Reason For Dakota Kai's WWE Release Revealed

Of all the names released from WWE post-WrestleMania 41, Dakota Kai’s exit was arguably the most shocking, with the Damage CTRL member a popular part of WWE’s women’s division.

Kai’s departure sees her WWE run end after eight years - save for a brief exit in 2022 - and according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kai’s exit was said to have been a surprise internally within WWE.



The former Women’s Tag Team Champion was nearly ‘unanimously praised’ backstage, but a combination of factors led to her release. One reason is due to the fact that Kai recently turned 37, whilst a source told Meltzer that Kai was never going to be used as a major name in the women’s division long term, with Kai’s future in the organisation seen as a ‘jobber to the stars’ figure, putting over up-and-coming talent like Roxanne Perez, Giulia, etc. With Kai earning a significant salary when re-signing with WWE in 2022, the thought was that it wasn’t worth the money just to have her lose to people ‘on the way up’.

As for Kai’s next steps, some believe she will head to All Elite Wrestling, with Kai believed to have spoken with both AEW and STARDOM during her brief WWE hiatus several years back.

Cultaholic is now on WhatsApp! Follow us here. Sign up to the Cultaholic Wrestling Newsletter now.