Former champion needs to return for the first time in three years to cost Asuka the WWE Women’s Title

Asuka dropped the WWE Women's Championship to Bianca Belair at SummerSlam. To the shock of many, IYO SKY cashed in her MITB contract and took out The EST to leave Ford Field in Detroit with the gold.

This past Friday night, it was announced that IYO SKY will defend her title against The Empress of Tomorrow on the September 22 edition of SmackDown. While Belair is kept off WWE television following an attack by Damage CTRL, Asuka will receive her contracted rematch.

Will she regain the belt from fellow Japanese star SKY? Probably not. If that were the case, then this is an appropriate time to reintroduce Asuka's former tag team partner, Kairi Sane, to the WWE Universe.

For those unaware, Kabuki Warriors held the Women's Tag Team Championship between October 2019 to April 2020. Asuka and Kairi Sane were a force to be reckoned with. Sane is also a former NXT Women's Champion. Following her exit from the Stamford-based promotion in December 2021, Kairi has been part of Stardom, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and even works as a freelancer.

It had come to the fore that she wanted to work more dates, and the treatment IYO SKY has been receiving on WWE television considered, Kairi Sane feels a return to her former employer is the best possible decision.

A rivalry vs. Asuka is one way to go about it. A possible reunion of the Kabuki Warriors is another way, either of which will spark massive interest among fans of the Japanese stars.

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Kairi Sane's thoughts on working with the former WWE Women's Champion

Asuka and Kairi Sane were a rare tag team in the women's division as they made perfect sense, unlike most makeshift teams. Sane spoke extensively about her partnership with The Empress during an interview with Proresu TODAY.

Sane recalled being nervous about teaming up with one of the company's top stars but was very happy about it, too.

"I was happy from the bottom of my heart [teaming with Asuka]... I was very nervous at first, and she was a big senior and someone I admired. I was very nervous, but she was very kind and friendly, and said with a smile, ‘If you have any questions, just ask!’ Since I was a heel, I thought I would be booed more, but I was surprised at how many people cheered me on," she said.

Furthermore, the former Women's Tag Team Champion was also surprised at the fanfare, stating that it caught her off guard because she was a heel:

"I think people accepted our new style, or the fact that we broke new ground. We had a lot of fun doing it, and we laughed a lot backstage," KAIRI said. [H/T POST Wrestling]

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Should Kairi Sane feud with or reunite with The Empress on Friday Night SmackDown upon return or make a comeback on Monday Night RAW? Sound off in the comments section below.