Kairi Sane

[8.0] "Both times she's been in WWE her work hasn't been anything special. Outside of it she's a huge deal and has classic matches. A little tough to rate but I think 7 is fair. I hope the money she gets in WWE is worth the near anonymity it brings to her career. Slightly off topic but I've had friends tell me they think Chelsea Green and Maxxine Dupri are better than her in the ring and the only reaction I could muster was laughter."

[3.0] "Ever since returning she didn't do anything of significance. She joined DC, and again was put in the tag division to have a mediocre run with the tag titles and then injured herself. Completely unnecessary return. And it's not like her previous run was that much better. Upon getting called up she was put in, the you guessed it, the tag division and that was it. Realistically just a tag wrestler. Stop being delusional and rate her on her current work not on what she did 10 years ago in Japan for a crowd that claps for everything."

[6.0] "I don't like the way she acts. I thought she was nice and normal. But her friendship with Asuka changed a lot. Her too. She acts irrationally. She laughs like she thinks she's the best. Sometimes she looks like, "Lady, I don't know how to describe it." Weird. Very strange. I won't say she's a bad wrestler, because that would be a lie. But I just don't like her."

[7.0] "On ability in the ring alone, she's definitely in the top 10 women wrestlers EVER. But, WWE have ruined her, twice by the way. For someone this talented to have matches like what she's had in WWE is criminal. I actually remember my excitement when I heard WWE signed her " the first time " I was like finally I get to watch some great wrestling in WWE but I was disappointed. For someone who considered himself a Kairi Hojo fan I've got to rate Kairi Sane based on her current average performances sadly."

[8.0] "Kairi Sane debuted with Stardom in 2012 and continued to perform well after joining WWE in 2017. She returned to Stardom in March 2022, but less than two years later, she returned to WWE in the fall of 2023, where she is currently working with Asuka in the Kabuki Warriors. However, Kairi Sane has many opportunities to lose and is one of the most underrated female superstars in WWE."

[9.0] "I really like every incarnation of Kairi over the past 5 years or so, likeable babyface then annoying weak heel in WWE. Final boss Stardom return Kairi and then again her work in WWE since returning has been entertaining. The best elbow drop of all time!"

[9.0] "One of the greatest Joshis of all time, that sadly got heavily affected by her runs in WWE, however, unlike Shinsuke, it doesn't hurt her career as much imo."

[9.0] "Give her more opportunity bro, the fact that she never got a singles title shot on mr is crazy for how long she's been with the company, there's ic and us title, shouldn't be that hard"

[9.0] "She's not the same kairi but based on her career up to this point she deserves to be called among the best wrestlers of her time"

"Very sorry to say, but how is she getting a 9+ rating while others like Charlotte, Bianca, Becky, Rhea are all stuck at 8?"

[9.0] "My first favorite Joshi wrestler. Her Stardom runs and NXT runs would make her the easiest 10 ever, but she has unfortunately been held back massively by WWE as a whole. I am happy she is getting paid so well, but with more and more of her career being made up of good but not amazing wwe stuff, I just can't rate her as high as other Joshi wrestlers on her tier. She is without a doubt, one of the best wrestlers of all time. A Joshi legend. I just wished her Stardom runs lasted longer. It feels like a lot has been left of the table for her outside of wwe."

"How is her rating so high? She's average at best, this site just favors joshi wrestlers for some reason"

[10.0] "Kairi is part of a growing line of Japanese women's wrestlers who are some of the greatest (any gender) ever to step foot in the ring. Her recent work has really illuminated what makes her special: good acting, a natural presence in the ring, and a style that never deviates from what her strengths are. She's got the juice, for true."

[9.0] "Kairi Sane is a rare blend of charm, athleticism, and emotional storytelling. Her pirate-themed persona could have easily slipped into gimmick territory, but she gave it soul, making her one of the most beloved wrestlers in both NXT and Stardom. From the moment she debuted in WWE, Kairi brought something different. Her insane elbow drop became one of the most visually striking finishers in modern wrestling, and she backed it up with crisp technical skill, fiery comebacks, and an undeniable connection with fans. Her NXT Women's Championship win felt like the culmination of a dream. She wasn't just a great wrestler, she was a character you could root for every step of the way. Whether battling Shayna Baszler or teaming with Asuka as the Kabuki Warriors, Kairi added heart and intensity to every match. Her heel work in Damage CTRL showed another layer of her talent, proving she could adjust her style and personality without losing credibility. Kairi is a global star with cross-promotional appeal and one of the best performers of her era. Her presence enhances any division she's in, and if they choose she should get the same type of push Iyo Sky has gotten"

