SummerSlam kicked off with not one, not two, but three surprises as right after Bianca Belair retained the Raw Women’s title against Becky Lynch, Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Io Shirai returned together.
Bayley made her entrance first…but she did not come alone. Kai came out afterward and then Io Shirai followed. The three, standing next to each other, then marched to the ring as a confused Belair looked on.
After reaching the ring, it looked like it was going to be a three-on-one affair but Becky Lynch rolled back into the ring and took Belair’s side. The two invited the returning trio to fight but eventually they backed out.
Bayley has been out of action since July 2021 after suffering a torn ACL while training at the WWE Performance Center. She had not wrestled or appeared in front of fans since the pandemic started and today marked her first time she appeared in front of fans since February 2020.
Dakota Kai was surprisingly let go in late April of this year. She was in NXT when she was fired along with several other stars and is a favorite of Triple H.
Shirai, now referred to as Io Sky, has not been seen on TV since April’s NXT Stand & Deliver show in Dallas. She was injured and never brought back to NXT and lately rubbished rumors that she’s going back to Japan. This is her first time on the main roster.
