The past 12 months have been a roller coaster ride for Dakota Kai. Making a big return at SummerSlam and joining Bayley and IO Sky was the biggest moment of her career. Though this big moment was preceded by a lot of struggle and many bad days. One such day was when Kai was told that she was gonna be called up to the main roster, only for it to never happen.
The Damage CTRL star recently appeared on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast. She talked about things such as her reaction to WWE release and more. Speaking about the time before her release, Kai mentioned how she wrestled a number of dark matches on the main roster towards the end of last year:
“I was doing the dark matches [at the] end of last year, I think. I started doing the dark matches like November, December or at the tail end of last year. That’s when I was like ‘Okay, maybe something’s gonna happen here.’ But yeah, I just ended up doing about six or seven of them. It was a lot. And they were back to back to back.”
‘I Was Told’: Dakota Kai
The dark matches led many to believe that Dakota Kai’s main roster call up was imminent. Turns out, the former NXT star thought this too. According to the female star, she was actually told she would be called up during the 2021 Draft:
“I was told that. I was told I was gonna be in the Draft. So it’s funny now that I look back at it. It’s all good. We can laugh at it. But I was sitting at home during the Draft, and I got told that it was going to happen
And I’m like, ‘Okay, cool. I wonder if they’re gonna tell me. I’ll just…I’ll just watch TV. I’ll watch the show and see what happens.’ Then after the weekend is done and, I didn’t hear anything I was like, ‘oh, maybe they changed their mind. I don’t know.’ Then I kind of just continued to do NXT.”
You can check out Dakota Kai’s full interview below:
Dakota Kai returned to WWE at SummerSlam alongside Bayley and IYO SKY. The group became known as Damage CTRL and has already become a key part of the RAW roster.
Kai was released in April but made her return after WWE had undergone massive changes at the top of the company. Vince McMahon resigned in late July and his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan took over as the new co-CEOs.
Triple H replaced John Laurinaitis as the EVP of Talent Relations and was recently given the title of Chief Content Officer. Since gaining power in the company, The Game has brought back several released talents and Dakota Kai was one of them.
Dakota Kai On Triple H Reaching Out To HerFor WWE Return
Dakota Kai joined Ryan Satin on the latest edition of the Out of Character podcast. During the interview, Kai revealed that Bayley pitched the idea to Triple H for Damage CTRL and The Game was in favor of it.
It was very strange because obviously, I wasn’t taking bookings, I was just chilling and doing my streaming thing. Bayley texted me on Thursday just out of the blue, we talk a lot but this question was out of the blue.
She was like ‘hey out of curiosity, are you like talking to anyone right now in terms of companies?’. I said ‘well, kind of, why do you ask?’.
She said that she in a last-ditch attempt for this idea that she had of a group, she said she texted Hunter and kind of gave it like one last push.
I guess I didn’t know if that would be a thing that he would look to contact me about. But sure enough, she texted him about the idea we had. We had filmed a bunch of videos and took some photos, and she sent him the idea.
His first thought response after that was ‘what is Dakota doing?’.
Dakota added that she was dumbfounded that Triple H wanted her to return as she had never viewed herself as a top star in the company.
I was dumbfounded because I never look at myself as like ‘the guy’. I’ve always been, my role within the company has always been to help elevate, you know, or as someone to just tell a story. I’ve never considered myself a top guy.
So the fact that I was on his mind in terms of that idea and the fact that I was like the first he called back after he had gotten control of the company. I was shocked.
Dakota Kai named a WWE Superstar she would like to team up with Damage CTRL in a WarGames match.
The WarGames match will be returning to the main roster at WWE Survivor Series next month at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. In previous years, Survivor Series pitted RAW versus SmackDown in a battle for brand supremacy. In 2019, NXT was a part of Survivor Series and was the victorious brand.
Speaking with Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Dakota revealed that she would pick Rhea Ripley to join the group for a WarGames match.
Obviously, the three of us but I think someone I’d really like to be on our side would be Rhea (Ripley). I know she’s kind of tied up with a lot of other things right now. But we could just be like, ‘Hey, can we just like use you for one day.’
Because she’s also someone that’s been in the WarGames cage a couple of times too. So I think with her experience and she’s so strong and she’s so like brutal and all the stuff. I think she’d be an awesome person to have on our side, for sure. [To] be the muscle.
