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Kairi Sane
Kairi Sane appeared at a couple of SmackDown house shows for the first time earlier this month. This is usually a sign that a main roster call up is coming sooner or later. Except a potential feud with Io Shirai, there isn't anything left for her to do in NXT.
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She'll likely come on to the main roster later this year, perhaps after SummerSlam. At first glance, she doesn't seem like a good candidate for success. There's the pirate gimmick, the language barrier, and WWE's horrible history of booking babyfaces.
However, if you look deeper, her chances of success are higher than you might think. The reactions she got at the Royal Rumble this year are good evidence. She got some of the loudest cheers of any woman, and some of the loudest boos when she was eliminated. Her recent autograph session for her new comic got a good turnout.
It's not hard to see why she gets these reactions. She has a good look, has charisma in spades, is one of the best women's ring workers, and has one of the flashiest finishers in the company in the Insane Elbow. Kairi Sane is very easy to like. I would argue she's the best pure babyface in the company, and while the example of Bayley looms large, it helps that Kairi is a lot more charismatic than her.
Even the one area that Kairi is lacking in - her talking ability because of the language barrier, isn't as much of an impediment as you might believe. She'll never be able to do 15 minute promos, but her English is very good, with an accent that's easier to understand than Asuka's. Speaking of Asuka, her improved booking also improves Kairi's prospects. Now that Vince has pulled the trigger on a Japanese superstar, it should be easier to do so in the future. Asuka has broken an important ceiling and Kairi can take advantage.
Verdict: Kairi will never be the top woman in the company, but she has it in her to be one of its elite talent, with at least one title run. Once Io Shirai gets called up, she'll be a constant in the tag team title picture.
