Cap is a selfless person. That is undeniable from the solidarity of support her friends and colleagues have shown her since April 29th. But the world already knew she was from the way she's carried herself over the years. Being selfless is never bad. In pro-wrestling it ensures that your opponent even in defeat comes out looking good. Unfortunately, it doesn't ensure someone championship wins or evading poor choices made by the creative forces. I don't think her selflessness worked against her. Rather, I think it made her one of the most respected and valued members of the team. That doesn't mean she didn't have her share of missed opportunities.

Some say Dakota Kai will go down as one of the most underused performers in NXT and even WWE history relative to her talent level. I can't say I disagree taking into account she never got to have a run with the NXT Women's Title or run on the main roster. However, I don't want that to take away from the fact she still had a good run. Since her formal NXT debut in January 2018 she was often in a short-term or long-term storyline. She always elevated her opponents in some manner. Most weeks she had a television presence. She got to participate in a few main roster matches including two Royal Rumbles. Dakota Kai faced Rhea Ripley in the WWE Evolution dark match, therefore competed in the first match at the historic event. Her tenure ended with her as a top player in NXT. All that doesn't mean at times she wasn't still underused.

There were some missed opportunities for sure. The first initially was unavoidable since a legit injury kept her out of action for much of 2019. Had it not been for the injury, it's possible Dakota might have ended Shayna Baszler's reign as NXT Women's Champion. If that was the plan, it's unfortunate they didn't go that route after she returned in September 2019. I liked the story of the rise of Rhea Ripley, however reflecting back I wish Dakota would have been the one to dethrone Shayna. That doesn't mean Dakota didn't kill it with her heel turn because she did, proving her versatility and rising her stock. Her heel turn was one of those things I enjoyed, however I will admit I wouldn't have missed it had it never happened.

The alternate to the heel turn might have been Dakota defeating Shayna. Another route could have been Team Fly-Kicks winning the Women's Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 36 from Asuka and Kairi Sane. Tegan Nox and Dakota winning the titles at the Performance Center -- a place where they met, bonded and recovered from injury together -- would have been a welcome feel good story especially in April 2020. Imagine a summer of Team Fly-Kicks facing Sasha Banks and Bayley, Asuka and Kairi Sane, The IIconics, Twisted Bliss and The Riott Squad.

I've always felt Dakota (heel) and Raquel (face) were miscast during their story in 2021. The reverse would have been the better story; the seeds planted starting with WarGames 2020 could have gone either way. Nevertheless, by the time they had their first match at TakeOver 36, it felt both were unofficially tweeners with the crowd mostly behind Dakota. An underappreciated bit of storytelling I wanted to mention about their reunion was how Raquel now came out first and Dakota second; the opposite of how their entrance was before. It read as Raquel showing Dakota respect; wanting her to feel her equal, quelling the thought that she was ever her sidekick.

There was another nice bit of underappreciated storytelling from their March 8th Dusty Cup Match. Dakota shows conflict when revving up to Kaio-Kick Raquel. In turn Raquel shows her no such mercy, planting her down hard even if she can't get the full impact due to injury. Dakota returns the favor, showing Raquel no mercy as she now takes her out with the Kaio-Kick. It read as Dakota realizing Raquel was not going to show her any mercy -- like they never did to others when they were a team -- so she was now fine putting Raquel down out of respect for their past. Dakota is finally able to bury her past with Raquel, just not in the vengeful manner she once sought. Their now clean slate offers extra perspective why they swiftly reunite a few weeks later. Obviously, there is already their mutual dislike of Toxic Attraction, however the clean slate offers more depth to their reunion. Their NXT Women's Tag Team Title victory over Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne at Stand & Deliver was a fun feel good match and moment.

Dakota mending her friendship with Tegan Nox would have been the ideal redemption story. Had Nixon Newell not been released perhaps the creative forces would have gone the Team Fly-Kicks reunion route. But with Tegan only there in spirit, Wendy Choo was the perfect new best friend. She saw through her childlike eyes the good still within Dakota and gave her a chance when no one else would. Team Kick-Sleep was the friendship we never knew we needed.