Dakota added that NXT star Alba Fyre would a great addition to the group on a full-time basis.
“Kay Lee Ray, oh sorry, Alba Fyre. Sorry, my bad. I think Alba would be such a good addition. She is so ruthless and reckless. I’ve known her for a very long time. I think she’d be such a great addition to Damage CTRL. She’d bring a lot to us as a group and help us to evolve a little bit more, and take that next step. I think she’d be awesome.”
Dakota Kai was released by WWE earlier this year in April. She returned alongside Bayley and IYO SKY at SummerSlam. Dakota and IYO have already established themselves on the main roster and are currently the Women’s Tag Team Champions.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Out of Character podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Bayley made her triumphant return at SummerSlam but she wasn’t alone. She shared her moment with Dakota Kai and Io Sky and formed a new faction with both the stars.
The former women’s champion talked about her new group on After The Bell. She explained that it’s something that she had wanted for a while and they had considered different versions of the group. The idea was that it would help evolve her character:
“This is something that I’ve wanted for a while, I would say a couple of years. [It’s] actually something that I’ve talked to Hunter about before. Just wanting something different for the division and using girls that I think were either underutilized or that didn’t get that opportunity or didn’t get that spotlight. Just a way to evolve myself as in like many different variations of this faction or group that I wanted.”
‘Ultimate Goal Of Everybody’: Bayley
Though as she got the time to think more about it during her rehab, Bayley realized that she wanted to help underutilized talents. She wanted to take names that hadn’t been on Raw or SmackDown and get them to WrestleMania level:
“But as I got injured and got to spend more time really thinking about it, I knew that I wanted literally girls who haven’t had the opportunity [to be on] Raw or Smackdown or that haven’t been given an opportunity to feel what WrestleMania is like. Because that’s the ultimate goal of everybody.
I just felt like if I look for girls that haven’t had that yet, just the hunger is gonna be that much stronger. It’s just gonna be fresher for the fans and fresher for the locker room where they’ll get excited to work with different people.” said Bayley, “So once I thought of it like that. [I] thought let me look at NXT. It was so easy. I knew who I wanted and I knew who could benefit from it. I knew who I can benefit from.”
Kai, alongside the returning Bayley and IYO SKY, appeared early in the show, after the Raw Women’s Championship match between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch.
Last-Minute
Fans were shocked to see Kai appear at Summerslam, as she had been released by WWE in April this year.
Speaking on the latest episode of WWE The Bump, the New Zealand-born Superstar revealed that there was never a long-term plan to bring her back.
“You thought you’d seen the last of me, huh? It still feels like a whirlwind to me with everything that happened. It all happened so last minute too. To be talking with you guys right now is exciting. Everything that has happened since Saturday has been insane, it’s been crazy.”
“It all happened so last minute.”
Dakota Kai on her abrupt return to WWE.
Kai added that she has been wanting to work with Bayley and IYO SKY for a very long time.
Kai was one of ten NXT Superstars released earlier this year, but her situation differed from others.
While Superstars such as Harland were cut for not showing improvement, Kai had reportedly received several main-roster dark matches, but WWE had no plans to push her to Raw or SmackDown.
Seeing herself in a rut, Kai reportedly told WWE that she did not plan on re-signing her contract when it expired in April 2023.
It appears that the stable of Bayley, IYO SKY (Io Shirai), and Dakota Kai has a name.
SummerSlam Shakes Up The Women’s Division
Last night, at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch challenged for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title in the opening match. Belair picked up the win after 15 minutes of back and forth action.
Last night after SummerSlam, WWE posted a post-show interview with Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY after their surprise return. However, the trio did not say much about their actions last night.
Bayley’s Stable Name Revealed?
This afternoon, Bayley tweeted out a photo of the group with the caption “CONTROL.” The tweet was retweeted by the official WWE account. The name is not confirmed but we might not have to wait too long to find out more because the trio is scheduled to appear this Monday night on Raw so we should know more in just over 24 hours.
Bayley followed up that tweet by quoting Janet Jackson.
Here is the Janet Jackson quote she included in a follow-up tweet:
"This is a story about control
My control
Control of what I say
Control of what I dp
And this time, I'm gonna do it my way
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do
Are we ready?
