Add as a preferred source on Google AJ Styles also didn’t see Kairi Sane’s release coming. Fans singled it out as one of the most criticized moves in WWE’s recent wave of post-WrestleMania 42 cuts.
Speaking on the Phenomenally Retro Podcast, the “Phenomenal One” said he doesn’t fully understand the move. He pointed especially to Sane’s current run alongside Asuka in the Kabuki Warriors.
“Everyone is a little confused. Her and Asuka as a team was something really good. It caught me off guard because it was a big deal. I feel like Kairi was doing her best work right now.”
Styles made it clear he doesn’t know what’s next for the Japanese star. He even mentioned a possible return to Stardom, but stressed it wasn’t concrete information.
“I wish I had answers, but I don’t. I don’t know what this means for her. Is she done with wrestling? Is she going back to Stardom? What’s next for Kairi Sane? All I know is she was loved and incredible.”
AJ Styles says he was ‘caught off guard’ by Kairi Sane’s WWE exit https://t.co/D0hGiYvgm6
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) May 3, 2026
WWE released Sane on April 24. The cuts also included Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Santos Escobar, Apollo Crews and the Motor City Machine Guns, among others.
Her exit drew extra attention because Kairi was in the middle of a story with Asuka and IYO SKY. That angle never got a clean finish on TV. Rumors also suggest WWE factored in a belief that she wanted to return to Japan at some point, even though the wrestler herself has publicly indicated she didn’t simply walk away from the company.