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WWE NXT Superstar, Dakota Kai paid tribute to the late Hana Kimura at this past weekend's NXT TakeOver: In Your House event.
A little over two weeks ago, World Wonder Ring Stardom Superstar and Japanese wrestling sensation Hana Kimura tragically died at the age of 22. Amid Kimura's shocking passing, the wrestling world paid heartfelt tributes to the Stardom wrestler, including wrestlers from WWE, AEW, NJPW, and the independent circuit.
Dakota Kai paid her own personal tribute on Sunday, as the NXT star changed her hair color to pink at TakeOver: In Your House - a nod to the hair color sported by Hana Kimura during her days in Stardom.
Dakota Kai pays a heartwarming tribute to the late Hana Kimura
At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Dakota Kai teamed up with her close ally Raquel Gonzalez and Candice LeRae, as the trio competed in a six-woman tag team match in the opening bout of the evening.
Despite suffering a loss to the trio of Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, and Tegan Nox, Kai was impressive as ever in her performance, but the change in hair color certainly stood out for "Captain Kota".
Kai confirmed her change of look was inspired by Hana Kimura when she tweeted the following after the show:
Dakota Kai is not the only Superstar to have paid tribute to the late Hana Kimura on WWE TV, as a few weeks prior, four-time WWE RAW Women's Champion, Sasha Banks was also seen sporting an armband with Hana written on it on an episode of SmackDown.
Hana's death certainly shook-up the entire pro wrestling world, as tribute messages poured in from around the globe for the former Goddess of Stardom Champion. Needless to say, this was another heartwarming tribute on behalf of Dakota Kai at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
What's next for Dakota Kai on NXT?
At TakeOver: In Your House, it seemed as if Dakota Kai's long-term rivalry against Tegan Nox finally came to a conclusion. It now remains to be seen what's next in store for Kai. Will she move up to the NXT Women's Championship picture now that we have a new champion in Io Shirai? Or will Kai and Gonzalez show up on the main roster and lay down a challenge to newly crowned WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, Bayley and Sasha Banks? There are ots of possibilities for Dakota Kai from here on out.
