Iyo Sky Shares Reaction To Name Change, WWE Main Roster Call-Up

For several years, wrestling fans knew her as Io Shirai. Upon her return to WWE programming at SummerSlam 2022, however, the former NXT Women's Champion officially adopted a new ring name, IYO SKY, which has stayed intact ever since.

While appearing on "Insight With Chris Van Vliet," SKY recalled her initial reaction to the name change as well as her simultaneous call-up to WWE's main roster. "I thought when I joined WWE, I would get a new ring name, but WWE didn't ask me. I kept using Io Shirai," SKY said. "That makes me happy, but I was wondering 'Okay, Io Shirai has worked on WWE, no problem.' Then I got called up to the main roster. That time was SummerSlam 2022. That time I was injured, broken ankle. I took a risk, almost got cleared, and then [Triple H] called me. 'Are you ready to go to Raw?' I totally didn't expect that.

"He told me [I'd be appearing] with Bayley and Dakota Kai, because she was not working with WWE. That makes me so happy, because Bayley, Dakota and me can make a new unit. Then he says, 'Oh, please think of something new for a ring name.' Oh my gosh, I don't have any time, because maybe that was only five days before SummerSlam."

As SKY alluded to, she, Dakota Kai, and Bayley reemerged on WWE programming as a trio known as Damage CTRL, beginning with their surprise returns at SummerSlam to confront then-WWE Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair. SKY, Kai, and Bayley remained aligned for over a year after that, though the "The Role Model" eventually branched off to challenge "The Genius of the Sky" for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 40.

As for her ring name, SKY noted that "Shirai," her former last name, means "purple thunder" in Japanese, which encouraged her to keep the nature theme present in her new one. On a more simpler level, SKY also felt that "SKY" would be easy for fans to remember.