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Kairi Sane Responds To WWE Release Rumor: “I’ve Never Walked Away”

By Gaurav Singh • Published Apr 29, 2026 07:41 EDT
Kairi Sane WWE
Kairi Sane is released by WWE (Source-WWE.com)

The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, Kairi Sane finally broke the silence on a recent rumor regarding her release from the Stamford-based promotion.

Last Friday, WWE came to terms with the release of over 20 wrestlers from the main roster and NXT as well. The list of releases included shocking names such as Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Motor City Machine Gun, Wyatt Sicks, and more. The majority of fans were heartbroken by the release of Kairi Sane as well. Kairi was in the middle of a storyline alongside Asuka and Iyo Sky of Kabuki Warriors. This past Monday on RAW, many fans were chanting, “We want Kairi” as well.

After Kairi Sane was surprisingly released from the WWE, Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio reported that the reason Kairi got cut was that she wanted to move back to Japan, and it’s not a money issue:

The Kairi thing, the reason she was cut was I think she had kinda indicated that she wanted to move back (to Japan).“The reality is, this is not a money issue. This company makes… whatever it is. The revenue between UFC and WWE and throwing everything in, the revenue’s in the billions of dollars,” Meltzer noted.

Kairi Sane seemingly reacted to rumors about her WWE release

After her first run with the WWE, Kairi Sane went back to Japan following her previous departure in 2020 and performed in NJPW and STARDOM. She returned to the Sports Entertainment Juggernaut in 2023 for a second run, and after her recent release, it is rumored that she wants to head back to Japan again.

Taking notice of the rumors and speculations regarding her WWE release, Kairi Sane took to the X social media platform to seemingly fire back at the rumors by stating that she never walked away:

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 wrote.

In a previous post, Kairi Sane sent the following message following her WWE release:

I’m truly grateful to have people like you by my side. Thank you for always being with me. I’ll set sail… in my own time Until then… I love you”

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.

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