Dakota Kai is back in a big way. The New Zealand-based wrestler made her return to WWE at WWE SummerSlam this past weekend, her first official appearance on the main roster. Kai had previously had a one-off cameo during the lead-up to NXT’s invasion at Survivor Series 2019 and competed in the women’s Royal Rumble match in January 2020. From there, Kai would return to NXT and would see great success with partner Raquel González (now Raquel Rodriguez). Dakota and Raquel would engage in a feud with Toxic Attraction this spring, which culminated in Dakota unsuccessfully challenging Mandy Rose for the NXT Women’s Championship. That would be Kai’s last appearance in WWE until SummerSlam, as she was released from her contract after Kai reportedly expressed disinterest in renewing her deal.
Speaking on WWE’s The Bump, Kai revealed that her big return was “last minute.”
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“Honestly, it still feels like a whirlwind to me with everything that happened. It all happened so last minute too,” Kai said (h/t Fightful). “To be talking with you guys is insane to me. Everything that happened since Saturday has been insane. It’s been crazy.”
Kai’s SummerSlam arrival paired her alongside former NXT Women’s Champions Bayley and Io Shirai (now IYO SKY). Despite being away from WWE for the past couple of months, Kai stressed that this alliance with the self-proclaimed Role Model has been a long time coming.
“Bayley and I, we’ve been kind of talking about something like this for a long time. It hasn’t been something that was spurred overnight,” Kai revealed. “This has been something we’ve wanted for years. The fact that it actually happened and to be under her guidance is insane because she’s literally amazing and great. IYO and I, we’ve known each other a long time, when I first went to Japan and she is literally one of the best in the world. To be alongside these two women is a dream. Everything that’s happened is something you think of in a fever dream, you don’t think it’s really going to happen, but the fact that it has and I’m alongside these two amazing people is crazy.”
Bayley had been out of action for over a year, as she recovered from a torn ACL suffered in June 2021. The former Raw Women’s Champion shared kind words about Kai when she was released this past April, emphasizing that she helped her get through the injury process.
“When she first sent that message out, obviously that was a very emotional time,” Kai said of Bayley’s tweet. “The fact that she did that and also sent me a bunch of chocolates and flowers, which she didn’t have to do. Looking back on that tweet now, it’s kind of crazy that everything she said, even back then at a time where we were unsure about everything, it’s a lot. It’s overwhelming. Even when I said, ‘let’s make history,’ it was kind of weird for me to even respond. We’re doing it.”
The new faction of Bayley, Dakota, and IYO made their physical presence felt on Monday Night Raw, attacking Becky Lynch and targeting Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. As for what comes next? Kai tells everyone to sit back and watch.
“I think a lot of change is about to happen and I’m glad I can be part of this wave,” Kai said. “We’re definitely going to make ourselves known.”
