15 Ups & 6 Downs For WWE NXT In 2019

4. Dakota Kai's Turn

Dakota Kai
WWE.com

This was the best heel turn of 2019.

In NJPW, WWE escapee KENTA turned on friend and mentor Katsuyori Shibata to join Bullet Club as his shocking G1 Climax came to an even more shocking conclusion, but the payoff between those two hasn't come in time for Wrestle Kingdom, so will it come at all? Meanwhile, AEW delivered the predictable (in the best way) MJF switch at Cody's expense, but many posited that it actually came too soon - a feeling confirmed somewhat by how they've faltered on the immediate follow-through.

Kai's brutal assault of tag team partner, best friend and WarGames comrade Tegan Nox was perhaps the biggest booking victory of NXT's entire year. Both the New Zealander and Welsh star had lost time to injury before post-Summer returns, and had tagged together in a spirited loss to The Kabuki Warriors to establish that they at least had each other as support through testing returns to the ring. It all changed in plain sight whilst everybody else looked another way.

Kai wasn't selected for Rhea Ripley's WarGames squad despite her best efforts, whilst Nox looked on, acceptant of the decision in spite of her friend's bitter disappointment. She really, really wanted it, didn't get it, and completely snapped. Getting in via an attack on Mia Yim away from view, Kai revealed the extent of her planned rage in a brutal assault on her friend's surgically repaired knee.

Amidst thunderous boos, only the piercing wails of Nox's screams could be heard - and they've replayed as part of her callous new entrance ever since.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett