Kairi Sane finally opened up about her WWE release on April 24, 2026, admitting the decision caught her completely by surprise. Sane had wrestled on Raw just four days earlier, teaming with Asuka against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY.
In a recent interview with ShuPro, Sane explained that she believed her character was on the cusp of a major push. At the time, Asuka had been turning on her more and more, while SKY tried to convince her to walk away from their partnership.
“It was just as much of a bolt out of the blue for me as it was for everyone else—my friends around me felt the same way. 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 story 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.”
The build-up had actually begun months earlier. On January 5, 2026, Sane and Asuka lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to Ripley and SKY. At the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026, Kairi accidentally eliminated Asuka. Then, on the March 23, 2026 episode of Raw, SKY came out to support her after another argument with the Empress of Tomorrow.
Sane said her biggest regret was not simply losing her job, but seeing the story cut short just as she believed she was ready to show a different side of herself.
“Yes, that’s right. Wondering what kind of reaction there might be, I summoned the courage to open social media, only to find the ‘#WeWantKairi’ movement was already happening. It actually hit number one in the world trends. I was truly saved by that.”
The campaign extended beyond social media. At Backlash on May 9, 2026, the crowd broke into loud “We Want Kairi” chants during the match between Asuka and IYO SKY.
Sane’s 90-day non-compete period expired on July 23, 2026. She has been a free agent ever since.