Kemo
04-30-2023, 10:00 PM
Sareee wasn't with WWE for a long time, but the Japanese wrestler was able to learn plenty during her brief stint with the company.
Sareee (Sarray in WWE) announced her signing with the company in February 2020, but her arrival was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Japanese star wouldn't debut until April 2020 and was used infrequently as part of NXT. In March 2023, it was confirmed that Sareee would leave WWE to return to Japan, making her July 2022 loss to then-NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose her final WWE match.
While Sareee's career in WWE did not go exactly to plan, the 27-year-old wrestler holds no ill will against the company for how things went down. In an interview with Sportiva, Sareee remained grateful, stating that she learned about the entertainment side of wrestling during her tenure.
"I didn’t fight on the main roster, but I felt that I had learned enough in WWE. I was able to absorb the spirit of entertainment that I had been missing. There was talk of renewing the contract, but I wanted to do wrestling that I believed in, and at 27 years old, I was at my most physically active, so I thought, I will regret it if I don’t do the wrestling I have wanted to do for a long time now.... I think I have absorbed many things in my own way in WWE, and no matter what anyone says, I have no regrets about going to America."
Sareee added that she feels like WWE had very high expectations for her in the company.
Sareee was hardly the only Japanese Superstar in WWE during her run, as the company is home to the likes of Asuka, IYO SKY, and Shinsuke Nakamura. The 27-year-old's time with the company was the longest period of time she'd spent outside of Japan and proved to be daunting for the wrestler.
"There were many difficulties (life in the USA). Many wrestlers who went to WWE from Japan came to the U.S. with their spouses or families, but I was alone. They (Japanese talent in the U.S.) were very helpful to me. The star athletes that I would have never met or talked to if I had not gone to the U.S. cared about me. In particular, Shinsuke Nakamura and his family, including his wife and children, were very close to me. When I met him for the first time, he said, ‘If you are lonely and alone, come to me anytime. There will be food for you.’ Eventually, I started going out with the children on my days off, even when Nakamura was not around (laughs)."
Sareee added that Asuka, IYO SKY, Akira Tozawa all helped her, as well as former WWE talent such as KUSHIDA, Hideki Suzuki, and Ikeman Jiro.
Sareee (Sarray in WWE) announced her signing with the company in February 2020, but her arrival was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Japanese star wouldn't debut until April 2020 and was used infrequently as part of NXT. In March 2023, it was confirmed that Sareee would leave WWE to return to Japan, making her July 2022 loss to then-NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose her final WWE match.
While Sareee's career in WWE did not go exactly to plan, the 27-year-old wrestler holds no ill will against the company for how things went down. In an interview with Sportiva, Sareee remained grateful, stating that she learned about the entertainment side of wrestling during her tenure.
"I didn’t fight on the main roster, but I felt that I had learned enough in WWE. I was able to absorb the spirit of entertainment that I had been missing. There was talk of renewing the contract, but I wanted to do wrestling that I believed in, and at 27 years old, I was at my most physically active, so I thought, I will regret it if I don’t do the wrestling I have wanted to do for a long time now.... I think I have absorbed many things in my own way in WWE, and no matter what anyone says, I have no regrets about going to America."
Sareee added that she feels like WWE had very high expectations for her in the company.
Sareee was hardly the only Japanese Superstar in WWE during her run, as the company is home to the likes of Asuka, IYO SKY, and Shinsuke Nakamura. The 27-year-old's time with the company was the longest period of time she'd spent outside of Japan and proved to be daunting for the wrestler.
"There were many difficulties (life in the USA). Many wrestlers who went to WWE from Japan came to the U.S. with their spouses or families, but I was alone. They (Japanese talent in the U.S.) were very helpful to me. The star athletes that I would have never met or talked to if I had not gone to the U.S. cared about me. In particular, Shinsuke Nakamura and his family, including his wife and children, were very close to me. When I met him for the first time, he said, ‘If you are lonely and alone, come to me anytime. There will be food for you.’ Eventually, I started going out with the children on my days off, even when Nakamura was not around (laughs)."
Sareee added that Asuka, IYO SKY, Akira Tozawa all helped her, as well as former WWE talent such as KUSHIDA, Hideki Suzuki, and Ikeman Jiro.