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What’s the story?
WWE NXT Superstar Dakota Kai was recently interviewed by Byron Saxton on WWE.com. During the conversation, Kai discussed a host of topics including superstars who influenced her in-ring style, working under Shawn Michales at the WWE Performance Center and more.
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In case you didn’t know…
Dakota Kai initially signed with the WWE back in December of 2016 and within the following months, the Kiwi superstar was officially announced as one of the entrants in the inaugural WWE Mae Young Classic Tournament, where she was eventually eliminated in the quarter-final stage by eventual winner Kairi Sane.
In early January, Kai engaged in a feud with current NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, who seemingly injured Kai’s arm as part of their storyline and earlier this week on NXT TV, Dakota once again had the uphill task of battling ‘The Queen of Spades’, but this time with the NXT Women’s Championship on the line.
Kai eventually failed to dethrone Baszler after she fell to the Kirifuda Clutch.
The heart of the matter
While speaking with Byron Saxton on WWE.com, Dakota Kai opened up on a host of wrestling related topics and below are the highlights from her interview:
On who influenced her in-ring style:
According to Kai, the main influencers of her in-ring style are non-other than current WWE superstars Hideo Itami, Daniel Byran, and Finn Balor. Kai stated that she has been following these three men even before they got to the WWE and has been blown away by the level of skill they have been constantly showcasing.
“The main influencers of my in-ring style would have to be Hideo Itami, Finn Bálor Daniel Bryan. I was watching them since before they were here in WWE and was blown away with the level of skill they consistently showed.”
Training under Shawn Michaels at the WWE PC:
Kai noted that having Shawn Michaels at the Performance Center and training under his guidance is indeed a surreal feeling, because HBK is someone who has a wealth of knowledge regarding the Pro Wrestling industry.
Impression she wants fans to have:
The Kiwi superstar is apparently very determined to show all the fans how determined she is towards this industry and that she has all the tools in the world to succeed in WWE.
“I want to show them all how in love with this I am. Passion is essential to fueling the fire. You can have all the tools in the world to succeed, but if you lack passion, it's null and void.”
What’s next?
Dakota Kai is currently performing under the NXT brand and continues to impress everyone with her outstanding in-ring skills.
Do you think Dakota Kai has what it takes to be on the main WWE roster? Let us know in the comments below!
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