IYO SKY to replace Dakota Kai with top NXT Superstar on WWE RAW? Exploring why it must happen

IYO SKY and Kairi Sane are the only members of Damage CTRL who are currently active on WWE RAW, but the duo can possibly make changes to the stable by recruiting a well-known NXT star.

In May 2024, Asuka and Kairi Sane lost the Women's Tag Team Championship to Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. The Empress of Tomorrow later announced that she had suffered a knee injury and would need some time off. Unfortunately, Dakota Kai also sustained a knee injury in August. In Kai's absence, SKY could decide to kick the Auckland-born star out of the group, replacing her with Giulia.

As many may know, IYO SKY, Asuka, and Kairi are all Japanese wrestlers, while Dakota is not. The Genius of The Sky can reason that she no longer wants to be with a gaijin or an "outsider," especially after what happened with Bayley. As a result, she can pick someone who not only shares the same nationality but is also not much of a stranger.

Although both women haven't fought each other, they aren't strangers, as they previously worked at Marigold Summer Destiny in July 2024. The former WWE Women's Champion defeated Utami Hayashishita, while NXT star Giulia lost to Sareee in a Marigold World Championship match. Due to this, they immediately have a connection and can easily work with each other.

Kai distancing herself from Damage CTRL can also help her focus on rebuilding her solo character. Given that the 36-year-old has been absent for a while, being in a group might get her lost in the mix again. However, the angle is speculative at this point.

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Does Giulia want to be a tag team partner of IYO SKY in WWE?

Although the NXT star has just arrived in the Stamford-based promotion, Giulia has become a fan favorite and has quickly risen to the top of the roster due to her popularity in Japan. However, it looks like she's not here to make a lot of friends.

While talking to Ameba after the Marigold event in July, The Beautiful Madness said that she didn't want to be compared to Damage CTRL's IYO SKY, adding that the Japanese stars would be "on the opposite side of the ring" in their next meeting.

"I don't want people to compare IYO and me just based on the Ryogoku match. The next time I see IYO SKY, I think it will be on the opposite side of the ring," she said. [H/T: Fightful]

It will be interesting to see if the two stars collide inside the squared circle on WWE TV in the future.