WWE Rumor Roundup: Kairi Sane WWE Return, Creative Clash With TKO, Major Danhausen Merchandise Surprise

Ahead of tonight's RAW, we're back with another WWE rumor roundup. Today, we're taking a deep dive into the fallout from last Friday's talent releases and continued chatter coming out of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

You'll also find updates on WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, a surprising Danhausen statistic, news on a big change to SmackDown, and much more. Be warned that some potential spoilers for upcoming shows follow from here.

• Despite the #WeWantKairi hashtag trending on social media, PWInsider.com reports that there's nothing to indicate that Kairi Sane's release has been rescinded by WWE. She will not appear on tonight's RAW to end her storyline like Asuka and Iyo Sky, and has already returned to Japan.
• According to Fightful Select, there's a lot of frustration among those in WWE that Sane was fired before her role in that feud could be concluded satisfactorily.

• The site has also learned that WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE President Nick Khan, and WWE talent relations were responsible for last Friday's releases. Most were made to make way for new talent from NXT, who are now being called up to the main roster.
• At least part of the reason for the cuts was the strong likelihood that SmackDown will soon return to being a two-hour show. That could happen in a matter of weeks, reveals Bodyslam.net.

• Don't bank on seeing Aleister Black back in AEW. According to Dave Meltzer, the recently released WWE Superstar doesn't have many fans in the promotion. "From what I have heard, and you may have heard differently, the idea of Aleister Black and AEW was not fondly thought out by the people I spoke with there," he revealed. "Now, I did not speak to Tony Khan. Andrade was mixed. I know people there who were not high on Andrade at all and others who were. Black, from what I gathered, is pretty negative. There were even people who publicly said that. That they were negative on Black"

• Fightful Select says that CM Punk was the biggest merchandise seller in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas over WrestleMania weekend, followed by Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Danhausen, meanwhile, finished third, cementing his status as one of WWE's most popular new additions.

• Why was Jade Cargill absent from SmackDown after losing the WWE Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania? It wasn't a storyline decision because she was in Cincinnati to attend her husband Brandon Phillips' induction into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, a huge milestone.

• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reveals that there was "a ton of chaos backstage" thanks to TKO's involvement in WrestleMania 42's creative. They made the call to insert Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into Cody Rhodes' feud with Randy Orton, a decision many in the company felt came at "the most inopportune time."

• Despite Ric Flair saying he was banned from WrestleMania because he threatened to beat up Ludwig Kaiser, it seems no one in WWE remembers that, and the real reason is that he's still under contract with AEW.