WWE's IYO SKY Explains Thought Process Behind Her New Ring Name

IYO SKY is one of the newest members of the "WWE Raw" roster, but it wasn't just a change of scenery that she was handed. The company also switched up her name following her recent main roster call-up. The former "NXT" Women's Champion had previously been working as Io Shirai, but that has been tweaked since joining up with Bayley and Dakota Kai. But what inspired her sudden name change?

"I think that the image of the former "Shirai" is conveyed in kanji to Japanese people, but that's not the case in the United States," SKY told Tokyo Sports. "I think it's a good name because the image is conveyed by adding "Sky" there. "Io" was the first capital letter and the second lowercase "Io" in the alphabet. That's why some people misread it because it looked like a lowercase letter L and O (lo), or it looked like a number. I think it became easier to understand with "IYO" in all capital letters."

SKY had previously been on the shelf since the weekend of "WrestleMania 38" after she got hurt during the "NXT: Stand & Deliver" event. That was followed by several reports that she was set to leave the company. However, at WWE "SummerSlam," she made a surprise appearance alongside her new stablemates to confront Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, officially joining the main roster in the process.

Since that point, she and Kai have been competing in the Women's Tag Team Championship tournament, reaching the final in the process. Meanwhile, she is set to make her in-ring debut at a WWE premium live event next weekend when she, Bayley, and Kai compete against Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Belair at "Clash At The Castle."