Faction member to betray leader, hold championship gold for a full year - 5 possible directions for WWE's Dakota Kai in 2023
Dakota Kai's WWE career in 2022 featured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. She began 2022 as a member of the NXT roster doing an odd gimmick that didn't quite fit with her personality.
The Kicker was then released by the company on April 29th, 2022. There was speculation that she hadn't planned to re-sign with the promotion anyway, which may have contributed to her being let go. Despite the possible reasoning, dozens of superstars were released throughout the pandemic due to Covid-19 related budget cuts.
While many expected Kai to tear it up on the independent scene following her release, she never did compete. Instead, she made her shocking WWE return at SummerSlam 2022 thanks to Triple H taking control of the creative direction of the company in the wake of Vince McMahon's retirement.
Since returning to the company, Kai has been part of the Damage CTRL stable, headlined episodes of RAW, won the WWE Women's Tag Team titles twice, and appeared on major events such as Crown Jewel and Survivor Series WarGames. What might her 2023 look like after such a tumultuous 2022?
Below are five possible directions for WWE's Dakota Kai in 2023.
#5. Dakota Kai could become a singles star
Dakota Kai is an incredibly skilled wrestler. Her striking game is above almost every other female star in WWE, but she also has a diverse moveset that helps her stand out from the crowd. With her talents, one would expect her to have won a major singles title by now, but she's yet to do so.
Instead, Kai has been a tremendously successful tag team competitor. She's won four tag team titles since joining the company, including two NXT Women's Tag Team reigns alongside Raquel Rodriguez and two WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on the main roster alongside IYO SKY.
While Dakota is a reigning tag champ, she may end up pursuing singles success in 2023. The skilled kicker could pursue either the RAW or SmackDown Women's Championship. There are also rumors about a potential Women's Intercontinental Championship or Women's United States Championship. Kai would be perfect to hold either of those titles if they end up arriving.
#4. She and IYO SKY may dominate the WWE Women's Tag Team title scene all year
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships have had mixed success. The titles were first introduced to much fanfare, but due to the company's lack of focus on tag teams, especially during the Vince McMahon regime, the belts often fell by the wayside.
The belts reached their lowpoint in early 2023. Sasha Banks and Naomi, the-then reigning champions, walked out of the company. WWE immediately vacated the titles and floated the prospect of a tournament to crown new champions, but it didn't take place until after Triple H rose to power.
Since Triple H took charge, the titles have meant more and been treated better, but they're still sorely missing tag teams. Without much competition, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai may dominate the division throughout 2023.
They're already two-time champions and have held the titles for the bulk of the time they've been reintroduced, so there's reason to believe their reign will continue.
#3. Kai could betray Bayley to become leader of Damage CTRL
Damage CTRL has been a dominant force in WWE over the past several months. The group formed at SummerSlam when Bayley confronted Bianca Belair following The EST's match with Becky Lynch. Both Dakota Kai and IYO SKY surprisingly showed up as Bayley's support and the group has dominated ever since.
As noted, they're multi-time tag team champions. The group has also managed to injure several stars, narrowing their competition. Unfortunately, despite the success of Kai & SKY, Bayley hasn't had the same level of success. She continually fails to win the RAW Women's Championship.
Dakota may see Bayley's failures as weakness and plot to take The Role Model's spot as the leader of Damage CTRL. This could mean that Bayley is kicked out of the group or that Kai simply takes over as the head honcho. Betrayal isn't outside of Dakota's playbook, but the group would still be stronger with Bayley than without her.
#2. She could return to NXT for unfinished business
Dakota Kai spent several years on the NXT brand. As noted, she did find success while there. She captured the NXT Women's Tag Team titles on two separate occasions and competed on TakeOver events.
Unfortunately, Kai was never able to win the NXT Women's Championship while on the brand. There was always somebody else at the top of the mountain and her time to reign supreme never quite came.
King Kota could attempt to right that wrong in 2023. Roxanne Perez is the reigning champion, so Kai may choose to challenge the smaller and less experienced star to win the belt that always evaded her.
#1. Dakota Kai could become a babyface
Dakota Kai makes for a great heel. Ever since she betrayed Tegan Nox on NXT, fans have been able to witness just how good she is as a cocky, self-absorbed villain. Despite her incredible ability to portray a heel, Dakota is also a fantastic babyface.
Kai made for such a perfectly resilient underdog babyface. She has a likability that few can match and she plays the role of an underdog perfectly. Her issues with Shayna Baszler on NXT were a great example of this.
The Kiwi may turn babyface in 2023 and utilize those talents on the main roster for the first time ever. If she does become a fan favorite, she could do so by leaving Damage CTRL or the stable could all become babyfaces.
Bayley and IYO have both been beloved in the past too, so there's reason to believe that all three could turn together.