Kairi Sane and AEW are still talking, but fans shouldn’t expect some surprise All Out appearance to come out of nowhere. As of Friday, she still has not signed with the company, and one AEW source went as far as saying it would be nearly legally impossible for her to appear at the pay-per-view under the current circumstances.
Fightful Select provided the latest update on Kairi’s free agency, confirming that she has continued discussions with AEW while also speaking with Stardom and other wrestling companies. AEW still has interest, but there is no completed deal sitting there waiting to be announced.
“Not so imminently would be Kairi. She’s been a free agent for quite some time and has had conversations with AEW, Stardom and other wrestling companies. However, it was confirmed to us by AEW sources as of Friday, Kairi was not signed and not planned for AEW All Out.”
That pretty much kills any last-minute All Out fantasy. AEW hasn’t been hiding Kairi backstage waiting for the perfect camera shot, and there apparently isn’t enough in place contractually for something like that to happen anyway. One source made that point especially clear while noting that talks between the two sides are still alive.
“One source said it would be nearly legally impossible for her to appear at AEW All Out as things stand, but that conversations are ongoing and AEW does maintain interest in her.”
There’s also a new wrinkle if AEW does eventually get the deal done. The expectation is that Kairi would work under a dual contract rather than simply becoming an AEW-exclusive talent.
“It’s expected she would be on a dual contract if the deal does occur.”
That fits with how wide-open Kairi’s free agency has been since leaving WWE. She previously revealed that she had received more offers than she could count, making it clear that AEW was never the only company trying to get her attention.
The AEW talk also picked up after Kairi listed Barry Bloom as her representative for business inquiries. Bloom has represented several major wrestling names, which naturally kept the AEW speculation alive even without a contract in place.
So the situation is pretty simple right now: AEW wants Kairi, Kairi has talked with AEW, but there is still no signature. All Out is off the table, Stardom and other companies are also in the mix, and a potential AEW deal could involve Kairi working under more than one banner.
Kairi remains one of the biggest names still sitting on the free-agent board, but this clearly isn’t a case where Tony Khan is about to pull a last-second rabbit out of the hat at All Out. If AEW gets this one done, it looks like it’s going to take a little more time — and possibly a contract flexible enough to let Kairi keep working elsewhere.
Where do you think Kairi Sane should land, and would a dual AEW contract be the best setup for her? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