I am
'Cause it's all about control
And I've got lots of it” -
@JanetJackson
@WWE"
“This is a story about control My control Control of what I say Control of what I do And this time, I'm gonna do it my way I hope you enjoy this as much as I do Are we ready? I am 'Cause it's all about control And I've got lots of it” – @JanetJackson@WWE
As noted earlier, it looks like Bayley’s faction will feud with Lynch, Belair and possibly one other woman but a possible injury may force WWE to change their plans.
What do you think the faction should be name? Let SEScoops know here!
The SummerSlam PPV featured not one but three big returns. The opening match of the night saw Bianca Belair retaining the Raw Women’s title over Becky Lynch.
Bayley made her long-awaited comeback right after this. Though she wasn’t alone. Both Dakota Kai and Io Shirai made their returns as well and formed a new faction with the former women’s champion.
Triple H was the first person to react to the formation of this new group. The new head of WWE creative took on his Twitter and said that we’re just getting started:
Shirai also commented on her surprise SummerSlam appearance. There had been reports that The former NXT star’s contract was expiring soon. Many believed that she was done with the company after NXT Stand & Deliver in April.
However, Shirai not only made a big return but got a new name in IYO SKY as well. She updated her Twitter profile to reflect this change and noted that she is back:
AEW star Ruby Soho couldn’t contain her excitement seeing her friends. She first referenced the Riott Squad which she led during her time in WWE. Soho later noted that she was happy for the WWE stars:
There will never be a Squad to me, that can top my girls but…
Other people who reacted to these big returns included Paige, NXT star Jacy Jayne, Carmella, Natalya, Wade Barrett and more. You can check out their reactions below:
The SummerSlam PPV started off strong with a big return of Bayley after the opening bout between Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. She was then joined by Dakota Kai and Io Shirai, to form a new faction.
Fightful Select provided some updates on this big development. They noted how the former women’s champion had been training for weeks in preparation for her return.
Dakota Kai made her surprise return at SummerSlam after being released in April this year. She was a name people within the company thought Triple H would make a priority to bring back.
The former NXT women’s tag champion had gotten several main roster looks. There were writers who were ‘baffled’ when she wasn’t included in the draft last year.
Multiple companies were interested in signing her after her release, including AEW. Though her talks with Tony Khan didn’t move past the introduction stage.
There were people within the company pushing for her signing but it’s unknown why the AEW president didn’t bring her in.
Io Shirai had been in news lately with reports of her contract expiring soon. She had been out of action due to an injury since April, and there had been no creative plans for her in NXT 2.0.
This new women’s stable is a product of the new WWE management. The report says that the idea for it was pitched a while ago before Kai was released. Vince McMahon wasn’t interested in the idea, and he rejected it.
Raquel González and Kay Lee Ray were both also pitched as members of an alternate version of the faction before their respective main roster call-ups.
Becky Lynch was the latest star to step up and challenge WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the title. However, the bigger news was Bayley and Dakota Kai also made their return to create a faction with Io Shirai.
The title match at SummerSlam opened the show. Lynch hit a leg drop to Belair while on the barricade. Lynch was favoring her right arm. Belair countered a dive by Lynch from the top rope into a powerbomb. Lynch hit diamond dust for a near fall. Belair hit the KOD on the floor. Lynch pulled her off the middle rope and hit the man handle slam for 2. The finish saw Belair reverse the man handle slam with a Spanish fly and hit the KOD for the win.
Post-match, Bayley walked out to the ring to a great ovation, but was still a heel. Dakota Kai, who was released in April, and Io Shirai, who was believed to be leaving WWE with her contract expiring next month, came out. They all stood together before having a staredown with Lynch and Belair.
Bayley had been on the sidelines with a torn ACL since last July. The injury happened when she was chain wrestling in the ring with another WWE star at the Performance Center. She had to pull out of her scheduled I Quit Match with Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Title at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
At last year’s SummerSlam, Lynch returned after maternity leave as a surprise replacement for Sasha Banks in a SmackDown Women’s title match where she beat Belair in under 30 seconds to win the title. They rematched at WrestleMania this year over the Raw Women’s title, where Belair defeated Lynch.
Many assumed that Dakota would be going back to the “Evie” name that she used on the indies. That isn’t the case as she took to social media to reveal that she’s closing the door on that era.
