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Dakota Kai Potentially Teased For First Appearance Since WWE Release

Will we see Charlie, fka Dakota Kai, make her highly anticipated return to Stardom in the coming days?
Rick Ucchino|
Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Dakota Kai may be making her return to professional wrestling sooner than anticipated.

The former WWE Superstar has been on the sidelines since her release from the company back in May, but she is scheduled to step back into the ring in a little over two months.

It was announced earlier this month that Kai, now known as Charlie, will challenge reigning AEW Women's World Champion Kris Statlander for the EVE International Championship at Wrestle Queendom VIII on Sunday, March 8, live at the Indigo at The O2 in London, United Kingdom.

Charlie addressed her prolonged absence from professional wrestling back in September during one of her Twitch streams. She stated that she was taking a much-needed pause following the abrupt end of her WWE tenure.

“I miss wrestling you guys. We’re gonna get back into it. It’s just one of those things where it’s been nice to have a little bit of a break. I’ve been doing it for a long time, longer than the last seven years I was with WWE. So, it is nice to take a step back."

Well, it's entirely possible that Charlie is ready to take a giant step back into the world of professional wrestling. Perhaps, as soon as this coming Monday's Stardom Dream Queendom show in Tokyo, Japan.

Stardom released the above cryptic teaser video during the company's show at Korakuen Hall on Wednesday. It showcases a mysterious hooded figure in front of a number of computer monitors, pounding what appear to be Monster energy drinks.

The running theory amongst fans online is that this was the first introduction for Charlie, given her history as a streamer and avid gamer.

Will Charlie return to Stardom this coming Monday?

Prior to signing a contract with WWE in December 2016, Charlie performed in Stardom under the name Evie.

Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai | WWE.com

She captured the Artist of Stardom Trios titles alongside Hiroyo Matsumoto & Kellie Skater, and later lost the belts to a group that includes former WWE Women's World Champion IYO SKY before making the move over to the United States.

Stardom Dream Queendom is expected to be a newsworthy event to close out 2025. Will Charlie make her first appearance in nearly a decade to hype up her title match against Kris Statlander? Or is someone else entirely underneath that hood?

We'll hopefully find out soon enough, but regardless, it's an exciting time for fans of the former Dakota Kai.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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