Charlie, formerly known as Dakota Kai, has opened up about why her second WWE release in 2025 proved far more difficult to process than her initial departure in 2022, citing the momentum she believed she was gaining at the time.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Charlie spoke candidly about how differently each situation unfolded and why this latest exit has required her to take a longer step back emotionally.

Her first release in 2022 quickly turned into a short-lived setback, as she was brought back to WWE within just a few months. That return led straight into a major moment at SummerSlam, where she aligned with Bayley and IYO SKY to form Damage CTRL, making the entire experience feel brief in hindsight.

This time around, however, the circumstances felt completely different. With growing opportunities and involvement in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, Charlie felt she was finally building real traction before everything suddenly changed.

“It’s so crazy because in 2022, I got re-signed with the company within three months. So that felt different. With this one here, it almost felt like I, especially with the IC Championship tournament, it felt like we were doing this, you know? I’m getting more opportunities. So it was more of a shock, I guess. But that’s kind of why I need to take the step back, just for me and emotionally and things like that. So, yeah, 2022 didn’t really even feel like it was that long at all. So I kind of forget that happened, because then SummerSlam came around and that was all last-minute,” Charlie said.