering from a tricep injury.
“Regarding cuts, I was told Zoey Stark had been cleared when she was cut, just wasn’t being used. Meanwhile, Santos Escobar was just injured on that AAA show about a month ago and was NOT cleared,” Alvarez pointed out.
One of the more prominent and shocking cuts was Kairi Sane, who was in the middle of a storyline between herself, Asuka, and IYO SKY. While there are reports of her already being back in Japan, Alvarez notes that it may not be related to her release.
“Regarding reports of Kairi being in Japan, this may or may not be related to her release,” he said. “She [has] traveled home at least once or twice per month every month since she first signed.”
Sane was trending following the news of her release, with stars such as IYO SKY reacting to the news.
Kari Sane was among the many names WWE released last weekend.
According to PWInsider, Sane’s WWE release has not been revoked despite social media trends calling for a change in her status with the company. The report also claims that Sane has returned to her home country, Japan, effectively ruling out any possible appearances on Raw.
Sane and Asuka were feuding with IYO SKY on Raw, especially after Sky’s association with Rhea Ripley. Asuka opposed her alliance with Ripley which led to their long term feud in 2025.
Sane started her wrestling career at Wonder Ring Stardom in 2011, where she commenced training. Her first stint with WWE was from 2017 to 2021. She competed for a couple of years on NXT before forming The Kabuki Warriors with Asuka. Sane returned to WWE in 2023 and joined Damage CTRL along with Dakota Kai, Bayley and Sky. When the group split up, The Kabuki Warriors focused on their pursuit of the Tag Team Titles. They won the titles in November last year and held gold for 55 days before Ripley and SKY ended their title reign in January this year.
SKY wrote a supportive note for Sane after the announcement of her WWE release. #WeWantKairi started trending on social media shortly after her name was confirmed to be in the list of stars let go by the company.
The stars released by the company include Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Apollo Crews, Santos Escobar, Zoey Stark and more.
I’m truly grateful to have people like you by my side. Thank you for always being with me.
I’ll set sail… in my own time ⛵️ Until then… I love you ❤️
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about including a full recap of the Smackdown after WrestleMania and AEW Collision from Saturday night! Besides the recaps, we’ve also got news on the WWE releases on Friday, what may be to come still, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Kairi Sane being part of WWE roster cuts on Friday is a riddle I can’t seem to solve.
At the time of her departure, there was no evidence she was on the chopping block at all. WWE had invested screen time in her story, and she’d even beaten IYO SKY in her last singles match on the 4/13 Raw.
Everyone was waiting for her to finally stand up for herself against Asuka, leading to what I, and I’m sure many others, assumed would be a long-running program between the two.
Was Kairi Sane’s WWE departure unexpected?
By all public accounts, nobody saw Sane’s departure coming.
IYO SKY mentioned that in her post to Sane on Saturday, writing:
“I understand that everyone, as an athlete, eventually faces a turning point when thinking about their life and career, but I feel so heartbroken that it came at such an unexpected time.”
Bayley wrote that she was having trouble “wrapping her head around this one” in regards to Sane’s departure as well.
“I’m having a hard time finding words for this one. I love you and it was an honor to tell stories with you.”
When exactly the decision was made that Kairi would be part of the cuts is not clear.
Kairi Sane and Aleister Black releases share similarities
Sane and Aleister Black being cut from WWE was either a late decision, or the old idea of beating someone before they leave the territory is not known to TKO.
Black was released after having won his final three singles matches against Randy Orton on 2/20, Sami Zayn on 3/20, and Matt Cardona on 4/3. Even when he left AEW, he’d lost his final two matches (to Adam Cole and to Adam Copeland), after having only dropped one throughout the rest of his time with the company.
Sane was coming off a singles win over IYO SKY on the 4/13 Raw. Her absence will be a giant elephant in the room during anything to do with Asuka now for fans who had been invested in the story the two had been telling.
All of this suggests WWE either didn’t prepare for Sane or Black leaving, didn’t know it was going to happen, or it was decided at the last minute.
Who made the decision to cut Kairi Sane?
This may not feel like a Triple H decision, but nobody forced his hand here.
Roster cuts are a Triple H decision with Nick Khan input. Our own Dave Meltzer has been explaining this to people online the last few days.
“Nobody above Levesque is saying who to cut. Maybe Nick Khan, maybe not. Ari Emanuel isn’t sitting there saying we have to fire Zelina and Kairi. By and large the decision maker, for good or for bad, here is Paul. It’s like in other years where people blamed this person or that person when the decision was 100 percent Vince.
