Dakota Kai has been surprisingly fired by the wrestling market leader for the second time – shortly after she caused a stir with quiet criticism of her lack of attention in recent weeks. Is she now moving to rival AEW?
More than a dozen stars and talents have been caught up in the current wave of dismissals at WWE.
Former Universal Champion Braun Strowman is the most prominent – but her departure is the one that has surprised insiders even more. And it’s also one with a particularly spicy twist.
Dakota Kai’s second dismissal from WWE
Like Strowman, Dakota Kai had already been fired by the wrestling market leader when former boss Vince McMahon was still at the helm. Like Strowman, “Triple H” Paul Levesque brought her back when he took over – Kai’s return was even more symbolic.
Kai was the first of several comebacks that Levesque unveiled on the big stage, heralding a new era: At SummerSlam 2022, Levesque surprised fans with Kai’s return and the formation of Damage CTRL with Bayley and Japan’s Iyo Sky – who is also said to have been on the verge of leaving voluntarily because she saw no future under McMahon.
Sky’s career has flourished since then. Formerly known as Io Shirai, she is the reigning Women’s World Champion and just won what many consider the best match of the weekend against Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair at the WrestleMania 41 mega show in Las Vegas in front of over 60,000 fans.
For her companion Kai, however, the journey at WWE has now come to an unexpected end. And the circumstances surrounding her departure are not without controversy.
“She made Nick Khan look bad.”
The 36-year-old New Zealander had her last major matches in the winter, when she advanced to the final of the tournament for the newly created Women’s Intercontinental Title, where she lost to Lyra Valkyria and then lost a rematch against the young Irishwoman in February.
Although Kai has hardly been used since then, she hoped until the very end that she would get another chance to prove herself on a larger stage. She announced at WrestleMania weekend at the end of April on X that she wanted to go for gold in 2025.
Shortly afterwards, there was a stir over another social media post by Kai, in which she clarified that she was “not injured” and missed her fans. The post was interpreted – whether intentionally or not – as criticism of the fact that she had hardly been used recently. The rumours were fuelled by the timing of a controversial interview statement by WWE President Nick Khan.
Khan had previously stated that WWE “doesn’t sign anyone just to put them on the bench” – which was a dig at rival AEW, who had recently not used a number of stars for months after it was hinted that they would be moving to WWE when their contracts expired (Ricky Saints/Starks, Rusev/Miro, Penta and Rey Fenix).
“She really made Nick Khan look bad with that tweet,” noted renowned reporter Dave Meltzer on his Wrestling Observer Radio.
Candidate 1 for AEW
Whether the decision to release Kai is related to her comments will remain a mystery to WWE decision-makers. Certainly, there seem to be other reasons for this:
Kai was under contract with WWE, interrupted by her first dismissal since the end of 2016, and has distinguished herself as a good to very good wrestler. However, she has not achieved a certain star level, and WWE may simply have come to the conclusion that the now 36-year-old would no longer develop into a game changer.
Either way, Kai’s personal ambition is likely to be spurred on: “I’m going to take some time for myself now, but let me tell you this: I was ready and I am ready. This is far from over,” she wrote in an initial reaction.
I hope you stay on this journey with me x pic. twitter.com/EE0xrgRMSA
— (@ImKingKota) May 3, 2025
As is customary with WWE dismissals from the main roster, Kai is subject to a 90-day notice period or non-compete clause. However, Fightful reports that various other leagues have already expressed interest.
Kai is said to have already held talks with AEW after her initial WWE termination. As a popular, athletic, and established veteran who is still hungry for success, she is likely to be number one on Tony Khan’s list of candidates for promotion.
