Dakota Kai is the perfect babyface to fight a heel Raquel Gonzalez

This past Wednesday a lot transpired on WWE NXT to advance storylines toward the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver. One of those moments picked up from the previous week where Io Shirai made it clear that she wants to face Raquel Gonzalez next for the NXT Women’s title. That should have been the next logical matchup months ago, but it is where the story is today, and it is the time to have this match happen. That leaves Dakota Kai out of the picture, but with the way things work, she is in the perfect position to benefit from the fallout of Gonzalez vs Shirai.

Kai let Gonzalez know that she wants to get back the NXT Women’s tag team titles and get revenge on Shirai and Zoey Stark. Gonzalez was listening, but her eyes are on the title that is currently around Shirai’s waist. After pinning Shirai back at NXT TakeOver: War Games in 2020, Gonzalez should be the top contender for that title, but that storyline has taken some time to develop for one reason or another. Gonzalez is the right woman to defeat Shirai, perhaps sending the latter to the main roster after WrestleMania. With the belt around her waist, Gonzalez would not have to look far for her next challenger.

The pairing of Kai and Gonzalez draws a lot of comparisons back to the team of Diesel and Shawn Michaels. The duo dominated as a tag team, but once the split happened, the proverbial rocket was strapped to Diesel, who became champion in record time. Today’s scenario is not 100% the same, but the parallels are there.

Dakota Kai has excelled with whatever was given to her during her time in NXT. However, a strong run as a babyface has escaped her to this point. Seeing Raquel Gonzalez win the belt and turn on Kai with a brutal attack is an opportunity to fix that. Kai’s chase of Gonzalez also leans into the story that she struggles to overcome the bullies that have put pressure on her, starting with Shayna Baszler and leading into the bigger Gonzalez. While this is going on, the rest of the women’s division is filled out with the likes of Taya Valkyrie, Zoey Stark, Toni Storm, and others competing in mid-card feuds and around the tag team titles. The time is there, but the energy behind the booking must match as well.

WWE made the mistake of not putting the WWE tag team titles on Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. Creating the NXT Women’s Tag Team belts did not remedy that situation at all. Now, Gonzalez is heading toward a title showdown at NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver where there is a strong chance she is going to come out as champion. Her story with Dakota Kai does not need to end there, as these two ladies can give fans a compelling next chapter battling for that singles title on the yellow and black brand.