There’s not a chance TKO is ordering who to cut. It is possible they’ve got an unofficial salary cap and Levesque as the manager has to keep the number below that. Most likely the salary total would be a Khan decision, and as far as the key in the personnel decision, that’s Levesque although Khan having input and others having input is likely. It’s like Vince would consult with a few people but at the end, it was Vince’s call, not evil Jim Ross or evil Johnny Ace or evil JJ Dillon.”
“You think a guy at the level of Ari Emanuel is deciding on whether or not to keep Kairi Sane? You’re kidding yourself,” Meltzer continued.
What’s next for Kairi Sane?
I imagine, whatever she wants. Everyone will want her.
Tony Khan will want her. Stardom will want her back. TNA probably thinks she’d make an excellent addition to the Undead Realm, and Juggalo Championship Wrestling would love to put her in an angle that has something to do with who controls the company.
Kairi Sane’s departure from WWE isn’t bad for wrestling, it’s just bad for WWE.
Shortly after Sane’s release, her recent on-screen rival, IYO SKY, broke character and reacted to her shocking departure (quotes translated from Japanese).
“I understand that everyone, as an athlete, eventually faces a turning point when thinking about their life and career, but I feel so heartbroken that it came at such an unexpected time,” she wrote.
“Kairi [Sane] was truly loved by all her colleagues, not just as a performer but as a person. She was kinder than anyone, a little airheaded in the most endearing way, funny, charming, and my proud best friend. A comrade-in-arms who faced countless hardships in America, shed so many tears, and grew together with me. It’s so hard to accept that Kairi won’t be in the passenger seat of the rental car anymore, but,” SKY continued.
Praising her talent and thinking positively about Sane’s future, SKY wrote, “I’m absolutely certain that with her innate talent and the incredible knowledge and experience she’s gained in WWE, Kairi’s new journey will be something truly amazing. From the bottom of my heart, I wish for my beloved Kairi’s success and happiness. I love you so much Kairi. We’ll be best friends forever and always,” she finished.
While she was recently paired with Asuka as The Kabuki Warriors, Sane was also a part of The Damage CTRL alongside IYO Sky, Dakota Kai, and Bayley. Sane, 37, is a former multiple-time WWE Women’s tag-team champion as well as a former WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
Kairi Sane has posted a message following her departure from WWE.
Sane was one of several names revealed as part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts on Friday.
On Saturday, she posted the following message to social media:
“I’m truly grateful to have people like you by my side. Thank you for always being with me. I’ll set sail… in my own time ⛵️ Until then… I love you ❤️“
Asuka issued the following reply:
“No matter what, I’ll always be in your corner, Kairi. I’ll never leave you feeling alone. 🤡”
Bayley also posted the following to Sane:
“I’m having a hard time finding words for this one. I love you and it was an honor to tell stories with you. #KAIRIMFNSANE”
Sane was in her second stint with WWE at the time of her departure. She returned to the company at Crown Jewel on November 4, 2023. Her prior run with WWE lasted from 2017 until her contract expired at the end of 2021. She then returned to Stardom the following February.
During her WWE career, Sane was a three-time Women’s Tag Team Champion with Asuka, a one-time NXT Women’s Champion, and winner of the 2017 Mae Young Classic.
Sane’s full post is below:
I’m truly grateful to have people like you by my side. Thank you for always being with me.
I’ll set sail… in my own time ⛵️ Until then… I love you ❤️
AJ Lee has her sights set on multiple talents from the women’s division who have cemented their spot during her time away. The latest rivalry that has caught her attention is between The Kabuki Warriors and IYO SKY.
Lee took to social media that she had been fangirling over their feud for months.
“been fangirling for @WWEAsuka @KAIRI_official @Iyo_SkyWWE for months and I am unhealthily invested in this now,” posted Lee.
The rift between The Kabuki Warriors and IYO SKY grew wider in the second half of 2025. Asuka snapped on a September edition of Raw when Sky assisted Rhea Ripley, who was her original target. Asuka and Kairi Sane attacked Sky too. In the months that followed, the two tag teams clashed repeatedly in the ring. Asuka frequently reminded SKY of her sacrifices and efforts in their friendship.
With their rivalry brewing for a long while now and WrestleMania 42 around the corner, their match has reached a conundrum. Earlier this week we reported the reason for the delay in WWE announcing Asuka vs. SKY for the Premium Live Event. It is directly linked to the Women’s Tag Team Championship match.
Nia Jax & Lash Legend are set to defend the titles against Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair, Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins. However, Nikki Bella suffered a foot injury on SmackDown last month. If she is not cleared to compete at WrestleMania 42, WWE intends to add The Kabuki Warriors as replacement.
Meanwhile, Lee will compete in her first WrestleMania match in a decade as she defends the Intercontinental Title in a rematch against Becky Lynch.
