Backstage News On KAIRI Working The Royal Rumble

It's the most magical time of the year, and while for a lot of people that means Christmas, for wrestling fans, it is Royal Rumble season. The annual show is one of the most important of each WWE year, building toward the WrestleMania main event as storylines for 'The Grandest Stage Of Them All' begin to become clear. One of the most exciting parts of the show is the surprise names that end up appearing in both Royal Rumble matches, and one name that's been rumored for this year is KAIRI. 

However, that could be nothing more than just speculation, as the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there has so far been no contact made between WWE and STARDOM (where KAIRI is under contract as the IWGP Women's Champion). WWE hasn't yet asked for KAIRI to perform, but that is something that could end up taking place later on as the match continues to get put together. There have been reports of a 'Forbidden Door' entry in the Rumble, and KAIRI could tick that box due to the fact she isn't contracted to WWE. It would take the two promotions working together to make that happen, but WWE did something similar last year with Impact Wrestling, featuring Mickie James in the match while she was the Knockouts Champion.

KAIRI worked for WWE from 2016 to 2021, capturing the "WWE NXT" Women's Championship as well as the Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Asuka. She departed America in July 2020, but did continue working for the company as an ambassador until her contract officially expired in 2021.  KAIRI could be set to encounter a familiar face at Wrestle Kingdom 17 though, as it has been reported that Sasha Banks will be part of the show, potentially confronting the winner of KAIRI's title match against Tam Nakano.