The following should have been stressed more in Part 1 so I'll add it here. I was very glad to see Dakota Kai get to be a babyface again. The slow burn turn since last year was well executed and enjoyable to watch unfold. It was nice to see her at peace and happy again. I liked her heel work, however babyface Dakota Kai always felt like the truest Dakota Kai to me. At her core she's the heroine you want to cheer for. Her heel days were a valuable chapter to her overall story, but eventually she was destined to return to her core. Her face turn made a lot of fans including me very happy. I'll always be grateful for Dakota Kai's face turn.

Dakota having some matches in NXT UK felt a low key missed opportunity once pandemic travel restrictions loosened. There would have been plenty of fresh and exciting opponents awaiting her there. Just to name a few: NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura, Emilia McKenzie, Isla Dawn, Amale, Xia Brookside, Stevie Turner, Jinny and Aoife Valkyrie.

Mandy Rose versus Dakota Kai took place yet was still a missed opportunity. The backstory from last fall shouldn't have been ignored. As well, Dakota was the last Black & Gold Era OG Mandy hadn't defeated. At the very least their match deserved a few weeks of hype and additional build. More build and hype would have made Mandy's victory feel more important. The best story, however, would have been Dakota ending Mandy's reign. The long-term could have led to a babyface versus babyface match in a few months where Cora Jade or Roxanne Perez wins the title and Dakota passes on the top NXT babyface torch to Jade or Perez. After that Dakota could have been brought up to the main roster in the draft and hopefully had a fruitful run.

Of course some of the last paragraph would have depended on Cap not being released. WWE made a mistake releasing one of the best on the overall roster: The selfless hard-working 14 year veteran who could have become the next top babyface on RAW or Smackdown. Her never getting a chance on the main roster was mind-boggling. So many wrestlers have said as much. Following her release, most the wrestling community agrees even though Cap deserved more from her time in WWE she always made the most of what she was given. She brought Dakota Kai to life, showing versatility with the character as it evolved. Although I look forward to what she does in the future, that does not change that I think she had so much more to offer WWE. Missed opportunities aside, Cap still had a pretty good WWE run.

The Tale of Dakota Kai has ended. What comes next? Cap said on Twitter that Evie is a closed chapter. She isn't sure what comes next though made it clear she's far from done. Wrestling. Streaming. Content creation. Podcaster. Just some predictions. The Christmas Adventure videos Nixon Newell and Cap did a few years back got me hoping maybe they do some more video content in the future. A guilty pleasure would be them doing something along the lines of The X-Files or Supernatural. When Cap gets some new merchandise, I'm hoping there will be shirts for both humans and pets. My chocolate labrador Hershee is disappointed WWE Shop never released the Dakota Kai shirt with doggies in mind.

The wrestling world is a wide-open door for Cap now. Just to name a few wrestlers I'd love to see her have matches with: Hikaru Shida, Kanji, Laura Di Matteo, Thunder Rosa, Leyla Hirsch, Harley Hudson, Kris Statlander, Tay Conti, Gisele Shaw, Alexxis Falcon, Raven Creed, Mercedez Blaze, Deonna Purrazzo, Trish Adora, Alex Windsor, Charlie Morgan, Shazza McKenzie and Holidead. Those are wrestlers I'm familiar with from seeing their work. However, the ultimate treasure trove of the wide-open door is getting to discover new wrestlers whose work I'm not familiar with and/or never heard of if/when Cap has matches with them. Speaking of doors. If there ever was a Forbidden Door match possible between someone in WWE and Cap at some point it would be poetic to be against someone who knows a bit about doors...

I saved the best for last. That thing. You know the one. That thing I think most, if not all of us, hope to see someday: Team Fly-Kicks reunion. Nixon Newell and Cap teaming up again in the ring. Speaking of reunions, let us not forget about Ruby Soho and Cap. There is no reason the world can't have both Team Fly-Kicks and Team Slap Happy. Maybe Nixon and Cap could even sometimes be a trio with Ruby? Whether those in ring reunions are on the horizon or not only time will tell.

Whatever Cap does in the future I know she will do it well. I look forward to whatever the next journey is when she reveals it to the world. Cap is my favorite so I end with these final thoughts. She was not just the glue of the NXT Women's Division; Cap was invaluable to the NXT brand. She would have been invaluable to the main roster. The industry and fans standing in solidarity showing respect and love for Cap may very well be greater than any championship she could have ever won. Selfless and kind-hearted in a world that isn't always so. That's Our Captain.