Charlie, formerly Dakota Kai in WWE, has reacted for the first time since her match against Kris Statlander.

The former WWE star wrestled her first match in nearly a year, and her first since her WWE release, at Pro-Wrestling: EVE’s Wrestle Queendom VIII event on March 8 in London, England. Charlie was pleased with the match against Statlander, despite losing it, thanking the fans and her opponent for how smooth it went.

“I had so much fun, and being away from wrestling as long as I was, obviously, I was very nervous for me going into it and stuff. But Kris made it easy, obviously like the crowd [played its part], you know what I mean — everything, like, felt really good,” she said on her Twitch stream.

Charlie, who previously had concussion issues, reassured fans that she was in a good state after the match. She said that the toughest aspect of the pro wrestling business is not the wrestling, but the travel.

“I feel great. It’s always the travel though. Across the board, it’s like, you can feel good after a match, and then when the adrenaline wears off and you have to sit on a plane [shakes her head]. [My neck] Is a little stiff, but we’re good,” she added.

The clash between Charlie and Statlander was for the latter’s EVE International Championship, which the champion successfully retained, extending her reign past 250 days. The match was the penultimate bout of the show, which was headlined by Session Moth Martina and Rhio for the EVE Championship, with the former picking up the win.

AEW’s Colt Cabana was once a prominent television star in the promotion, especially when The Dark Order was still a major stable. Today, however, Cabana mostly coaches, and during an appearance on the “What Happened When?” podcast, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a wild experience, but I love it,” he exclaimed, pivoting to a reflection of his entire career. “I started in ’99, and I signed with AEW in 2020, at the start of it, right before the Pandemic, and since then, you know, I’ve been more of a producer, a coach, backstage.”

The former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion said that he’s enjoying his time as a coach, as the backstage role has added another way to keep his wrestling career going.

“I don’t think I’ll ever retire, but you know, slowly and surely I’m just becoming older and bigger,” he admitted. “So, I think I’m like a forever like, ‘If I could just lose these 20 pounds, I’d be back, baby.'”

The veteran also recalled how he originally built a reputation for himself as a hard-working independent wrestler, but this was nothing like what he’d eventually experience in AEW. 

“I did a couple of years with WWE, and so it’s just like, now is what I would’ve wanted that experience to be in 2008/2009 when I was on SmackDown,” he added. “I wish that had been my experience 15 years ago.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What Happened When?” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.