KAIRI Names WWE Stars Who Congratulated Her After Milestone Achievement

KAIRI received plenty of recognition from around the professional wrestling world following her historic victory last month at the Historic X-Over show to win the inaugural IWGP Women's Championship. The Japanese wrestling star said there were a couple of text messages she received after her monumental win — becoming both the inaugural IWGP women's champion and the first woman to win titles in both NJPW and WWE –- which stood out.

"Asuka, IO [SKY], Shayna Baszler all sent congratulations," said the IWGP women's champ told NJPW in an interview. "It was great to have that reception even after I'd left that company."

All three women share a history with the IWGP women's champion. As The Kabuki Warriors, KAIRI and Asuka held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for a record 172 days. KAIRI has also acknowledged she has close, real-life friendships with both IO SKY and Baszler, who she feuded with on and off during her time in WWE. In 2017, KAIRI defeated Baszler to win the inaugural Mae Young Classic women's tournament in NXT. 

KAIRI left WWE in December 2021 and returned to Japan, and has featured in World Wonder Ring Stardom and NJPW.

She said her most recent victory over Mayu Iwatani, in which she became NJPW's inaugural women's champion last month, was a real honor. "I just have to thank the god of pro wrestling for giving me that chance," the champion said. "I've never been first in anything in my wrestling career, so it's huge." The champion successfully defended her title at Wrestle Kingdom 17 against Tam Nakano in the first IWGP women's title defense in history, after which she was confronted by a debuting Mercedes Moné.