Several female superstars enjoy a very loyal fan base in the WWE Universe. However, there is no other woman who is as underrated and as universally loved by the WWE fans as Dakota Kai. Kai, who has been in the WWE for over seven years, has yet to win a singles championship in the company, and fans have patiently been waiting for her crowning moment.
Dakota Kai is one of the most talented female superstars on the WWE roster. She is a former multi-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion and one-half of the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion in her own right. She came up on the main roster at SummerSlam 2022 and has been making waves despite countless injuries derailing her momentum.
Early Life & Real Name
Born in Auckland, New Jersey, on May 6th, 1988, Dakota Kai is a Kiwi professional wrestler who showed a keen interest in wrestling from a very young age and made her professional wrestling debut in December 2007. Her real name is Cheree Georgina Crowley.
Kai is of Samoan and Irish descent and has two siblings. Her brother introduced her to the world of professional wrestling. Dakota’s grandfather, Pat Crowley, was a rugby union player who represented New Zealand as a member of the All Blacks in 1949 and 1950.
Relationship Status
Earlier, Dakota Kai was rumoured to be dating fellow wrestler Shayna Baszler. However, according to her recent social media posts, she has confirmed that she has been dating NXT’s Eddy Thorpe.
Professional Wrestling Career
Dakota Kai made her professional debut under the ring name Evie under an Auckland-based wrestling company, Impact Pro Wrestling. After spending several years performing for promotions in New Zealand and Australia, Kai made her Shimmer debut in 2013, where she won several championships and also competed for promotions like Shine and Stardom.
Dakota finally got a WWE contract in 2016. After spending a few months in the WWE Performance Center, she got her WWE ring name, Dakota Kai, and participated in the first-ever Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017.
NXT Run & Main Roster Debut
In 2017, Dakota Kai made her debut on NXT TV and allied with Tegan Nox while challenging Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Title on several occasions. In 2019, Dakota would turn heel when she turned on Tegan Nox in the first-ever Women’s Wargames match. Later, Dakota allied with Raquel Rodriguez, and the duo became the first-ever NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Dakota was shockingly released from her contract in early 2022, but then Dakota Kai would re-emerge in the WWE when she made her shocking main roster debut along with a returning Bayley and Iyo Sky to form Damage CTRL at WWE SummerSlam 2022. Along with Iyo Sky, Kai went on to win the Women’s Tag Titles twice, and now she is a heavy favourite in becoming the first-ever WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
What do you think of Dakota Kai’s talent in the ring? Do you think she will become WWE Women’s champion in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments!
