When Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy on this week’s Monday Night Raw and revealed that the women’s ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view was actually for the Raw Women’s Championship, this marked a face turn for new champion Asuka, who has spent the past several months as a heel as one-half of The Kabuki Warriors. And it seems Asuka’s tag teammate, Kairi Sane, made a less obvious switch to a heroic role in that same episode.
As reported on Saturday by WrestlingNews.co , there seemed to be some clear signs on this week’s Raw that Sane was transitioning to a babyface role, as she was among the wrestlers who celebrated backstage along with Lynch following her big announcement. This change in alignment was supposedly confirmed by the outlet’s Paul Davis, whose source provided him with more insight on both Kabuki Warriors members’ face turns.
“I was told that the Asuka and Sane turn was not something in the plans but it was necessary because they want a babyface champion right now with [heel wrestlers] like Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in line for title matches in the coming months.”
Another insider told Davis that Sane will continue playing a babyface character until WWE chairman Vince McMahon “changes his mind.”
In addition, the above source corroborated previous reports that suggested Asuka was legitimately “happy” and surprised when she was told by Lynch that she is the new Raw Women’s Champion.
“She was really happy backstage. That belt means a lot to her,” they added.
#KabukiWarriors celebrating are a mood. #WWERaw @WWEAsuka @KairiSaneWWE pic.twitter.com/1KggWSnFaO
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 12, 2020
Although Sane’s turn could allow her to play a supporting role to Asuka as she defends her championship going forward, it’s not clear how much longer the “Pirate Princess” will be competing in WWE. In January, reports suggested that Japanese promotion Bushiroad was offering a lucrative amount of money to Sane and NXT superstar Io Shirai, with plans of bringing back the two women due to their name recognition and previous history with the company. Sane has also been rumored to be leaning toward leaving WWE later this year, once her contract expires.
As explained by Daily DDT , some fans are still hoping to see Sane and Asuka’s onscreen friendship come to an end, with both women facing off for the Raw Women’s Championship. However, the outlet opined that it was a far more satisfying outcome to see the “Empress of Tomorrow” celebrate with the title and get congratulated backstage by her “supportive” friend Sane, thus allowing the duo to continue their partnership for the foreseeable future.
