At SummerSlam 2022 Dakota Kai returned to WWE alongside Bayley and IYO SKY to confront Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. The star had been released by the company four months earlier, while Bayley had been out injured for more than a year.
The trio were later dubbed Damage CTRL and have taken the fight to likes of Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Bianca Belair on Monday Night Raw. While Bayley has failed to topple Belair for Raw’s top prize, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY are two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions. However, it has now been revealed that the faction could have looked very different.
Raquel Rodriguez Almost Joined Damage CTRL Alongside Dakota Kai
During an appearance on the Getting Over podcast, Dakota Kai opened up about the origins of the group. The star explained that when Bayley first approached her about a stable two years ago, Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae were also mentioned as possible members.
“When (Bayley) first mentioned it to me a couple of years (ago)…it was myself, Candice LeRae and Tegan (Nox.) Those were the ones that were from the start. And obviously, things that happened from then until now, everything changes.”
Kai also revealed that on another occasion plans included herself, former NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Rodriguez and Alba Fyre, the former Kay Lee Ray.
Damage CTRL recently teamed with Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross to take on Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Mia Yim inside WarGames. Despite their best efforts it was Lynch who scored the win for her team driving Kai and SKY through a table from the top of the cage. On the following episode of Raw the three women ended up brawling with Becky Lynch, seemingly setting up a feud between The Man and Bayley.
Dakota Kai made her first appearances with WWE in 2015, before establishing herself in NXT in 2017. She went on to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and become a two-time NXT Women’s Champion alongside Raquel Rodriguez.
H/t to SEScoops