Charlie Addresses Perception That She’s ‘Injury-Prone,’ Being Caught Off Guard by Her Release From WWE

During a recent interview with Ring the Belle, former WWE Superstar Charlie (aka Dakota Kai) addressed criticisms of her being injury-prone. She also spoke about being caught off guard following her WWE release and explained why she stepped away from the business for about a year. Below are some highlights:

Charlie on the Perception That She’s Injury-Prone

“It’s like I understand it, though, because I did have, like, a bout, you know, of injuries and things like that. So, it was just bad luck on my end, and it’s one of those things that will just unfortunately always be there, like with I think a lot of people go through it too that have had injuries as well, and it is what it is. You know what I mean? Like, it’s just one of those things, and it does tend to get to me sometimes, too, because I’m like, no, I’m not like I’m freaking strong or whatever. But I mean that’s just the perception they have and all I can do is, you know, go out there, and continue to do matches and hopefully change the perception of that. You know what I mean? But I did have a bad bout for a second there. It was just bad luck and like, yeah. It is what it is.”

On Getting Caught Off Guard by Her Release

“I know. Yeah. It was one of those things where I thought I’m finally getting some traction. I got a new song and things like that. So, it caught me off guard too. But, I mean, at the end of the day, it is business. You know what I mean? For better or for worse. And yeah, and now I can just do what I love and just go out there, and I got a whole bucket list of girlies I want to wrestle. ”

On Why She Took a Long Hiatus After Her Release

“I did. And I think for me, I didn’t want to — And that’s great if people want to do that, too. It really depends on the individual, but I think I needed to take a step back from wrestling just because just for like, mentally as well as physically, you know what I mean? And emotionally, I wanted to come back when the time was right for a good reason. And that was almost a year that I wasn’t wrestling, which was like the longer I was away from it, the more I was like, ‘Oh, we should probably get back.’ Like I had more of the itch and the passion. [‘You missed it.’] Yeah, I did. I did find myself missing it, and I didn’t want to get back into it unless I had that feeling again. And then my first match back was against Kris Statlander at EVE, and she’s amazing, and she was on my bucket list. And then I just wrestled Shotzi [Blackheart] last night at House of Glory in front of a great crowd. So I get to be in charge of those moments more in terms of like I want to do it for fun and just like have that feeling again, you know, as opposed to feeling like I need to do something for the sake of needing to do something.”

Charlie last wrestled at HOG Culture Clash ​2026 in April, losing to Shotzi Blackheart in an HOG Women’s Title bout.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please Ring the Belle with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.