Kairi Sane’s WWE release was not driven by budget constraints — it was driven by the company’s belief about her long-term intentions. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE had a specific belief that Sane might want to move back to Japan at some point down the line, and that thinking fed directly into the decision to let her go when cuts were being made.
The timing of the release made it especially jarring given that Sane was in the middle of an active storyline — WWE had been slowly building toward her standing up to Asuka’s bullying and eventually reuniting with IYO SKY as a tag team. That angle was dropped entirely without resolution. Meltzer also noted that wrestlers rarely receive honest explanations for their releases, with budget cuts typically cited as a blanket reason regardless of the actual circumstances.
Kairi Sane Pushed Back on Reports Suggesting She Had Requested Her Own Release
Sane herself pushed back on reports suggesting she had asked to leave WWE, making clear she did not request the release. The combination of an active storyline being abandoned, genuine internal shock at the decision per Fightful Select, and Sane’s own denial of requesting a departure paints a picture of a release that caught nearly everyone off guard — including the performer herself.
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