When news broke that Kairi Sane was taking a “leave of absence” from Stardom/New Japan Pro Wrestling following a very successful 18-month run back in Japan, rumors started to arise that Asuka‘s former tag team partner in The Kabuki Warriors was approaching a return to the WWE Universe for the first time since July of 2020.
Fast forward to August of 2023, and it looks like there might be some fire under all of that smoke, as Dave Meltzer revealed the rumored reason why Sane might be headed back to WWE after all: Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“Regarding the return of Kairi Sane, the basic issue is that she was and still is very close to Rossy Ogawa. Bushiroad wanted her exclusive. She wanted to work more dates, but Bushiroad wanted exclusivity regarding the more dates which would also mean more money. Other things also came up, as mentioned last week,” Dave Meltzer wrote via TJR Wrestling.
“She then talked about returning to WWE and had thoughts about returning, particularly with the success Sky has had there. She talked with those close to her who supported her leaving with the idea that if she doesn’t, she later in life would always have questions or regrets about it. She also felt things for her would be better with Levesque in charge of creative.”
Considering how IYO SKY and even Asuka have been booked under Triple H, with the duo both holding championship gold in 2023, maybe Sane really does believe a return to WWE could provide her with the most bang for her proverbial buck, as she has experience with plenty of performers across the promotion, much more so than if she debuted in AEW as an alternative to the limited schedule presented by Bushiroad. If Sane still has eyes for American professional wrestling, a return to WWE makes perfect sense.