Triple H rehired several WWE Superstars after replacing Vince McMahon as the company's creative figurehead in July 2022. Dakota Kai, one of many returning stars last summer, recently opened up about the circumstances that led to her surprise WWE comeback.
Kai was handed her WWE release in April 2022 after more than five years with the company. Three months later, she formed a new faction with Bayley and IYO SKY at SummerSlam.
In an interview with Denise Salcedo, Kai explained how she returned a day after speaking to WWE's Chief Content Officer on the phone:
"When SummerSlam came, I wasn't with the company, obviously, but Triple H called like 24 hours beforehand, so he's calling me because initially Bayley did the pitch because she'd been talking about doing the stable for a long time. She told me she was going to pitch it to him, and in my mind I'm like, 'Oh, cool, I hope it works out well for you,' kinda thing." [1:06 – 1:28]
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Kai appeared alongside Bayley and IYO SKY after Bianca Belair's SummerSlam 2022 win over Becky Lynch. The villainous trio, known as Damage CTRL, have featured prominently on RAW ever since.
Dakota Kai did not expect Triple H to call her
Although she previously worked under Triple H in WWE's NXT developmental brand, Dakota Kai did not think The Game wanted her on the main roster.
The New Zealander was caught by surprise when Triple H told her to appear at SummerSlam the next day:
"I didn't think he would bring me back, but he ended up calling me like five minutes after she [Bayley] told me that [faction idea] and he said, 'We'd love to bring you back,'" Kai said. "I'm like, 'Cool, I have time to get gear. I have time to get my hair done.' Then, not 10 minutes later, he was like, 'No, to SummerSlam, I wanna fly you out tomorrow morning.'" [1:28 – 1:46]
Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY will face Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Status at WrestleMania 39 on Saturday.
What do you want to see next from Dakota Kai in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Denise Salcedo and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.