Why ‘The Pirate Princess’ Needs to Return at Backlash in 2026
Last year, R-Truth was surprisingly released from WWE, with reports of his departure still conflicting to this day. He had been with the company for nearly two decades in his second run, beginning in 2008, winning multiple titles and slowly morphing into the comedic genius people have come to love over the past several years. His release caused significant backstage uncertainty and tension among wrestlers, fans, and the front office, as many backstage and fans around the world loved him. His surprise return at Money in the Bank was met with overwhelming positivity. We could see WWE pull a similar move this weekend at Backlash in Tampa, Florida.
Kaira Sane was released last week. Her release was the most surprising release of recent memory until Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day were released a few days later. The 12-time tag team champions weren't positioned or written well at all after their acclaimed heel turn in 2024. 'The Pirate Princess' was different, though, as she was the central piece of arguably the best WWE storyline of 2026 with fellow countrywomen Iyo Sky and Asuka.
Asuka had grown irritated by Iyo's increased interactions with Rhea Ripley in 2025. 'The Genius of the Sky' and 'The Eradicator' had been bitter rivals in the past, being a part of some of the best modern women's matches in WWE. The more Ripley warned Sky of 'The Empress of Tomorrow's intentions of their "friendship", the more Asuka's and Sky's mentor-mentee relationship continued to strain over the weeks. Stuck in the middle was Kairi, who was still friends with both Sky and Asuka. Sane just wanted everyone to get along and remain friends. Asuka started berating Sky, ultimately cutting off her friendship with her former student. Whoever was friends with Sky was her enemy. Iyo and her mentor started to pull away at 'The Pirate Princess's mind and emotions. Iyo was looking out for her friend, but Asuka was looking for an ally to take out her former student.
Asuka ultimately turned on Iyo by spitting blue mist in her former student's eyes. Looking at a deranged Asuka and standing over her misted, crying friend, Kairi had no idea what to do. 'The Empress of Tomorrow' gave 'The Pirate Princess' a manipulative and crazy look to see what she would do. Sane, fearing for her own safety, began attacking Sky on the ground while crying in distress. This began an extended feud between the three women. Kairi was doing as Asuka told her because she was afraid Asuka would do something bad to her. Iyo was looking to take revenge on her former friend and mentor. Asuka was manipulating everything to go her way because she had felt disrespected by Iyo; Rhea's coming out to protect and defend Sky only solidified her belief.
The relationship between Kairi and Asuka was nothing like that between Iyo and Asuka. The former teacher and student fell out due to a difference in beliefs, but both saw each other as some sort of equals. Kairi and Asuka's relationship was akin to that of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader after Mustafar in Star Wars. 'The Empress of Tomorrow' never viewed 'The Pirate Princess' as more than a tool for her own doing. Asuka's devious concoction of manipulation, breadcrumbing, and abuse of Sane had been brutal to watch. Kairi felt she had no purpose other than serving her new mentor. The fans wanted to see 'The Pirate Princess' get one back on her abuser, so much so that even 'The Genius of the Sky' wanted to see Kairi stand up to Asuka. The story abruptly ended with Sane's release from the company.
What other payoff could there be other than Sane getting revenge on Asuka? Kairi Sane needs to be a part of Iyo Sky's and Asuka's match. Her return would receive a massive pop, general positive reactions from wrestlers backstage and the WWE fanbase, and wrap up this month's long-angle, which WWE has highlighted, and fans have enjoyed watching play out. This isn't a storyline that can just be randomly dropped circumstantially. WWE management and TKO are doing to 'The Pirate Princess' what 'The Empress of Tomorrow' did to her in a way. The "We Want Kairi" chants and online responses have been overwhelming since her release, and hopefully, WWE and TKO are looking at a way to bring her back into the fold in time for Backlash.
