Injury Update On WWE's Dakota Kai

Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai has been out of action since May 2023.

by Andrew Pollard
Dakota Kai
WWE

Having been out of action since May of last year, it sounds as if Dakota Kai will soon be back competing in a WWE ring.

Speaking to Denise Salcedo following the Royal Rumble this past weekend, Kai noted how she was wearing heels for the first time since her injury, and that "we're so close" to a return to action.

When asked about her 2024 goals, Dakota then reiterated how she's "close" to lacing up her boots again:

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"I'm just excited to get back in the ring. I loved watching the Rumble yesterday, and obviously Bayley winning, I can't even explain the emotions. I was so overwhelmed with happiness. I want to get back in the ring so bad. Just watching them all have fun, I'm like, 'Oh God!', but we're so close, so I just want to get back into the mix of things physically as a wrestler and just aim high."

As it stands, Dakota Kai last wrestled on the 12 May 2023 episode of SmackDown, teaming with Bayley to unsuccessfully challenge Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles. That match saw Kai tear her ACL and Morgan suffer a shoulder injury.

While Liv would return to action one month later, those shoulder issues flared up again and she was out of action until a return at the Royal Rumble on Saturday. And now, it appears that Dakota Kai's return is also on the horizon.

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Having initially been with WWE from 2016 through until April 2022 - where she was used in NXT and for a handful of NXT UK dates - Kai returned to the promotion at SummerSlam 2022, immediately aligning with Bayley and IYO SKY to form Damage CTRL. Since then, that faction has added Kairi Sane and Asuka to its ranks, with a likely shake-up on the way for Damage CTRL as reports suggest Royal Rumble winner Bayley will ultimately challenge IYO SKY for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania XL.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.