Backstage details on Kairi Sane character change

Kairi Sane will perform as a babyface on WWE television for the foreseeable future, according to Wrestling News Co’s Paul Davis.

Monday’s episode of RAW saw Becky Lynch award the RAW Women’s Championship to Money in the Bank winner Asuka before announcing that she is pregnant.

Later in the episode, Sane congratulated her Kabuki Warriors tag team partner in a backstage segment, but neither Superstar competed in a match on the show.

Davis is reporting that WWE originally planned to keep the former Women’s Tag Team Champions as heel characters, but the company has now decided to turn them into babyfaces following the news of Lynch’s pregnancy.

“I asked about the turn and 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 names like Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in line for title matches in the coming months.”

Davis added that a WWE source made it clear that Vince McMahon now views Kairi Sane as a babyface.

“Yeah, Kairi is a face now until Vince changes his mind.”

Kairi Sane and Asuka’s WWE careers in 2020

The 'Empress of Tomorrow' and, now, RAW Women's Champion @WWEAsuka will forever have her named etched in @WWE history. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/bw0GVus410

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 12, 2020

Asuka began the year by targeting Becky Lynch’s RAW Women’s Championship, which meant her Women’s Tag Team title reign with Kairi Sane was largely forgotten about in WWE's storylines.

The Kabuki Warriors defeated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at the TLC pay-per-view in December 2019, but the Japanese duo did not put the titles on the line again in a televised match until they were defeated by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36.

.@NiaJaxWWE takes out @KairiSaneWWE on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/BsJJzJXf6N

— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2020

Since losing a tag title rematch on SmackDown in April 2020, Kairi Sane suffered back-to-back defeats against Nia Jax on RAW before recording a win over Ruby Riott on an episode of Main Event.

Meanwhile, Asuka claimed the Money in the Bank contract at last week’s pay-per-view and later found out that the briefcase actually contained the RAW Women’s Championship.

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