[10.0] "Kairi Sane is one the best women's wrestlers I have seen, honestly maybe top 5 or 3 for me personally. She is the type of wrestler you fall in love with after watching them wrestle just once and you'll be supporting them forever, fantastic in the ring and has such a deep moveset , her WWE run does not justify just how good she is, her stardom run, the lucha underground stuff, and so much more that she has done in her career and titles she has won makes her a women's wrestling legend. She's the type of wrestler who will only get their flowers once she retires. I would love to see her compete for singles gold in the WWE, it's the only thing she hasn't accomplished in her career as yet."

[10.0] "One of the best underdog babyface performers of all time. Her ability to draw emotion out of you is unlike any other. Best elbow drop of all time as well. Her run in WWE doesn't reflect how good she is at all, I hope fans who only have watched that stuff check out her stardom work, cause it's levels above what she's doing now."

[10.0] "Kairi is phenomenal. Shes so undervalued by WWE Rn. She could be a top Baby face she has the look, the moveset everything you need."

[8.0] "Kairi Sane used to be my favorite wrestler. The first match I watched was the womens Royal Rumble in 2018, and she looked like a star. She continued to be my favorite until her departure from WWE in 2020. When she came back, I was super excited, but her booking and ring work have been lacking, and I unfortunately cannot connect with her."

[7.0] "Kairi Sane deserves a 7.33/10 for her solid performances in 2024. She showcased impressive in-ring ability alongside Damage CTRL, contributing to the group's chemistry and success. While not always in the spotlight, her work was consistently reliable and entertaining."

[9.0] "I won't let the booking change my opinion about her, she's still a really talented and entertaining wrestler. When given a chance, her matches are always great to watch, she should get a push soon"

[9.0] "One of the best Joshi wrestlers of her generation. She was absolutely fantastic in STARDOM and had tons of great matches. Never really found success in WWE, she just seems to float about which is a shame. Has a great look, not too sure about her mic skills as I'm not Japanese, but in WWE at least, they haven't really done much to show her ability on the mic and such. Overall, great wrestler who has gotten lost in the shuffle twice now in WWE."

[10.0] "Kairi is an all time great wrestler. Her signature moves are amongst the best in wrestling and prove that you don't need to come up with a gimmicky move to get over - just do a common move really well and put your own touch on it. She has been subjected to jobber status since returning to the WWE in 2023 and I understand why some new fans don't understand the hype behind her. Moreover, she herself said she struggles with the sports entertainment style of wrestling where things are overly choreographed and slowed down. Regardless, her work in 2022-2023 in Stardom and NJPW prove she is still one of the best wrestlers in the world. Her pirate princess gimmick is based in reality as she sailed the world in college competing in world sailing championship competitions. She does not have the technical prowess of many joshi but she has an aura around her while her charisma is unmatched. It's sad to see how WWE treats legendary wrestlers as she is being given the 2023 Shinsuke Nakamura treatment."

[9.0] "Absolutely brilliant. Kairi is extremely gifted in the ring, with a charismatic persona that transcends her language barrier limitations. Definitely underrated for those who've only seen her in main roster WWE."

[9.0] "Similar to her Damage Control stablemate, Iyo Sky, she is an incredible athlete and a fantastic performer. She is unfortunately a bit limited in her promos because of the language barrier but that doesn't take away from her charisma in the ring and ability to connect with the crowd while performing."

[9.0] "I don't care what anyone say, she's still one of the best and i know that she still has a lot left in the tank. She seemed to lack confidence when she came back but now it's better. Now all she needs is a push."

[10.0] "I still believe Kairi is a 10/10 wrestler, but for some reason; especially since she came back into the WWE, nothing seems like its working and its especially apparent when Kairi is fighting one-on-one, and not with either Asuka or Iyo by her. Shes completely given up on the pirate princess gimmick that was so iconic to her during her first run, to become some sort of jokester. Im still going to give a 10, assuming its a minor issue, with the opponents shes fighting; but shes definitely not as amazing as she once was."

[5.0] "While being an all-time great wrestler and still having great babyface energy, this current run really don't really pay homage to her reputation as most of her matchs have been filed with botchs, miscommunications and clear chemistry issues with most of her opponents. It may be her past concussions or a langage barrier issue but if it wasn't for the rest of Damage CTRL doing the heavy lifting, she'd probably be lost in the shuffle. There's something with Kairi and the WWE environment that just doesn't click."

