January 31, 2021. The ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. St. Petersburg, Florida. WWE Royal Rumble 2021. The countdown came to zero. The buzzer went off. Number 23 in the 30 Women Royal Rumble match made her jog to the ring. It was Dakota Kai. For the second year in a row, Our Captain was included in the NXT contingent participating in the match. She rolled into the ring and wasted no time going on the attack, taking down Nikki Cross and Mickie James with clotheslines. Next it was forearm shots to her rival Rhea Ripley.

Dakota went for a clothesline but Ripley ducked. Kai rebounded for offense only to get lifted up in wheelbarrow position. Dakota tore her way free with a couple elbow shots. Mickie James barely got out of the way as Kai stung Ripley with a Scorpion Kick. Pump Kick from Kai to Ripley. Kai smashed Rhea's head into the top turnbuckle to soften her up a bit more before working to try and get her over the top rope. She came very close too, getting both of Ripley's legs dangling over the top. But Rhea would use her power to break Kai's grasp.

Another Kai rival from the past would try to assist Ripley in eliminating Dakota. That would be Lacey Evans. Kai evaded elimination, hanging onto the ropes and slipping safely to the apron. But Kai couldn't muster a second wind, lifted up by Ripley in atomic drop position and dropped over the top rope. She had quite the brutal elimination, first hitting the apron hard before finally crashing onto the floor.

Our Captain eliminating Rhea Ripley would have been the icing on the cake after playing a part in The Nightmare's NXT finale. Sadly, it would instead be Ripley getting a morsel of revenge. No doubt too, the first 2021 blow to Kai en route to her eventual breaking point.