Real Reason Dakota Kai Is Off WWE NXT TV Right Now

Kai has been missing from NXT since TakeOver: WarGames 2020, but not through injury...

by Andy H Murray
Dakota Kai
WWE

NXT's Dakota Kai has been away from WWE's black and gold brand since TakeOver: WarGames 2020, having stated that she would be gone "for a while" in the Casualties of WarGames video the company produced after the event, leading to speculation that she had been injured during the titular women's bout.

This isn't the case.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, Kai is actually off television as WWE is attempting to clear up a visa situation for the New Zealander. There's currently no word on how long, exactly, Kai will be out for, though it is noted that the promotion expects to have her back before too long.

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Kai's second, Raquel Gonzalez, is flourishing in her absence. The powerhouse scored the decisive pinfall at WarGames, downing Io Shirai to seemingly punch her ticket for a future shot at the NXT Women's Championship. This was followed by a win over former champion Ember Moon on the next week's show and a beatdown of Rhea Ripley last night.

Dakota last challenged for the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver: XXX in August, falling to Shirai in the night's second-last match. She celebrated her four-year anniversary as a WWE wrestler on 15 December.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.