Charlie, aka Dakota Kai, has explained why her second WWE release in 2025 hit significantly harder than her first in 2022, pointing to the momentum she felt she was building at the time.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Charlie reflected on the differences between the two experiences and why the most recent departure required the lengthy recovery period she described.
The 2022 release was followed within months by her surprise return at SummerSlam, where she debuted alongside Bayley and IYO SKY as Damage CTRL just days after being contacted about the idea.
“It’s so crazy because in 2022, I got re-signed with the company within three months. So that felt different. With this one here, it almost felt like I, especially with the IC Championship tournament, it felt like we were doing this, you know? I’m getting more opportunities. So it was more of a shock, I guess. But that’s kind of why I need to take the step back, just for me and emotionally and things like that. So, yeah, 2022 didn’t really even feel like it was that long at all. So I kind of forget that happened, because then SummerSlam came around and that was all last-minute,” Charlie said.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
