Dakota Kai came into NXT as a plucky underdog babyface that drew comparisons to Bayley.
This made her a perfect opponent for Shayna Baszler when she arrived on the brand.
The Queen of Spades got a monster heel push based on her MMA background. Baszler faced Kai on the January 10, 2018 episode in Shayna’s debut.
This became a showcase of how dangerous Baszler could be where she defeated Dakota by referee stoppage after stomping and injuring her arm.
The finish set the stage for a feud between the two that many fans believed would result in Kai being the one to eventually dethrone Shayna when she was on top as NXT Women’s Champion.
That was never meant to be and Kai came up short in the attempts to dethrone her rival, but this debut matchup definitely set the groundwork for Baszler’s run at the mountaintop.
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