Kairi Sane was a fan favorite and former Champion during her time in WWE, which is why WWE fans were disappointed to see her stop competing in the ring for a while. Sane would end up being an ambassador for WWE in 2020 after returning to Japan, and after her WWE contract expired she would return to active competition as part of Stardom, wrestling her first match in almost two years in March of this year. During a new interview with Entame Next, Kairi revealed why she decided not to return to WWE and what led to her joining Stardom, and it was partly because of promises fulfilled and Stardom reigniting a passion for the ring.
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“When I left Japan in 2017, I promised my fans that I would go on a long journey, but that I would come back grown up. I told that to President Rossy Ogawa (now Executive Producer). In the first place, my goal was to learn first-class professional wrestling, and I didn’t really intend to live permanently in the US. I thought about retiring from wrestling,” Kairi said. “This is a personal story, but I lost my best friend to illness. I made a vow at her graveside and promised to make it happen: I was going to participate in WrestleMania. I wanted to make it happen for sure. Thanks to that, I was able to compete in three WrestleManias, had a title match with Asuka as Kabuki Warriors, became a champion in both NXT and WWE, and even received an award for the NXT overall competitor of the year.”
“After I moved to the U.S., my personal life was secondary to my professional life, and I was flying around and competing four times a week without a break, but then the pandemic hit, and I suddenly had time to myself,” Kairi said. “Then I took the time to do some introspection. I thought, ‘Where am I going to go from here? I had a sense of accomplishment that I had fulfilled my promise to my best friend and that I had done everything I could in my three years with WWE, and after several consultations with WWE, I decided to leave.”
Kairi wasn’t planning on returning to the ring, but that all changed after Stardom’s Budokan, which got her thinking of jumping back into the ring and taking on some new challenges.
“After I returned to Japan, I had not been watching professional wrestling with much enthusiasm. But when I went to Stardom’s Budokan last year, the feeling of ‘I want to fight with everyone someday’ came up from my heart,” Kairi said. “However, even if I were to return, it would be the first time in about two years that I would be in the ring. The pacing of the matches and the rules were different from those in WWE, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to adapt quickly. However, I had been training in the gym even when I was not competing, so I was in good physical condition.”
“Another aspect of my decision to return was that I was confident in my three years of learning and experiencing wrestling in WWE. I am proud of the fact that I once protected Stardom during a period of stagnation as a player president, and I am proud of the fact that I was at the forefront of WWE women’s wrestling during its reform period, and I am proud of the fact that I have overcome both of these challenges,” Kairi said.
H/T Fightful
