During her appearance on the most recent episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, WWE’s IYO SKY spoke on learning English, the trash can spot at WarGames, the difference between Io Shirai and IYO SKY and more!
On learning English and cutting promo’s in English:
“So I went to English school once I got a contract with WWE, but only 30 minutes in a week, or one hour a week, or twice a week, or something like that. So it didn’t help as much, better than nothing.”
“Promos make me nervous, even only short lines makes me so nervous, because even backstage from everything, because we are on TV, behind the camera. So that’s why I’m always careful about speaking proper English, like now I’m pretty relaxed to speak English, sometimes even broken English, you will understand, but on camera, I have to memorize proper English.”
On the difference between the characters of 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 the moonsault trash can spot and trash can dive at WarGames:
“Yes, totally [I practiced it]. Because in my head, I think of course I can do that. Yeah, put on the trash can and do the back flip. Feels easy, but actually it is such a dangerous move. I went to the WWE Performance Center, and they have a normal trash can. I took off the plastic bag and clean up myself, and make it a little bit cleaner, and I hope nobody was watching what I’m doing. I put on my head, and I did my own practice thing. That was only from the top rope, but I made it, so that’s why I thought it should be fine from the cage. Make it double high.”
“I know I am crazy, that’s why I thought at that time, I won’t practice it. So I just think in my head, oh, maybe I can do that, because cross-body is my familiar move. Even putting on the trash can doesn’t make me nervous, or make me scared, or something like that. But actually, I was standing on the edge and tried to put my head in the trash can, and I realized at that time, oh my gosh, I can’t see anything. So I didn’t think about I would be blind. I just think about putting it on my head and jumping off. I didn’t think about my vision. And, of course, in the trash can it was so dark and I couldn’t see anything, and oh my gosh, I started to get scared. Wow, I might have to jump off from here. Oh my gosh. I can’t do that. Maybe I will get injured. One second, two seconds, you know, oh my gosh, I can’t. No, I have to just jump. So first time, I was so scared. But no, because camera is here, so show must go on. I have to jump off. I did it, and second time I was relaxed. I could do it because, yeah, I knew it.”
You can watch the full interview below:
Quotes are courtesy of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.