[9.0] "Even when being underutilised by WWE it is hard not to be entertained watching Kairi Sane. Excellent in-ring, excellent at creating narratives and always makes the best of whatever is given to them. You can see by the way the crowd reacts to Damage CTRL that they're all such naturally likeable, charismatic wrestlers and can be put on any card."

[9.0] "A Joshi wrestling legend. Im so glad they turned Damage CTRL babyface because Kairi is such a natural babyface. It took her a while to readjust to WWE wrestling but when she is given enough time she really proves all the doubters wrong. And Im so happy were getting Sky Pirates as a tag team again, although Id love to see Iyo turn heel and have them feud with each other. Also seeing the crowd pop for them makes me so happy. I just hope before she retires we get to see her with a singles title, the fact she has only had one singles title run which lasted maybe 2 months is ridiculous."

[9.0] "Another outstanding Japanese wrestler who should have deserved better stories and matches in the main roster. Her alliance with Asuka, though poorly constructed at the start, gave the women's tag team division its first real, consistent team. The chemistry between Asuka and Kairi was superb and their reign was one of the best. While Kairi as a heel is a likeable character, nothing is better than when she's a face. She's naturally supportive, she's funny, she's serious in the ring but brings a real touch of freedom, lightness and freshness just by her presence. Her movepool, though sometimes amusing, has great impact and is highly original. Her comeback is less impactful than I'd hoped and she seems to have lost a little of her technique, but Damage Control / Kabuki Warriors is one of my favorite clans. I hope to see a lot more of her in the ring, to find opponents at her level and with whom chemistry works, and that she regains her formidable level. And if possible as a face."

[10.0] "Kairi was a fierce joshi in Japan. Her matches were amazing with Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and Meiko Satomura. Winner of the first Mae Young classic. Her stable Damage Control has been great lately on the main roster. Great in-ring performer with a nice moveset."

[10.0] "We have nothing to discuss about her in-ring skills, she is a perfect 10 when it comes to that, a legend as a wrestler. If we talk about her character, she is a super lovable relatable wrestler, even when she is a heel you cannot do more but to love her, she really shows passion for professional wrestling, ¿what else can we say that hasn't been told already?"

[10.0] "it's really fun to watch her. She is one of the best female wrestlers. I hope she will come to a more important level in WWE. I expect a championship from her."

[10.0] "One of the coolest female wrestler of all time. She oozes charisma. A shame she's treated like she's no big deal in WWE."

[10.0] "She is one of the best women's wrestler, I wish WWE could use her better. But she's clearly awesome in the ring and my favorite women's pro wrestler."

[9.0] "I miss when they were all in on that pirate gimmick, but shes a talent, shes athletic, and she has success in Japan, shame shes a jobber in the WWE."

[6.0] "She has so much potential, but WWE isn't showing any of her skills. WWE needs to do something different than being the oddball out in Damage CTRL. I know could be an amazing breakout star, and WWE just needs to let her be just that. She is forgettable in the WWE. Fix it WWE. I can't give her a higher rating than 6, which saddens me."

[4.0] "I am only basing this rating on her work in WWE. Kairi seems like a perfectly adequate worker, and a good seller but she makes a lot of mistakes that can disrupt the flow of segments and matches. Some that come off the top of my head is Kairi missing the queue to leave the ring as Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill were entering and then deciding to exit the ring (late) from the hard camera side. Then dancing on the hard cam side while the other women are doing their entrance until Asuka came and dragged her to the side of the ring w/ the announcers tables (where she was supposed to be all along). The next is trying to pin Jade Cargill at backlash when Asuka had tagged in as the legal woman. While I think Kairi can be a good wrestler, there isn't a lot of room to accept these kinds of mistakes on TV and PLEs, especially since they make the other wrestlers in the matches/promos look worse."

[10.0] "Kairi Sane is such a natural fan favorite and face! She is an incredible wrestler and character - she is quick and so full of stamina. Her runs in Stardom, NXT and WWE main roster have all been impressive and have contributed to my increased watch and follow rate of wrestling in general! It's overstated, for good reason, but she has the best elbow drop in the entire business! Her promo skills and charisma is incredible, whether in Japanese or English. She deserves all the flowers for the work she puts in! Her current run in WWE looks like she is just having so much fun (in the ring, backstage, in promos and at fan meet and greets! ) She is a treasure! Watching her moves, she puts full force into them so that despite her smaller stature her moves feel like they physically hurt more than some heavyweights!"

