Kairi Sane Returns At WWE Crown Jewel, Helps IYO SKY Retain WWE Women's Championship
Kairi Sane made her long-awaited return to WWE at Crown Jewel 2023. The "Pirate Princess" surprisingly appeared to aid Iyo Sky in retaining her WWE Women's Championship over Bianca Belair.
The landscape of the #SmackDown Women's Division has changed as we know it!#WWECrownJewel pic.twitter.com/zyHgrsE5Vo
— WWE (@WWE) November 4, 2023
Sane addressed fans of STARDOM in October to announce that it could be the last time they would see her perform in the company, leading many to believe she was departing the promotion. Since then, multiple reports emerged to say that she was headed back to WWE, and it was recently indicated that she was listed on the internal roster and her return was imminent. Speculation turned to actualization during today's event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Sane made a surprise appearance to help Sky.
Delivering her patented flying elbow drop, it was the first time Sane had been seen in a WWE ring since she faced Bayley in July 2020, serving to add another crinkle to Damage CTRL's storyline of tension between the "Genius of the Sky" and the "Role-Model". Sky and Sane previously held trios gold when they wrestled together in STARDOM in 2016, but are set to stand shoulder-to-shoulder for the first time in WWE. Similar to Sky, Sane boasted reigns with both the WWE Women's Tag and "NXT" Women's Championships before her departure in December 2021.