Kairi Sane Says Mae Young Classic Helped Her Confidence as a Singles Competitor

Kairi Sane discussed her winning the Mae Young Classic tournament and how she’s feeling afterward in a new interview with Rolling Stone. Highlights are below:

On if she’s feeling okay after all the bumps she took in the tournament: “Thank you for your concern. Yes, there’s been some damage to my body, but I’m fine. I’m thrilled to be here.”

On if she feels more confident as a singles star after the tournament: “Yes, it affected me greatly. There were thirty-two athletes competing from worldwide, and I was doing as many as three [matches] a day, and I have to say I was proud of myself that I could participate. It was such a big deal.”

On Mae Young: “I’ve known of Mae Young from the beginning, and I was so proud participating in a tournament with her name in it. Even when I was living in Japan, I thought athletes like Mae Young were powerful and attractive and charming. There was always something attractive with those women.”

On her persona in the ring: “It’s very important to me that I give my vitality and courage to my audiences. I was the shortest [Mae Young competitor], as you know, but I won like this and just want to give the impression to everybody that you don’t have to give up on your dream. I want all women to know that women are strong, and the women’s revolution in WWE is very important to me.”