“I am thankful for being able to meet, work, and intertwine with so many beautiful people, people I looked up to, people I learned from. I met some of my best friends over these last few years that will remain in my life forever. I don’t know what’s next for me. I chose ‘Evie’ at 17 years old. That chapter is shut.. just know this; I’m far from being done.”
New Trademark
Instead, Dakota Kai has filed a new trademark which could indicate her name going forward. The trademark she filed is for “King Kota.”
The Goods and Services usage description reads:
“Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.”
What’s next for Dakota Kai following her WWE exit is unknown. It’s been said that some within AEW are pushing for her to be signed. That isn’t a guarantee but time will tell.
One WWE Hall of Famer thinks Tony Khan should be rushing to the phone to call Dakota Kai.
WWE has been known for having waves of talent releases. The promotion’s most recent one took place in late April. In total, 10 members of the NXT roster were cut. Among the names released was Dakota.
DDP Urges AEW To Sign Dakota Kai
During an appearance on SportsKeeda‘s The Bro Show, WCW legend DDP explained why he thinks AEW President Tony Khan should reach out to Dakota Kai.
“I was surprised they got rid of Dakota [Kai]. She’s good-looking, her work is really good, I was expecting to see her up there, but she never got that shot. If I was Tony Khan, I’d pick her a** up.
“They have some good talent there with the women now. WWE’s women’s talent is off the charts. Most of the girls are better than the guys.
“If I was Tony, I’d pick her up. But it’s a different world now bro.”
AEW hasn’t been afraid to snag former WWE talent. Some feel that Kai could be at the top of Khan’s list as far as female talent is concerned.
During her time in WWE, Dakota became a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Raquel Gonzalez, now known as Raquel Rodriguez.
Kai also won the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Classic with Raquel. In 2019, Dakota won the NXT Year-End Award for “Future Star of NXT.”
Former NXT star Dakota Kai has sent out a statement after getting released from her WWE contract earlier this week.
She posted the statement on Twitter and noted how she has been overwhelmed by the love and support she has received since the news broke out:
“Above everything, thank you all. I am so overwhelmed at all the love and support. The DMs, txts, tweets.. you all have my heart. I love you. I am thankful for being able to meet, work and intertwine with so many beautiful people,”
The former champion also mentioned that she chose to become a professional wrestler at the age of 17 and assured fans that she is ‘far from being done.’
Though reports also suggest that Kai herself was planning on not re-signing with the promotion once her latest contract with WWE expired. She apparently saw the release coming as well.
The latest round of WWE cuts saw some surprising releases. It included names such as Dakota Kai, Harland, and Malcolm Bivens.
Reports after the news broke out revealed that WWE officials were not satisfied with Harland’s progress in the ring.
Dave Meltzer of the F4Wonline provided some updates on another one of the releases. He claimed that Dakota Kai was not seen as ‘main roster material’ by the officials.
Per Meltzer, the idea is for talents to not have ‘ten-year’ careers in NXT. The female star had been with the development brand for too long so there was nothing left for her.
A lot of people disagree with this assessment of Kai. WWE officials however have a vision about women’s wrestling and the former tag team champion didn’t fit into it.
Many people have protested the decision online since the news came out. This includes Shayna Baslzer, who mentioned how the released star is one of the best in-ring talents out there:
Dakota Kai originally signed a contract with WWE back in December 2016. She had several dark matches on the main roster in 2021 but was sent back to NXT.
The former champion had apparently indicated to the officials that she wasn’t interested in renewing her contract. She was already planning to leave and saw her release coming.
Dakota Kai was among the NXT names to be let go by WWE on Friday, but her release wasn’t entirely surprising internally.
Fightful reported this afternoon that her departure was coming as she had already made it known that she was not interested in renewing her contract.
The writing on the wall for her seemingly happened once Triple H was no longer running NXT when he stepped away due to his cardiac event. Before he took time off, she was one of the featured acts on the roster until NXT was rebranded as NXT 2.0. In recent weeks, she reunited with Raquel Rodriguez as they won the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Stand & Deliver only to lose them back to Toxic Attraction a few days later as Raquel was recently called up to the main roster and sent to SmackDown.
Kai’s last match came on April 12th when she lost to NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose. She is under a 30-day non-compete clause so it will be another month until she’s free and clear to sign with another promotion.
