Dakota Kai was quite literally hammered by Rhea Ripley during the 2020 WarGames match. It kept her out of action for a couple weeks, however you can't keep a good Captain down. And despite doing some questionable things over that last year you can't say Our Captain didn't give us all a holiday present by competing in a match during Christmas Week on the December 23rd 2020 episode of NXT. Per a promise made prior to the match, Raquel Gonzalez would not be at ringside because Kai intended to end any doubt she couldn't defeat Rhea alone.

Our Captain took it to the Aussie in a hard-hitting match utilizing favorites such as the scorpion kick, running face wash and Kairopractor. In the early goings Kai even evaded getting dropped face first on the apron. All of Kai's offense couldn't keep Ripley down. But in turn nothing Rhea did could finish Kai. Raquel eventually made her presence known near the entrance (hence not ringside) to offer moral support.

Ripley survived Kai's Kawada kicks and lifted her up for the Riptide. Dakota cleverly countered it into a guillotine. But Ripley overpowered her and dropped her to the canvas. The Aussie was able to connect with the Riptide on her second effort to score the pinfall victory. One could argue Raquel's presence actually caused Kai's downfall by infuriating the Aussie. At no point did it seem like Ripley allowed herself to be distracted. It was actually Kai's survival instincts that allowed her to mount a few comebacks while Raquel was on the stage.

Two weeks later Ripley looked to end her rivalry with Gonzalez in a Last Woman Standing Match at NXT New Year's Evil 2021. Rhea thought she had the win after crushing Raquel with an elbow drop off some lockers into a table in the backstage area. But Dakota would come to the rescue, unleashing hell on Ripley with a kendo stick. She paid for it, getting stuffed in a small locker after Ripley rose up like a Kraken. But Dakota's sacrifice allowed Raquel time to recoup and eventually put Rhea down for the win with a Chingona Bomb through the stage.

Additional Information | Rhea Ripley defeated Dakota Kai (11:31) on the December 23, 2020 episode of WWE NXT at the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida. Dakota Kai assisted Raquel Gonzalez during WWE NXT New Year's Evil 2021 on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida.