WATCH: 35-year-old injured star rushes in with chair to save Bayley from vicious beating by Damage CTRL on SmackDown

Dakota Kai chose her side on SmackDown amid the ongoing rivalry between Bayley and Iyo Sky.

WATCH: 35-year-old injured star rushes in with chair to save Bayley from vicious beating by Damage CTRL on SmackDown

Dakota Kai saves Bayley on SmackDown (via WWE on Fox)

The WWE Royal Rumble is over, and the respective winners, Bayley and Cody Rhodes, have already chosen their opponents. The Role Model surprised everyone by not selecting Rhea Ripley but opting for her former Damage CTRL teammate. Bayley’s decision comes after her expulsion from the faction she helped form. Meanwhile, a missing faction member made their stance known on SmackDown this week.

The 34-year-old Superstar was confronted by her former stablemate on SmackDown, Dakota Kai, who pleaded with her to return to the faction. The former Women’s Champion accused Kai of being involved in the conspiracy. Just when King Kota was about to address her side, out came Iyo Sky and Kabuki Warriors. Dakota left the ring to bring a chair which led to all four Damage CTRL members surrounding Bayley.

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The Kiwi Superstar appeared to attack Bayley. Instead, the former sided with her as they both targeted Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane. This move confirmed their alliance as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the ring with the Royal Rumble winner still looking a bit skeptical about the situation.

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Dakota Kai will likely continue to stand by Bayley’s side for now. Whether the allegations made by the former Hugger about her turning on her are true or not remains to be seen. Only time will tell what the 35-year-old star’s true intentions are as the storyline continues to gain steam on the Road to WrestleMania.

Elimination Chamber match announced on Smackdown for World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestlemania 40

The Royal Rumble winner, Cody Rhodes, set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Therefore, World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins finds himself without any contenders. With CM Punk out of the title picture, WWE faces the need for a credible Superstar to step up and go head-to-head with him at WrestleMania.

Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre
Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre (via WWE)

On SmackDown this week, it was announced that at WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth, six superstars will battle to earn their shot at the title. Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton have qualified for the match, and four others are yet to be qualified. Since the PLE is only weeks away, WWE might need to pick up the pace and add more star power to it. With Punk out of the way, the Stamford-based promotion will look for a viable replacement.

Moreover, WWE has shifted its focus from Rhodes and Reigns to Rollins. The full-time champion is not defending his title at the PLE, as he is still recovering from injury. Fans are hoping that WWE will deliver an all-time classic as always and continue its hot run of enthralling PLEs at Elimination Chamber.

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