Malcolm Bivens, who was also let go, was expecting to leave the company as he was convinced to sign an extension last year when The Diamond Mine stable was formed. However, this past February, he declined to sign a new deal.
A new wave of WWE releases is here and NXT has been affected.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful broke the news on his Twitter account. The first release he revealed was Dakota Kai. The second name was Malcolm Bivens, who reportedly made it clear that he did not want to re-sign with the company back in February.
Bivens took to social media to upload a quick video responding to the news.
In what some may consider to be a surprise move, Harland has also been given his walking papers. He had been a bodyguard for Joe Gacy, who is challenging Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship at Spring Breakin’ on May 3.
In total, there were 10 NXT cuts this go-around. Here’s the list of talent cut from the NXT roster in this latest wave:
After weeks of building to it, WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai finally took place at Sunday’s (August 22, 2021) WWE NXT TakeOver 36 event in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the Peacock.
The match was second on the card with both girls shining. Kai took a nasty bump from the top rope to the rampway. Gonzalez hit her finisher off the middle rope for the win.
It all started when Kai turned against Gonzalez by laying her out with a kick in late July. Kai later explained her actions when she called Gonzalez selfish for going after the NXT Women’s Championship when it should have been Kai’s opportunity. She also didn’t appreciate Gonzalez taking the spotlight from her.
At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April, Gonzalez won the NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Io Shirai. Since that time, Gonzalez had successful title defenses against Mercedes Martinez, Ember Moon, and Xia Li.
WWE holds the fallout episode from this show of NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered.
Shortly after the announcement, Moon took to Twitter to share a statement of frustration. The tweet read:
“.@wwenxt This has been an extremely rough month, I am angry and gutted! I was really look forward to this match and getting back on track but just got another pothole in the road. I’m sorry!”
Also scheduled for Tuesday, NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will confront Dakota Kai. The New Zealand native turned on the women’s champ on the July 27 episode of NXT, stating that she was no one’s “sidekick”. The two will face each other for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver 36 on Sunday, August 22.
Also scheduled for Tuesday’s episode:
Ilja Dragunov will appear
Odyssey Jones will face Trey Baxter in the semifinals of the NXT Breakout Tournament
A special look at the feud between Samoa Joe and NXT Champion Karrion Kross
General Manager William Regal will act as a mediator for a face-to-face segment featuring Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
.@wwenxt This has been an extremely rough month, I am angry and gutted! I was really looking forward to this match and getting back on track but just got another pothole in the road. I'm sorry! https://t.co/ZcX0hPqII2
— Athena is ROH and All Elite! (@AthenaPalmer_FG) August 10, 2021
Dakota Kai turned on her friend Raquel Gonzalez in a shocking twist last week on NXT. She threw away the friendship and attacked Gonzalez with a kick to her face while she was celebrating, and took her NXT Women’s Championship and raised it. This clearly signified that we’re going to see a rivalry between the two now-ex-best friends, and on this week’s episode of NXT Kai explained her actions in a video package aired during the episode.
Dakota Kai explained that 18 months ago she needed someone that she could trust in the beginning, and that’s when she found Raquel Gonzalez. Kai said that if she hadn’t picked Gonzalez, she would have stayed stuck in the shadows. Describing her early partnership, Kai said that Gonzalez’s task was simple, it was to stand behind her and protect her whenever she needed. When Gonzalez became a star on her own, Kai was okay with it as long as it was clear who the leader was.
Kai, however, started to get envious when Io Shirai chose Gonzalez for the title match instead of her. She felt it was disrespectful but she still chose to help Gonzalez with the title, still adding that she should have been the one standing in the ring with Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. She wanted a title of her own so that’s why she seeked help from Gonzalez in winning the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, however, she accused Gonzalez of not giving her 100% ever since she became the NXT Women’s Champion. They went on to lose to Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon, sealing the deal for Kai’s friendship with Gonzalez.
Kai said that Gonzalez was so caught up in her own world that she didn’t even see the betrayal coming. Kai clarified that she doesn’t want to be anyone’s sidekick and will take Gonzalez down.
Dakota Kai made her debut as a full-time NXT Superstar in 2017. She is the first female wrestler from New Zealand to have ever signed with WWE. Dakota spoke to SI.com recently about moving from New Zealand to the United States to start her WWE journey.
