What Is Dakota Kai Up To These Days?, The Hardy Boyz vs. Pretty Deadly?, AJ Lee’s Return Is Bringing Back Older Fans, Ex-WWE Superstar Sold His Tough Enough Trophy

— Dakota Kai has stayed out of the spotlight since her WWE release in May, but she recently shared that she misses wrestling and intends to return.

Speaking on a recent Twitch stream, Kai admitted that while the break has been refreshing, her passion for the ring remains strong. She said,

“I miss wrestling, you guys. We’re gonna get back into it. It’s just one of those things where it’s been nice to have a little bit of a break. I’ve been doing it for a long time. Longer than the last seven years I was with WWE. It is nice to take a step back a bit, but I really do miss it.”

Kai did not reveal when she plans to make her in-ring return.

— Maven recently revealed that he sold his WWE Tough Enough trophy and later turned down the chance to buy it back. The former WWE star, who became the first male winner of Tough Enough in 2001 alongside Nidia, shared the story during an interview with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast.

According to Maven, he ran into the current owner of the trophy at a dinner two years ago. He said,

“Two years ago, I was at a dinner. And the guy who has the Tough Enough trophy was there, and he came up to me. He was like, ‘I’m the one that bought your Tough Enough trophy.’ I was like, Oh, that’s cool. He’s like, ‘Yeah, you want to buy it back from me?’ I’m like, Nah, keep it.”

He added, “He wanted 600 bucks for it. I’m like, You keep it. then I’m thinking, I’m like, What am I gonna do with it? I tell Zach that and he’s like what?! What I would do with it? I don’t have kids, so there’s no one to leave it to. If I did that, I would do something where I made a video about hunting it down, getting it and then I would figure out a way to give it to a fan.”

Maven’s WWE career lasted until 2005, when he was released from the company.

— Nic Nemeth believes AJ Lee’s WWE comeback is aimed more at longtime fans than newer viewers.

Lee made her return on the September 5th episode of SmackDown, marking her first appearance in over a decade since departing in early 2015.

Speaking on a recent edition of the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, Nemeth shared his thoughts, suggesting WWE is deliberately appealing to a specific segment of its fanbase. He said,

“If you’re somewhat our age and you listen to the show, which is a lot of people, you know the story, you know the lore, you know the AJ, you’re probably doing the chants at home. If you’re someone who has joined the WWE fanbase in the last ten years, you do not know who AJ is.

“You do not know what she did the years before that. You’re like ‘Someone from ten years ago that was somebody’s girlfriend at the time, how does that matter?’ So remember, there’s going to be a huge fan base out there that aren’t the sickos, the smart marks, and the 45 year olds who know all that lore. They’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, my God, are you kidding me? This is obviously set up to be that way.’”

Nemeth added that newer fans are still more likely to side with the likes of Rhea Ripley as a possible ally for CM Punk in his feud with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

AJ Lee has been confirmed for tonight’s episode of WWE RAW. A mixed tag-team match is expected for WWE WrestlePalooza later this month.

— Matt Hardy had high praise for Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince and Kit Wilson.

Speaking on a recent episode of his “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, Hardy touched on the idea of wrapping up his career in WWE and mentioned the possibility of squaring off with Pretty Deadly somewhere down the line. He said,

“I have never met them, at least now, since they have built a big name for themselves. I may have in the past at some point, and I just wasn’t aware of who they were. But now that they are a team and they have a little equity as Pretty Deadly. I’m not sure I’ve met them, and once again, maybe I have when they were in another life, in another role, or another character. With that being said, I wish them all the success. It seems like they’re they’re pretty talented, they’re pretty good. And hopefully one day down the road, the Hardys and Pretty Deadly, we dance.”

(h/t – Fightful)