WWE Raw star Dakota Kai surprised fans this week by debuting a bold new look on Instagram, showing off her natural curly hair in place of her usual straightened, color-treated style. The transformation marks a significant personal milestone for Kai, who opened up about years of hair damage and learning to embrace her natural texture.

“Surprise haha. In 2020, I had to cut all my natural hair to an inch 😳 I had been straightening and bleaching the sh!t out of my hair since high school and it took its toll. I never loved my curly hair because I didn’t know how to look after it and I got teased for it growing up. @herhandstyles played the biggest part of helping it get healthy 🤍 I love her sm for that and I’m learning to love my hair too,” Kai shared in her Instagram caption.

The post comes as Kai continues a quiet spell away from WWE television. Her last match aired on the March 27 edition of WWE Main Event, with her last appearance on Raw dating back to March 17. Despite taking part in some media engagements over WrestleMania 41 weekend, she has not competed on-screen in recent weeks.

To clear up any speculation, Kai assured fans in a brief X (formerly Twitter) post on April 29:
“Not hurt btw! 🫡”
She also added, “I miss wrestling and I miss you guys.”

The way she’s been talking about revealing her natural hair for years and she finally did. Her hair looks so good, she looks so good! 🥹🤎 @ImKingKota pic.twitter.com/A8YvAKfqGy

, Kaylee♡ 🇨🇦 (@DakotaKaiTeam) April 30, 2025