[PHOTO] Dakota Kai shows off new look soon after WWE SmackDown appearance
Despite being injured, Dakota Kai has been appearing with Damage CTRL on SmackDown since IYO SKY's iconic WWE Women's Championship win. She recently took to social media to debut a new look in support of her favorite rugby team.
Kai tore her ACL during a tag team contest with Bayley in May 2023. She had to take time off from the ring, and WWE stopped using her on television to give her time to heal. Meanwhile, The Role Model and SKY continued to represent Damage CTRL.
Kai made her television return at SummerSlam 2023 to celebrate The Genuis of the Sky's WWE Women's Championship victory. Since the event, she has accompanied her stablemates on the blue brand but has yet to make an in-ring comeback.
The former Women's Tag Team Champion recently took to Twitter to post a picture of herself supporting the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. The 35-year-old star debuted a new "all black" look after dying her hair in support of her favorite rugby squad. It also looks like she has chopped her hair.
Here is what Kai wrote:
"… always 🖤 #RWC2023 #IREvsNZL @AllBlacks [tired from travel but WE ON, bby]."
Check out the post below:
Fans are patiently waiting for Dakota Kai to return to the ring. She is widely considered among NXT's greatest exports, proving herself with some big wins before her injury.
You can see a video following her transformation below:
It would be great to see Kai turn on IYO SKY soon after her return and challenge for the WWE Women's Championship. The two friends could put on some great matches for fans.
Dakota Kai could return to the WWE ring in early 2024
The Captain of Team Kick tore her ACL on the May 12, 2023, edition of SmackDown. She has had to wait a long time to heal from the injury.
On The Run Home podcast, the 35-year-old said she was ahead of schedule in terms of her recovery. However, she will still have to wait until early 2024 to take to the ring.
"If we're looking at an ACL, particularly my injury, it would be about eight to nine months. It happened [at the] end of May, so it will be January, maybe February. I'm feeling good. I'm ahead of schedule in terms of my recovery. It will still be a minimum of eight months. Looking to be early 2024," said Dakota Kai.
Damage CTRL will be a more complete unit with the eventual return of Dakota Kai. Hopefully, the creative team will not split the group before Kai can get physically involved in the ring.
Do you want to see Dakota Kai back in the WWE ring soon? Sound off in the comments section below.