Dakota Kai became one of many wrestlers whose WWE career was cut short. Along with other names such as Dexter Lumis, Draco Anthony, and Malcolm Bivens, Kai's time on the NXT roster will now be seen as her one actual bright spot in her short career.
During her time on the roster, she has developed friendships and rivalries with Raquel Rodriguez, Tegan Knox, and Shayna Baszler. Her signature kicks have suited her well against these women; however, there is a crop of talented women on the main roster with which her style could've meshed well.
Although Kai's decision to leave well before jumping to the main roster will sting for some time, it still can be fun daydreaming about the feuds we could've gotten with one of Team Kick's founding members.
Sonya Deville
It's easy to forget that Sonya Deville once trained in mixed martial arts at 16. Her training shined through during her time tagging with Mandy Rose. Deville just came off of bouts against Ronda Rousey and current Raw women's champion Bianca Belair. In another universe where roster cuts weren't becoming too familiar, Deville could've been a solid first main roster feud for Kai.
Her use of kicks would've matched well with Deville's aggressive mixed martial arts fight style in the ring. Plus, Deville's position as executive assistant to Adam Pearce gives her an unfair advantage against Kai, who could've been seen as the underdog against an authority figure due to her size. Perhaps WWE would've had another Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority storyline on their hands in another universe.
Ronda Rousey
Kai's humble beginnings on the NXT roster were centered around a feud against Shayna Baszler. The queen of hearts took advantage of the size difference between the two and injured her arm in a match. Baszler so happens to be close friends with Ronda Rousey, whose Olympic judo and mixed martial arts background is similar to both Deville and Baszler.
If Kai had made it to the main roster, what better way to revisit old wounds than by going after the friend of someone who terrorized you at the start of your WWE career. Again, Kai would be the one giving up some size against Rousey, but Kai would've made it up with her striking and quickness. A feud like this, especially with Baszler on Rousey's corner, would've brought something different to the SmackDown brand.
Natalya
Natalya has recently boasted that she is the best of all time. In her own words, when looking at the upcoming talent on NXT, she believes the future of the women's division to be "bleak." However, would she have said the same thing to someone like Dakota Kai? Natalya was once there for women like Charlotte Flair when their road began by winning NXT championships.
Unlike women like Cora Jade, Kai has been around since the black and gold era of NXT and has more than proven herself in the eyes of many. Natalya's remarks about the future of the women's division would've gotten underneath Kai's skin, especially if she thought that her longevity on the brand didn't matter to someone like Natalya.
Liv Morgan
Over the past year, Liv Morgan has been on a mission to improve herself in the ring. From her performance in the Money in the Bank ladder match to her feud with Becky Lynch, Morgan's stock in the division has risen quite a bit. Kai finally being called up to the main roster would've been an interesting dilemma to track as both women try to jock for position. Both Morgan and Kai weren't seen as main eventers, and a feud between the two could've been about them getting into each other's way to the point where it causes one of them to break.
If there is one thing about WWE, you rarely get chances to prove yourself for a long time. Morgan almost had the championship, but it was ripped away by Lynch. If Morgan saw that Kai was threatening to take the top spot before she did, it might've caused her to snap.
Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch is going through a career crisis after losing her Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania. It could be said that she's having a meltdown and on the verge of losing her mind. Not too long ago, Dakota Kai was dealing with a split personality issues on NXT, so it would've been interesting to see these two women clash on the main roster.
Kai could've even helped Lynch deal with her mental breakdown at some point. Whatever the case, Kai vs. Lynch is something that longtime fans of both definitely could've got behind, but sadly they probably won't see shortly.
What other feuds do you wish we could've got with Dakota Kai? Let us know in the comment section down below.
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