KAIRI (formerly known as Kairi Sane) has returned to Stardom and has been carrying a lot of momentum since returning to the ring, however she wasn’t always just a Stardom performer.
KAIRI had a more than successful run in the WWE, holding the NXT Women’s Title twice before being called up to RAW’s roster as a tag team partner for The Empress Of Tomorrow, Asuka. The pair became the Kabuki Warriors and would win the women’s tag titles together. This time period allowed KAIRI to show her charisma and talent.
Speaking to Entame Next (translation via Reddit user DamieN62), KAIRI opened up about her decision to leave WWE.
“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.”
KAIRI to Entame Next
Upon leaving the WWE, KAIRI would return to Japan where she has resumed her in ring career. Do you think WWE let a possible star slip through their fingers? Let us know in the comments section and on our social media pages.
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