Kairi Sane Calls WWE Release a Huge Shock, Teases Next Chapter

Kairi Sane reflects on her WWE release from earlier this year.

Back in April, following WrestleMania 42, WWE released almost 30 talents across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. There were several surprises among this round of releases, but one of the most shocking came in the form of former NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane, who was knee-deep in a weekly storyline on Raw with Asuka and IYO SKY.

The company would attempt to finish the story between SKY and Asuka without Kairi, but her absence was noticeable. Now that her 90-day non-compete has concluded, fans will have the opportunity to see Kairi return to the ring once again, but it won't be for WWE.

Kairi Sane on her release and retirement

Kairi Sane recently spoke with Weekly Pro Wrestling's Special Edition magazine, RING PLUS vol.14, which was released in Japan on August 4. When asked about her release in April, Sane admitted it was just as much of a shock to her as everyone else, as her current storyline on Raw was just about to kick into another gear.

"It was just as much of a bolt out of the blue for me as it was for everyone else," Kairi Sane said. "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."

When asked if the thought of retirement came up, Sane believed that had she gotten the conclusion to her storyline with Asuka and SKY, it could have been in the cards, but without it, the thought of retirement was never an option.

ついに本日発売です🥳🏴‍☠️
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感想も聞かせてもらえたら嬉しいです🤗#RINGPLUS #KAIRI https://t.co/yggapwXd0F
— KAIRI (@KAIRI_official) August 4, 2026

Is Kairi Sane AEW bound?

It has recently been reported that Kairi Sane has hired pro wrestling agent Barry Bloom to represent her in free agency. Bloom represents some of the biggest talents in AEW, leading many to believe they know Kairi's next destination.

Despite that, Sane stressed that she has a lot of offers on the table and has yet to make up her mind about where she'll pop up next.

"Right after the release, my head was an absolute jumble, so I tried not to think about it for a bit," Kairi 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."

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