[10.0] "All time Joshi. Her Stardom work of the past and more recently with REstart until her venture back to WWE the second time is full of truly great moments and matches, especially with Io Shirai. Realistically, as of right now, probably deserves a 9 as opposed to a 10. How so? My word, I love this woman's work... But holy smokes, this current WWE run where she's tagging with Asuka again, is... Less than great. She looks uninspired, sloppy (which I assure you, she is not), and like she doesn't want to be there. Just look back a few months at her closing moments in Stardom, and tell me you don't see a difference. We'll see if this changes how I feel about her over the long run, but one middling run doesn't negate years of great matches and feuds for me. And it doesn't hurt that the In-Sane Elbow is so damn beautiful."

[9.0] "Kairi Sane is a great women's wrestlers. In the ring she has a great move-set, and her athletic ability is amazing. Her charisma is good although not speaking Japan does hurt my understanding of what she says sometimes. She is a huge star in Japan and she has been very good in WWE as well."

[10.0] "Amazing in-ring performer with loads of charisma, great mic skills, and aura. She is incredible as a face or as a heel and has delivered excellent matches and stories over the years. To top it all off she is drop-dead gorgeous, a stunning goddess with a precise arsenal, a strong spinning back fist and the best flying elbow of all time."

[10.0] "There are many of my wrestling friends who weren't familiar with her work in Japan or while she made her first run with WWE. So I have been hyping her up for weeks urging people to go watch her tag title run with asuka as well as watch her NXT matches with likes of Shayna Baszler. She is truly a full package wrestler with so much value. She brings to the table what some within the women's division wish they could. An aura. Glad to see her return at Crown Jewel. Can't wait to watch how this run plays out"

[9.0] "She's an utter joy to watch and strikes a good balance between stylish gimmick and coming across as a genuine threat. I don't think I've ever heard her cut a promo and it doesn't matter because she's so expressive and charismatic in the ring and with her gestures."

[10.0] "Funny enough years ago when I was watching NXT and heard she was coming I was very skeptical hearing about someone known for having a fantastic elbow somehow making her great. When I saw the elbow I had to admit it was wonderful, but I still I had doubts she'd be able to translate to WWE/NXT and the rest of her arsenal. I was proven wrong as she became my favourite act in NXT, be it her pirate gimmick, her adorable personality, great strikes and fast paced exciting offense, she truly captured my fandom. She made me become more interested in the joshi scene, and years later I checked out Stardom, and am glad she came back there to have wonderful matches, be it agaisnt Mercedes or teaming with REstart. She has been a success in the west and the east, been part of memorable tag teams and a great singles competitor, and meshed in factions, even a inaugural champion for the new IWGP Women's World Title, a true legend."

[9.0] "WWE had a real star on their hands and they dropped her like it was nothing. When I saw Kairi in NXT, it blew me away. She had a mediocre NXT Women's Championship run, later followed by being on the main roster and the Kabuki Warriors, which was a highlight of her career. Now she's back with Stardom, and although I don't watch that company, I know she's doing good work there and will continue to get bigger and bigger."

[10.0] "There was a time that Dave Meltzer said that she, Io Shirai, and Mayu Iwatani were the three best wrestlers on the planet. I'm not sure that's ever been true, but I'd put Kairi's ability up against just about any other woman wrestler in the business during the 2010s. Not to mention, she might have the greatest elbow drop of all time."

[10.0] "One of my favorites, and one of the reasons I started watching Stardom. So naturally charismatic that she connected with crowds that didn't even speak her language, with high level in-ring work, and she's also a great storyteller. A literal total package"

[9.0] "I was not there to witness the Pirate Princess, and I regret that so much. From a little bit of research every one can se that people loved her, and I'm sure I would have too. Her Diving Elbow Drop is a absolute treat, and the connection to crowd is exceptional. The Kabuki Warrios seem to have been a great tag team with great chemistry, and the way I see it is she was better than Asuka (not to diminish the Empress). I hope she is happy at Stardom, and that one day she returns to WWE, and maybe we will se her with a main title around her waist."

[9.0] "I don't think WWE really knows what they had with Kairi. Even with the language barrier, she's still able to communicate her radiant babyface energy, come off as extremely likable without saying much, and plays an excellent face-in-peril with how well she bumps around and sells exhaustion. Aside from having the best elbow drop since Randy Savage himself, she manages to make strike-based offense look incredibly believable despite her small size, which really makes her comebacks pop. Looking forward to last her run at Stardom."