Dakota Kai was released by WWE on April 29, 2022 after being a regular on NXT and working dark matches on the main roster.
Despite being a sought-after free agent, Kai didn't take bookings following her 30-day non-compete clause and eneded up returning to the company at WWE SummerSlam as part of Damage CTRL with Bayley & IYO SKY.
Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Kai explained why she took her time in making a decision.
"That was always in the back of my mind, 'Should I not be hitting the ground running' in terms of doing Indie promotions and things like that. I just didn't have it in me to rush in after the 30 days were up and be like 'boom, boom.' Obviously, there were talks that were happening, but I think it worked out a lot better for me that I didn't. I focused on streaming and something that was more relaxing and something that I love. It all worked out great and I came back into the company refreshed and with a nice outlook on everything that happened instead of trying to be like, 'I have to do this, this, and this.' Obviously, that's good, but for me personally, I wanted to step back and look at everything, reassess, and make sure that...it's not even about the bookings. I wanted to make sure, in my own mind, I wasn't going into things just because I was like, 'I have to capitalize on this' and 'after 30 days, I have to do this, this, and this.' It was definitely a priority for me to worry about myself and how I was feeling," she said.
Kai's return coincided with Triple H taking over creative and talent relations in WWE. She was active on Twitch during her time away from the company.
Kai is currently one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions alongside IYO SKY. She most recently picked up a victory over Candice LeRae on the October 3 episode of WWE Raw.
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