It’s always unfortunate when WWE releases wrestlers from their contracts and last week the company parted ways with over two dozen wrestlers. A number of surprising names were cut including former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane.
Kairi Sane had been prominently featured on the Monday Night Raw brand over the last few years and she was in an ongoing storyline with Iyo Sky and Asuka at the time of her release.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that they were told part of the reason why Kairi Sane was released is because she wanted to move back to Japan.
“While most were surprised, we were told part of it was the belief she wanted to move back to Japan at some point and with that knowledge it was part of the decision making,” Dave Meltzer wrote.
It was also noted that talent who get cut are rarely told the actual reason behind their WWE release beyond that they were let go due to budgeting purposes.
Kairi Sane recently commented on the speculation surrounding her release when she posted the following:
“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.
I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do.
I hope you’re all doing well ❤️”
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.
I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do.
I hope you’re all doing well ❤️— Kairi Sane (@KAIRI_official) April 28, 2026