42-year-old to turn heel for the first time in 6 months and align with Damage CTRL? Exploring potential change

A 42-year-old WWE Superstar could decide to turn heel and align with Damage CTRL on SmackDown.

IYO SKY successfully defended the WWE Women's Championship against Bianca Belair this past Saturday at Crown Jewel. Bayley interfered several times during the match, but The EST kept battling back. However, Kairi Sane made her return to the company, and attacked Belair. IYO capitalized with a Moonsault and retained the title.

Kairi Sane had departed the company in 2021, but has now aligned with IYO SKY upon her return. In the storyline, Sane was written off of WWE television due to an attack by Bayley in 2020. The Role Model seemingly had no idea that Sane would be making her return at Crown Jewel, and was in complete shock ringside while Sane and SKY posed in the ring after the the match.

Damage CTRL appeared to be falling apart after IYO won the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder match on July 1. However, if Bayley and Sane can get on the same page, the group has the chance to become more powerful than ever. Sane has a bond with former WWE Women's Champion Asuka, and the two were once known as The Kabuki Warriors in the promotion. Sane and Asuka could both potentially join the faction, which would make them a dominant force on SmackDown.

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Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell praises Damage CTRL

Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell recently praised Damage CTRL, and noted that they have done a good job of getting over with the crowd on SmackDown.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk show, Dutch Mantell praised Bayley as the leader of the Damage CTRL, and added that he is looking forward to seeing how the storyline plays out.

"I do like that team though. It's like anything else, when you get something new, the first time you see it, you go, 'Meh, I don't know. It's okay.' Then they do something else. And when they do something that really just shakes the boat, you'll get on board with it. They're likable. Bayley is great. Bayley is out there running her mouth, you kind of like her anyway. So, I'll see where they go." [37:25 - 38:15]

Asuka has not competed on WWE SmackDown since teaming with Charlotte Flair to defeat Damage CTRL on the October 6 show. She previously turned heel earlier this year in May, and spit mist in Bianca Belair's face during their rivalry. Only time will tell what WWE has planned for the veteran during the build for Survivor Series 2023.

Do you think Damage CTRL will disband soon? Would you like to see Kairi Sane and Asuka join the faction? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.