Kairi Hojo gets new WWE name, announced for Mae Young Classic
The Mae Young Classic has added its most noteworthy name yet.
Kairi Hojo, who is one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world and one of the best pro wrestlers in general, was announced for the tournament this morning. The announcement was made during a video at WWE’s house show at Sumo Hall in Japan. She will be using the name Kairi Sane in WWE.
After reporting last year that WWE was interested in both Hojo and Io Shirai from the Stardom promotion, Dave Meltzer confirmed that Hojo had signed a three-year deal with WWE in March. Shirai later agreed to join the company as well, but her coming over has been delayed due to neck issues.
Hojo was expected to be in the tournament and started with WWE in Orlando earlier this month. She revealed publicly that she would be leaving Stardom in May.
Also confirmed for the tournament was Scottish wrestler Viper (who will be known as Piper Niven in it). Meltzer reported that WWE was interested in her for the Mae Young Classic as well, which was interesting given that she had been involved with ITV’s World of Sport project in the UK.
The list of official entrants for the 32-competitor tournament is now up to 14 names. Those are: Toni Storm, Princesa Sugehit, Lacey Evans, Sarah Logan, Tessa Blanchard, Abbey Laith, Taynara Conti, Kavita Devi, Jazzy Gabert, Bianca BelAir, Vanessa Borne, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, and Piper Niven.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.