IYO SKY recently appeared as a guest on the popular INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling and WWE.
During the discussion, the former WWE Women’s World Champion spoke about WrestleMania 41 being her favorite match, why it meant so much to her and the backstage reaction afterwards.
Additionally, the former Damage CTRL member discussed her good on-air chemistry with Rhea Ripley in WWE as of late, future dream match opponents, as well as the difference between Io Shirai and IYO SKY.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where she touches on these topics with her thoughts. Also embedded below is a complete video archive of the discussion.
On WrestleMania 41: “Oh yeah, definitely. That is my favorite match too.”
On if that is her favorite match of all time: “I think so. Here I have a lot of favorite matches, but yeah, that is totally special to my life.”
On what the match meant to her: “It meant so much to me, of course, also so much to Japanese people as well. Because for a long time Japanese wrestlers didn’t win at WrestleMania, even for women’s wrestling, Japanese wrestler, first time ever in WWE to win at WrestleMania. So I’m so honored, and even kind of unexpected. I walk in as a champion, walk out as a champion.”
On the backstage reaction to the match: “I was so happy, but so honored and grateful to everyone like, of course, Bianca Belair, of course, Rhea Ripley, I’m so honored to be there with them.”
On the difference between Io Shirai and IYO SKY: “So that’s interesting, because I was Io Shirai even in NXT. I thought when I joined WWE, I would get a new ring name, but WWE didn’t ask me, and I kept using Io Shirai. That makes me happy, but I was wondering [about it]. Then I got called up to the main roster, then that time was SummerSlam 2022. So Hunter asked, because that time was I was injured, broken ankle, almost got cleared. And then Hunter called me. ‘Are you ready to go to Raw?’ And I totally didn’t expect that, he told me with Bayley and with Dakota Kai, because she was not working with WWE. That was makes me so happy, because Bayley, Dakota and me make a new unit, oh my gosh. Then he says, 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. Iyo Sharai means purple thunder in Japanese. So that’s why I tried to think something when you’re hearing my name, you could imagine like a fire or like a water whatever, like a strong fist whatever. Sky, because if you hear me, if you hear Iyo Sky, you think of the sky, and you won’t forget my name. So that’s why I decided to put sky. IYO SKY, Io Sharai, both similar sounds.”
On if she thinks she has great chemistry with Rhea Ripley: “I think so, because she has muscle. I’m running fast. I’m so small, but I can flip and she’s not a flipping person, like so much the opposite. So that’s why I think we have great chemistry.”
On future dream matches: “Alexa Bliss, never had a singles match. Becky Lynch, I think [we haven’t had a singles match].”