“I miss home. I miss my family,” Kai said. “That’s a sacrifice I made.”
“It was hard to move my life here,” Kai continued. “The sacrifice I made equates to the way I work in the ring. I sacrificed everything to be here. That’s why I have a fearless approach.”
“I’m the first-ever Kiwi woman signed to WWE, so I’m blazing a new trail,” she continued. “And there is still so much to accomplish.”
Dakota Kai On Her Team With Raquel Gonzalez
Dakota also spent some time talking about her team with Raquel Gonzalez during the interview. They will challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag-Team titles on tonight’s NXT.
“We’ve been together for a little over a year, and we’re building on that,” Kai said. “Raquel has been at the Performance Center longer than I have, and I have seen the work she’s put into this. There is some real-life connection, and that shows in our team. She is big and powerful, and I am quick on my feet, and that juxtaposition works well for us.”
Dakota also spoke about how her and Raquel Gonzalez like to emulate the former “Two Dudes with Attitude” Shawn Michaels and Diesel.
“We like using their pose during our entrance,” Kai said. “And if anyone sees similarities in our work, then that’s the biggest compliment in the world.”
Dakota also spent some time talking about her former Performance Center classmate, Bianca Belair, during the interview.
“Bianca is the definition of superstar,” Kai said. “We were really close in NXT, and she’s one of the sweetest people in the world, and she always gives me so much strength. I’m so happy for her. Her in-ring presence is just insane. She deserves the world, and I can’t wait to watch her face Sasha at WrestleMania.”
Dakota Kai on Bianca Belair: “She always gives me so much strength. I’m so happy for her. Her in-ring presence is just insane. She deserves the world, and I can’t wait to watch her face Sasha at WrestleMania.”https://t.co/pmpmvvJOMz
WWE NXT Superstar Dakota Kai believes another Women’s championship could work on the black-and-gold brand. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Kai argued that adding an additional belt for the women’s division is “so feasible for us.”
Kai explained how their roster is stacked with talented women with additional storylines and narrative opportunities outside of the title picture. She believes that with another title, these storylines could have added meaning as they “would be fighting for something.”
She believes a secondary title could be used well and “isn’t such a crazy idea.” Kai pointed to Io Shirai and Candice LeRae’s match at TakeOver: Toronto and her TakeOver: Portland bout against Tegan Nox as examples where a title could have heightened the matches even more.
Dakota Kai On Moving To RAW Or SmackDown
Having become a fixture of the NXT Women’s division, Kai confessed that, even if RAW or SmackDown came calling, her heart is with NXT. She explained how being on the USA Network makes it more realistic for Superstars to simply stay on NXT.
“That’s not to say that, in the future, Raw or SmackDown are completely off the table to me, but there is a certain family element in NXT that you can’t get anywhere else. That comes back to what I was saying about the NXT women’s division. We all want the best for the brand, and that’s hard to come by. I would love to stay here.”
Dakota Kai competed last night on NXT. She teamed with Raquel Gonzalez, defeating the team of Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart.
NXT Superstar Dakota Kai has shared her thoughts on the recent releases by WWE. Speaking with Sporting News, Kai touched on WWE’s decision and whether she was worried she would be one of them.
Dakota Kai admitted that it was a “genuinely heartbreaking” experience to watch the releases be announced. She explained how she discovered the news unfold alongside the rest of the world. Noting how many of those let go were her peers, Kai added how it’s been a tough time. “But it’s tough for every company right now. WWE is in the limelight. All of that stuff was made public.”
The Superstar reflected on how her brother still has a job despite others in his company having been let go. She stressed how everyone is struggling during this “strange, sad time.”
“No matter what your position is in the company, it is always that sort of unknown, right?” Kai argued. “No one’s ever 100 hundred percent safe, so it was terrifying in that sense. I’m super grateful to still be able to do what I’m doing.”
Dakota Kai On Elevating NXT
Turning her attention to NXT and All Elite Wrestling, Dakota Kai reflected on their competition. She noted how if there’s another company out there bringing out a great product, it forces people to want to “elevate your own.”
According to Kai, this Wednesday night war between NXT and Dynamite is “good for the wrestling business.” She shared how she wishes people online could see that. Kai added how she wished people “would just be happy with both and not get into such heated debates about either. Wrestling is for everyone.”
