Shawn Michaels has singled out one “special” NXT Superstar for huge praise.
The WWE Hall of Famer has spent the last few years working behind the scenes in NXT, moulding and guiding the next generation of WWE Superstars.
Speaking in a new interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Shawn Michaels praised the current NXT roster before singling out one Superstar in particular.
“We have an incredibly talented roster, especially our women, but look at Dakota,” Michaels said. “She’s a special one. Let’s use the WarGames match [from December] as an example. Look at the a—kicking she took, bouncing around and getting back. That’s an art, and she’s mastering it.”
“What you see Dakota doing, I always pictured myself in that role because I wanted to Ping-Pong around the ring for my opponent,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I became who I became in the business, so watching Dakota, I am so impressed.”
Midway through 2020 Kai joined forces with Raquel Gonzalez. The pair later won the first ever Women’s Dusty Tag Team Classic and were awarded the brand new NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. However, the duo would only hold the titles briefly as they were defeated by Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon the very same night.
After Gonzalez went on to win the NXT Women’s Championship, the team have now set their sights on reclaiming tag team gold.
As Michaels continued to deliver his assessment of Kai, he explained how she had helped push Gonzalez to new heights.
“I don’t want to say she feels under the radar, but I don’t know if everyone gets or appreciates everything Dakota Kai does and everything she brings to the table,” HBK said. “She is such a workhorse. She’s really helped propel Raquel, and I keep going back to that WarGames match. She is unbelievable, and doesn’t think twice about the sacrifice that is involved and necessary. She works to the hilt, which is hard not to like and appreciate.”
On the most recent episode of NXT Kai and Gonzalez declared their intention to head back to the top of the tag team mountain. On the May 25th edition of NXT, the duo will take on old rivals Moon and Blackheart. The winners of the match will go on to face The Way for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles.