Once the most dominant team in the NXT women’s division, Dakota Kai and Raquel González are no more.
Last week on NXT, the duo came out to find González’s next challenger for her NXT Women’s Championship. Kai gave an impassioned speech about how her best friend is the most dominant woman in NXT history. More so than Charlotte Flair, Asuka, and Shayna Baszler, especially after beating the likes of Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, and Ember Moon.
She went on to ask who was woman enough to challenge González. Which woman knew in their soul that they have what it takes to defeat the champ? No one answered the call, and Kai vowed that as long as she had González’s back, she would always be champion. The two then celebrated in the ring, and all seemed well.
Then came the kick heard around the world.
Kai blasted González in the corner, which brought the Capitol Wrestling Center crowd to their feet. As she grabbed the NXT Women’s Championship, she looked down at her former friend and declared, “I’m woman enough.”
Without a doubt, Dakota Kai is ready to shine and prove why she is one of the best women’s wrestlers today.
For the last year or so, she has been one of the pillars of the NXT women’s division. Don’t get me wrong, she has always been fantastic. Ever since she turned heel, however, she has taken things to a whole new level.
It did take some getting used to, especially since Kai had never been a heel before in her career. But it didn’t take long for her to settle into the role and thrive. After that, Cap Kota was at the wheel, and we were all along for the ride.
Her feud with former best friend, Tegan Nox, really got things going. It was extremely personal, and the two did not hold anything back. They finally came to blows in a brutal street fight at NXT TakeOver: Portland, where Kai’s alliance with González began.
Shortly after, she set her sights on then-NXT Women’s Champion, Shirai. After several weeks of buildup, the two had a great match at TakeOver: XXX. Though Kai was unable to win the gold, that didn’t stop her momentum in the slightest.
She feuded with Moon before the entire women’s division came to blows at TakeOver: WarGames. There, Team LeRae (Candice LeRae, Kai, González, and Toni Storm) took on Team Blackheart (Shotzi Blackheart, Moon, Ripley, and Shirai). Kai was easily the MVP of the WarGames match. She took plenty of huge bumps and stayed relevant throughout despite being the first competitor to start for Team LeRae.
Going into 2021, Kai and González remained red hot. They won the first ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and then became the first-ever NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. But once González beat Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, the cracks started to form.
After months of hinting at a breakup, here we are. Kai has every right to feel the way she does; without her, González wouldn’t have gold around her waist. Ever since then, Kai has certainly felt overshadowed by the very woman she mentored.
Just like her feud with Nox, Kai’s feud with González is going to be very personal. The champ genuinely considered her a friend and will not take this betrayal lightly. Kai, on the other hand, could care less. All she wants is the gold that has eluded her for years.
For the first time in a long time, González may have met her match. Who knows her better than the woman she’s teamed with for over a year and a half? Kai just might be the nail in the coffin of González’s title reign.
If anyone deserves a run with the NXT Women’s Championship, it’s Dakota Kai. She is the second longest tenured woman in NXT—only behind González. She has scratched and clawed to get to where she is now, and the only thing standing between her and the title is González.
NXT TakeOver: 36 is less than three weeks away, so there is plenty of time for things to continue to escalate between these two. While it will likely be a regular title match, it would be rather poetic to see them battle in a street fight. Then, their friendship can end the same way it began.
Regardless of how it happens, the outcome should remain the same. King Kota should take her rightful place atop the NXT women’s division.