Kai Kavari is leaving WWE even though he still has time left on his contract. The former college football player explained that his family, faith, and career outside wrestling played a big role in his WWE exit.
Kavari, whose real name is Cyrus Habibi-Likio, announced the news in a new Instagram video. He revealed that he originally signed a three-year deal with the company. However, he has now decided to leave less than two years into his tenure with the company.
Family and money influenced Kai Kavari’s decision
Kavari explained that being away from his family while also trying to build a second career in California had become harder to manage.
“We have our third kid on the way. I also have my grandparents back home, both sets, which I’m very blessed to have. They’re getting older, and I just feel like our life belongs in California with our family,” Kavari said.
Living away from California also made it difficult for Kavari to work on his real estate career. WWE gave him a chance to pursue wrestling, but he said trying to build a real estate business in California while living in Florida was becoming too difficult.
Money was another part of the decision. Kavari admitted that WWE offers the chance to make good money over time, but he doesn’t feel he is in a position where he can depend on future earnings.
“Second, financially. Having a hard time doing my California real estate business in Florida. When you start in WWE, you don’t get paid the most. Potentially, you can make bread. But me specifically, I’m not at a time in my life where I can live off potential. And being brutally honest, I can go back to California and make main roster, main eventer-type money through real estate,” Kavari added.
Kavari also said his faith played a major role in his decision. Trying to constantly improve as a professional athlete and dealing with WWE’s busy travel schedule made it harder for him to spend time with his church and focus on his relationship with Jesus.
He thanked WWE for giving him the opportunity and gave a special shout-out to coach Matt Bloom.
Kavari joined WWE in 2025. During his time, he competed on WWE EVOLVE and worked several NXT live events. His final WWE event match came during a June 2 NXT event at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. He lost to Harlem Lewis in a dark match.
His final match to air on WWE programming was against Kale Dixon on WWE EVOLVE. The match was taped on May 29 and aired on June 24.
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