Kairi Sane Pushes Back On WWE Release Speculation
Kairi Sane is pushing back. Days after her shock release from WWE, and with reports framing her exit as a personal decision to move back to Japan, the Pirate Princess has surfaced with a follow-up message that directly addresses the speculation surrounding her departure.
Posting from her @KAIRI_official account, Sane appeared to take aim at the narrative that she had stepped away from her work or her commitment to the company.
"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," Sane wrote. "I've never walked away, and I've given my all in everything I do. I hope you're all doing well."
The timing and tone of the post are notable. Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the reason for Sane's release was that she had "kind of indicated that she wanted to move back" to Japan, with Meltzer adding that the decision was not financial. PWInsider followed up by reporting that Sane had already returned to Japan and that there were no plans to reverse the release.
Sane's wording stops short of calling those reports inaccurate, but the phrase "I've never walked away" reads as a clear pushback against any framing that paints her exit as voluntary or a step back from the business.
The response from the fanbase has been one of the loudest of any release in recent memory. The hashtag #WeWantKairi trended throughout the weekend, and on Monday night, "We Want Kairi" chants broke out at the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas, when Asuka attacked IYO Sky to set up their Backlash match.
Sane was a central figure in that ongoing storyline, with the angle building toward a long-rumored Sane turn on Asuka that will now never happen on WWE television. According to further reporting, WWE has no intention of reversing the decision, with the company reportedly looking to let the chants fade in a similar way to how it handled the Karrion Kross situation last year.
Sane was in her second WWE run, having returned at Crown Jewel in November 2023. She is a former NXT Women's Champion, the 2017 Mae Young Classic winner, and a multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion alongside Asuka as the Kabuki Warriors. Her first stint with the company ended at the close of 2021, after which she returned to Stardom in Japan.
She was released on April 24 as part of WWE's post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts, a wave of departures that also included Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Santos Escobar, the Motor City Machine Guns, and the entire Wyatt Sicks faction. With her contract now up and her statement leaning into love of the work rather than a goodbye, the door appears wide open for her next chapter, wherever that may be.
