What’s the story?
Former World Wonder Ring Stardom star Kairi Hojo (now known as Kairi Sane) has announced her participation in WWE’s 32-woman Mae Young Classic tournament. A video of Kairi Sane making the announcement was shown during the 30th June 2017 WWE Live Event in Tokyo, Japan and can be seen below:
The video was also posted on WWE’s official website.
In case you didn’t know...
It had been rumoured for quite some time that Kairi Sane was headed to the WWE. The Japanese Women’s wrestling sensation had been praised by several professional wrestling pundits including Dave Meltzer for her performances with the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion.
Kairi was a part of the WWRS promotion from 2011 to 2017 and won a host of championships and accolades during her time there.
The heart of the matter
Kairi Sane, who is now an official WWE NXT Superstar, made the announcement that she was going to be a part of the Mae Young Classic Tournament via video. The video was then played at WWE’s Tokyo Live Event (30th June 2017).
In the video, Kairi talks about being excited for her participation in the Mae Young Classic tournament. The full English translation of her video is as follows:
"Hello, everyone in the NXT Universe. My name is Kairi Sane. Is everyone having a good time at tonight's show?
I have some news to tell you all now: I, Kairi Sane, have become an NXT Superstar. As you can see, this is the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Starting this week, I am training hard here and with the other Superstars.
And I have one more surprise for you: I will be representing Japan in the Mae Young Classic tournament happening next month. I and 31 other competitors from countries around this world will gather together and you can expect to see many tough battles.
WWE Universe Japan fans, I need your help. I hope to have your support and have you cheer me on. That's all I have to say. Please enjoy the rest of the show. See you again. Bye-bye."
Kairi Sane is being referred to as “The Pirate Princess" by the WWE. The names of Bianca BelAir, Dakota Kai and Piper Niven were also announced for the Mae Young Classic tournament alongside her.
What’s next?
The Mae Young Classic tournament is going to take place on the 13th and 14th July, 2017 at the Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The finals of the tournament will be held on 12th September 2017 as a Special Live Event at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Author’s take
Kairi Sane is undoubtedly one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet right now. Her inclusion in the tournament certainly drives up the credibility of the tournament itself and I’m sure that she will be one of the strongest candidates to win the whole thing.
Here’s to Kairi Sane showcasing her talents in the WWE!
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