--Kaido has awakening but never used it as he can not control it -- This also maybe the case knowing oda lol
Funny you mention this, I could see this being the case, as wasn't Oden the only person we've known to almost kill Kaido too? I thought that might trigger his awakening when Oden cut him like that but sadly not...
Someone suggested the reason Kaido couldn't awaken is because his fruit is a guardian deity and thus directly contradicts his own philosophy, attitude and such. The fruit didn't choose him either as we know Zoans are sentient too and choose their owners supposedly, well try to and Big Mom gave Kaido his fruit instead?
This makes most sense for why he didn't have or show it then imo.
Honestly Kaido's fruit being an actual Carp fruit that evolves into a Dragon could be a great flashback ...
I really wanted Kaido to be an actual Carp that ate his DF somehow or just turned into a dragon regardless of a DF, was essentially granted "godhood" or ascended for being the only carp to scale that waterfall of Wano or somewhere similar, maybe with a bigger waterfall and thus more difficult to swim up?
Oda dropped the ball so fucking hard on him, harder than Kaido dropping on the Kidd alliance too.