Andrew Ravens
Kairi Sane may not be done with WWE just yet.
Bryan Alvarez reports that within WWE, there is a belief that Sane could show up at Backlash this Saturday in Tampa, Florida, to provide some resolution to her ongoing storyline with IYO SKY and Asuka, despite having been released from the company’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts. Whether such an appearance would be a one-off or signal something more has not been made clear.
“Within WWE, it’s felt there is a better than 50% chance that Kairi shows up at Backlash to at least finish off that storyline,” Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on X.
A singles match between SKY and Asuka is set for Saturday’s Backlash PLE at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Before her release, Sane had been central to the storyline leading up to that match, caught between the two as Asuka attempted to bully her into proving her loyalty to SKY.
Her absence from the resolution of that program was one of the more puzzling aspects of her release, and the internal belief that she could still appear at Backlash reflects how unfinished that creative thread remains.
Sane was among the 25 talents released by WWE on April 24 in the post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts, and her release was considered one of the more surprising decisions in that wave, given both her talent level and her active role in an ongoing program.
The fan reaction was swift and vocal, with the hashtag WeWantKairi flooding social media in the days following the announcement. AJ Styles was among those who publicly stated he was caught off guard by the news.
This was Sane’s second stint with WWE. After her 2021 departure, she spent time in Japan primarily working for Stardom and NJPW before returning to WWE in 2023, going on to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Asuka as the Kabuki Warriors during that second run.
