IYO SKY has revealed why she changed her name from Io Shirai in WWE.
IYO SKY kept her original name when she signed with WWE in 2018. Shirai was assigned to NXT, where she quickly rose to stardom, capturing the brand’s Women’s and Tag Team Championships in the process. However, an injury sidelined her for several months before she made her main roster debut under her new name in 2022.
During a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, IYO SKY explained why she kept her original name during her NXT run. She also revealed that Triple H asked her to come up with a new ring name just days before WWE SummerSlam 2022.
“So that’s interesting, because I was Io Shirai even in NXT,” she said. “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 SKY explains the meaning behind Io Shirai
“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.”
Also read: IYO SKY Says This WWE Spot Is The Greatest Moment Of Her Life