However not all the employees feel the same about the situation and Dakota Kai seems to be one of the stars who is satisfied with the company’s preventive measures.
The NXT star was recently interviewed by CBS Sport, and when asked if she feels comfortable working shows at the WWE Performance Center, she replied positively:
“I feel so comfortable taping all the shows that there have been a lot of measures being taken during this time. So yeah, all of us have to wear masks, besides from when we’re actually taping the matches, that’s definitely a need. Before we do anything, we have to check in with medical to make sure that we’re able to perform.”
Kai went on to explain that only a certain number of people
are allowed in places like the makeup area at one time. Anyone who is not
cleared by the medical team can’t be involved or be at the set at all and they
get sent home.
Apart from this, Dakota Kai also talked about the future of NXT Takeover events, the adjustments she has made to perform with no audience and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.
WWE has posted the latest NXT injury report on their official YouTube, and it gives an update on Dakota Kai’s status, as well as announces two names who have suffered injuries.
Dakota Kai was sent through a pair of tables with an elevated suplex by Mia Yim following their match on NXT. Kai had to receive eight staples to close the laceration she received, and the doctors recommended her to rest. Dakota declined the doctor’s advice to rest and posted an update on Twitter to reveal that she would be working all the upcoming NXT live events:
Breezango took on The Singh Brothers in tag team competition, and during the match Fandango performed an assisted elbow drop outside of the ring. The report noted that he suffered what may be a dislocated elbow, and he was sent to the emergency room for imaging. There is no update on Fandango’s condition as of this writing.
NXT UK star Travis Banks went against Jaxson Ryker in a singles match. Even though Banks came out of the match victorious, he suffered an eyebrow laceration. He is listed as “day-to-day”, depending on his symptoms.
You can read the results of this weeks NXT episode by clicking this link.
Last month at NXT Takeover: War Games, Dakota Kai turned on her team and assaulted Tegan Nox in the process. According to recent comments she made to Sports Illustrated, Kai reveals was nervous about the turn but saw her return from injury as an opportunity.
“In order to stand out, I took my own opportunity,” she said. “A lot of people here may wait for the opportunity, but when I came back from injury, I knew I had to do something in order to stand out.”
“We’re so proud of all the women here. There is a lot of new talent coming in, and they have big goals, too, especially once they get onto NXT, which is now a part of the main roster. Basically I just created my own opportunity and I think it’s worked.”
Dakota Kai continued to say she was nervous but recognized the opportunity in front of her.
“I was nervous, but there was almost a clarity behind it. In the back of my mind, I knew this was my moment to finally make an impact and finally show everyone what they hadn’t seen before. My mind was very clear going into it.”
Dakota Kai on NXT vs. AEW
Dakota was also asked about the ratings “war” between NXT and AEW. She said she doesn’t pay too close attention to the ratings.
“Whatever the ratings are, we really don’t pay much attention to it,” she said. “The chips will fall wherever and whatever happens, happens. The strength we have is focusing on our own stuff. They focus on their own stuff, we focus on our own stuff.”
Like many others have said, she emphasized that competition is good for wrestling.
“At the end of the day, we just want to elevate wrestling for everyone. So it’s good for everyone to have that competition. It only elevates everyone, and we’re going to keep bringing the best professional wrestling we have to offer.”
Head over to Sports Illustrated to check out their full interview with NXT’s Dakota Kai.
Every week since debuting on the USA Network, NXT has released an in-storyline injury update. 2 wrestlers are listed on the report this week. Dakota Kai and Kyle O’Reilly both sustained injuries, though neither is considered serious.
Dakota Kai took green mist to the face from Asuka this week on NXT. She is reported to have been dealing with vision problems after the show and had to have her eyes flushed out. More serious for Kai, however, is that her knee was hyperextended in the match and she is now listed as “questionable” for next week.
Kyle O’Reilly is listed in the report as having suffered a bruised eye. His injury is not considered serious, however, and it does not appear he will miss any time.
The full episode of WWE Now can be viewed in the player below:
NXT Injury Report Update
2 wrestlers were listed as injured last week. Johnny Gargano is still not cleared to compete but Cameron Grimes, who was listed as day to day last week, did compete this week against Tyler Bate.
