Kairi Sane Says Fulfilled Promise Weighed Into Decision To Leave WWE
STARDOM wrestler KAIRI (fka Kairi Sane in WWE) spoke with Entamenext in Japan to discuss her return to STARDOM, as well as her life post-WWE. The outlet asked KAIRI about the weird period between when she last wrestled for WWE in July 2020, and when her contract with WWE expired in December 2021.
"There was a contractual relationship around that," KAIRI said, explaining why she wasn't able to immediately return to wrestling. She also said she had been "worried about the future" and had even considered retiring from pro wrestling.
"This is a personal story, but I lost a friend to illness," KAIRI detailed how a promise she made at her friend's grave kept her going through her struggles in WWE. She swore that she would perform at WrestleMania. "I was able to participate in WrestleMania three times," she said, noting that she went into her WrestleMania 36 match alongside Asuka as WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. KAIRI said that it was fulfilling this promise to her friend that made her feel comfortable with letting her WWE contract expire in December 2021.
Between her final matches in July 2020, and her departure in December 2021, WWE found a number of ways to utilize the talent outside of the ring. When she returned to Japan in 2020, she was a goodwill ambassador and trainer for WWE. The company also had her as a Japanese commentator at the 2020 Hell In A Cell event.
KAIRI seemed to enjoy the time to focus on herself while waiting for her contract to expire. "Since I moved to the United States, my private life has been secondary and tertiary," she explained, "and that's why I've been flying around and fighting at four paces a week without a break. Time suddenly came. Then I took a closer look. 'Where should I go from now on?'"
KAIRI returned to STARDOM in February of 2022. She teamed with Mayu Iwatani to defeat Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka. KAIRI went on to defeat Starlight Kid in March of 2022, where she suffered a ruptured eardrum.
Translations via Google translate.