Tony Khan Comments On Potentially Signing KAIRI Amid Reports She’s Waiting For Her Visa

Tony Khan is very much aware that KAIRI is a free agent. Whether she signs with AEW is still up in the air.

With the arrival of Ilja Dragunov in All Elite Wrestling, many are wondering whether another big free agent will soon follow suit. Both the hope and expectation amongst many online is that KAIRI will arrive to help bolster the AEW women’s division even further. However, despite her being on the market for some time, no one has signed her. Now, Tony Khan has addressed her free agency

At the WrestleDream media scrum, AEW head Tony Khan was directly asked about her status.

“She’s a fantastic wrestler. I can’t speak to that at this time, but I am very aware and excited to see that she’s a free agent. I think that that’s very interesting, and I’m very intrigued by the possibility of that.”

-Tony Khan

Elsewhere in the media scrum, Khan confirmed Ilja Dragunov’s arrival was delayed by visa issues, with approval only coming while last week’s Dynamite was already on the air. Similarly, a new report from Dave Meltzer via the Wrestling Observer’s Daily Update suggests KAIRI is being held up as she’s waiting for her visa.

“The belief is Kairi is waiting for her visa to come in regarding AEW. She can work the Jericho Cruise because that will be in the waters rather than U.S. soil.”

-Dave Meltzer

As such, for now, there’s no clear way of knowing if KAIRI will be “All Elite” soon or not, but, as Meltzer mentions, she’s been announced for the Jericho cruise. Her appearance on the ship looks to be her first since leaving WWE earlier this year, and many are excited to see the former IWGP Women’s Champion return to life in the wider world of wrestling.

Plus, the cruise announcement could be a further indication that she’s set for AEW, as Kofi and Austin Creed were announced for the trip before they debuted at All In: London. As it stands, though, Jericho’s overseas venture remains the only confirmed place to see “The Pirate Princess” in the near future.

For more AEW news, including an update on Mercedes Moné’s broken nose, you can click here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on KAIRI’s future as soon as we hear more.