WWE To Get A Major New Faction?

Rumblings that a major new faction could be forming in WWE.

Kairi Sane IYO SKY
WWE

With Kairi Sane having returned to WWE at Crown Jewel yesterday, there's now an interesting update on the Pirate Princess and what could be in her future. Namely, it looks as if we could be getting a new faction.

Initially reported by Reddit insider kerrmit125, and since backed up by Fightful Select, Sane's return had been planned for weeks. Most interestingly, though, there have been talks of having more names join Kairi and IYO SKY.

Advertisement

For those who missed Crown Jewel, Sane shockingly appeared and helped IYO retain the WWE Women's Championship against Bianca Belair. From kerrmit125, "another friend" will join the two, plus someone else "that no one will see coming". That same insider had previously noted how "no one is ready", prompting some to speculate that Asuka could be in the frame to join this group.

Given how Kairi was written off WWE TV by a Bayley attack back in July 2020, there's certainly plenty of intrigue as to where things go from here for Damage CTRL. Adding to that intrigue, Crown Jewel presented it as if IYO had brought Sane in without Bayley's knowledge.

Advertisement

Kairi departed WWE in 2020 in order to move back to Japan, and she initially served as a WWE ambassador in the immediate aftermath of that exit. Her WWE contract expired the following year, and that allowed Sane to compete for Stardom as of early 2022. Of course, the end of '22 saw Kairi defeat Mayu Iwatani to become the inaugural IWGP Women's Champion; a title she would lose to Mercedes Moné this past February.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.