What’s the story?
After some speculation to the contrary, it now appears as though WWE’s latest Japanese signing, Kairi Sane, will be permitted to use her infamous elbow drop as a finishing move when she makes her debut. The news became apparent after WWE made specific reference to the finisher in a press release announcing her involvement in the Mae Young Classic tournament later this year.
In case you didn’t know...
Kairi Sane, better known to Japanese fans are Kairi Hojo, is widely thought to have one of the industry’s most beautiful elbow drops, a relatively straightforward move in today’s wrestling world, but one that Hojo can make stand out. There was originally some confusion as to whether the Japanese sensation would be permitted to use the finisher, as it is currently a part of Bayley's arsenal.
The WWE has always preferred to have one superstar perform a specific signature move in order to allow each individual to stand out, and for fans to become familiar with their move set. One possible reason for this decision is that while Bayley has made the elbow drop her own, she does not tend to finish matches with it, instead preferring to use the 'Bayley to Belly' (effectively a belly to belly suplex) to put away opponents.
The heart of the matter
In order to help with the expansion of interest in women's wrestling in the US, the WWE has been looking to other companies and scouting out the best female talent from across the world. The company now has several international superstars in their women's RAW, Smackdown and NXT rosters. Current NXT Women's champion Asuka has now become synonymous with the Wednesday night show, and with the impending debut of Sane, many fans are looking forward to a possible showdown between the two.
Despite Vince's willingness to bring in other talents in recent years, his company has a reputation of not allowing a superstar's full potential to shine through. Many fans are left frustrated that talented individuals are forced into a very 'WWE style' of wrestling, which sometimes sees them playing second fiddle to WWE original performers. Fans were initially fearing that Hojo would become the latest victim and would be forced to eliminate her greatest weapon from her arsenal to allow a WWE competitor to shine instead.
What's next?
While Sane will be performing in the upcoming Mae Young tournament this year, it is widely assumed that her involvement with WWE will stretch beyond this. The Japanse sensation is thought to be joining NXT, which has become the spiritual home of former Japenese stars such as Asuka, Hideo Itami and Shinsuke Nakamura.
NXT is currently going with a storyline that Women’s Champion Asuka is becoming frustrated at a lack of competition. Asuka remains undefeated since her arrival to NXT and has seen off the likes of Bayley, Nia Jax, Ember Moon and Nikki Cross in recent times. Sane could, therefore, be due a highly anticipated grudge match with the Empress of Tomorrow, where fans will eagerly be looking forward to seeing the elbow drop that Sane has perfected over the length of her career.
Author’s take
While we can appreciate WWE’s initial reluctance to have two female competitors using the same move, it is ultimately a good thing that common sense seems to have prevailed. Kairi Sane has clearly made a name for herself in Japan as being one of the most attractive in-ring female athletes in the world today, and the very fact that her elbow drop has been such a talking point since the announcement of her debut speaks to fan’s desire to see her perform it in a WWE ring.
The WWE could also have run the risk of the fans reacting badly to Sane not being permitted to use the move, perhaps starting a specific chant every time she went to the top rope. Of course, we do live in the age of the internet, and anyone who wishes to see the elbow drop can just jump onto Google or YouTube, but the potential sight of Sane performing the move on a defeated Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship is a sight we can’t afford to miss.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
