Kairi Sane was as surprised by her WWE release as anyone. Sane was arguably the most high-profile victim of a major roster cut in April, resulting in 16 departures from the company. It took a while to recover from the shock, but she's grateful for the aftermath.
Sane and Aleister Black were the two most unexpected names released by the promotion this year. Both were actively involved in storylines and regularly wrestling. Sane was a prominent player in a multi-month feud involving Asuka and Iyo Sky.
"It was just as much of a bolt out of the blue for me as it was for everyone else," Sane told Weekly Pro Wrestling, a prominent Japanese magazine, in an interview later translated by Sports Illustrated. "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 without Sane. It culminated with Asuka losing a nearly 20-minute match against her fellow Japanese superstar before taking an indefinite hiatus. Sky pressed on without her DAMAGE CTRL allies, winning the Queen of the Ring tournament but coming up short against women's world champion Liv Morgan at SummerSlam.
Sane, 37, took time to gather her thoughts before exploring next options. She hired professional wrestling agent Barry Bloom, whose deep rolodex of clients includes Bill Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley and Kenny Omega. Sane says she's now fielding offers from many promotions, including those 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 said. "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 WWE exit ended her second stint with the promotion. She originally signed with WWE, winning the NXT women's championship before graduating to the main roster. She returned to WWE in 2023, aligning herself with Sky and Damage CTRL. Sane is a three-time WWE women's tag team champion, winning the titles with Asuka across her two WWE runs.
She cut her teeth in the dojos of Stardom, Japan's premier pro wrestling promotion for women, before graduating to its main roster. After her 2021 WWE release, she returned to Japan, wrestling for Stardom and New Japan Pro Wrestling. While with NJPW, Sane won the inaugural IWGP women's championship, the sister title to Japan's most prestigious men's world championship.
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