In a matter of four days, Allysin Kay went from losing her job to appearing on an AEW PPV.
After a year and a half with the NWA, Allysin Kay parted ways with the promotion on November 3, 2020. Speaking with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (full interview seen above), the former NWA World Women's Champion said that she got an e-mail from AEW the next day about coming in to work.
"Oh, my gosh. So, this was, like I mentioned, a rollercoaster of a week. So, I go from essentially losing my job, even though it was on mutual terms. I lost my job, I tweet, ‘Hey, everyone. I’m a free agent,’ ‘cause I want to put it out there I can work, you know? I’m free to work. The next day I had an e-mail from AEW. I had a message from someone else, too. But, I’m not gonna get into those details. But, I got an e-mail."
Kay then joked about the WCW reboot hoax that floated around the internet for a few weeks and commented that she would have been a part of it had it been real.
"Oh, man. It was WCW! There were people saying that WCW was coming back. I would totally do that, by the way. So, if it’s real, call me," she said.
Getting a call from AEW only one day after finishing up with the NWA sent Kay from an emotional low to a high. Although she was eager to say yes right away, she decided to let the situation simmer for a few minutes and talk to a friend.
"So, I had an e-mail from AEW. So, I went from a low—like, I was happy to work the indies and not have to deal with contract stuff and not have to report to anyone and stuff like that, but it was still a low. I would call that a low because I didn’t know what to do. Then the next day I have an e-mail from AEW. So, of course, that put me on a high. They’re like, ‘Hey, you want to come out in three days to work the pre-show of the pay-per-view?’ So, of course, I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ It’s funny because before I responded to that, because of course, I’m thinking everything through. I don’t want to just say yeah right away. I want to read it, let it sit for a minute. Maybe message a friend and say, ‘Hey, guess what? Should I do this?’"
In addition to the e-mail she was sent, Kay also interacted with Tony Khan online. The AEW President sent her a message asking if she was free to work Full Gear on the weekend, which she says is perfectly in character for him. While the experience was incredibly uplifting, the next day Kay was back at home and unsure of what came next.
"In that time Tony Khan actually DM’d me on Twitter. Which is funny because I’ve never spoken to him before. He DM’d me, ‘Hey, you available Saturday?’ Which is so Tony Khan. Very approachable, very chill. I had just e-mailed back to the AEW office and I let him know, ‘Yeah. I e-mailed back, I’m excited. Blah-blah-blah.’ It was also my birthday week. That was another thing that happened. What was that, November 6th that that aired? I want to say that’s when the pay-per-view was and my birthday was the day before. So much happening in that one week. Then I go to the pay-per-view and then the next Sunday I’m at my house again. So I go from a low to a high to a…neutral? You know? It happened so fast that I’m like, ‘Did that really happen? Can you confirm that that really happened?’"
After working Full Gear, there was some confusion as to Kay's status and whether or not she remained a free agent. It seems as though many assumed she was signed with the promotion when in fact that wasn't the case.
"Yes. People still today, just last week, ‘So, are you signed? What are you doing? Are you going here, are you going there? Did so-and-so contact you?’ A lot of people think that I am signed somewhere, but I’m not. I’m free."
At Full Gear, Kay lost to Serena Deeb in an NWA World Women's Championship Match. As for who agented their match, she said, "That was Dustin [Rhodes]."
As for the feedback she has received, Kay says that it has been unanimously positive. The fact that everyone had nothing but positive things to say makes the fact that she hasn't been brought back all the more confusing, however.
"Man. All the feedback that I’ve gotten has been great. I think that’s maybe been the most confusing part of all. Like, I even reached out—cause Serena and I have talked several times since—and she told me, ‘Yeah, anyone that I’ve talked to since has been like, ‘It’s great, it was great, it was great.’ I remember coming to the back. Dustin loved it. Tony loved it. I remember telling me, ‘Great job, great job. Happy birthday.’ He kept saying that to me."
The praise even came from Tony Khan who repeatedly told Kay that she did a great job. When she asked if this was a common thing for him to say, she was told that if he says it, he means it.
"He’s such a cool, chill guy," said Kay. "I love it. It just makes you feel comfortable. Like, ‘Okay. I don’t have to walk on eggshells. You can actually be comfortable’ It’s nice to actually be comfortable. So, throughout the night whenever I saw him, he’d be like, ‘Great job, great job.’ I asked some of my friends there, I’d ask other friends, ‘Does he say that to everyone? Is he just saying it?’ They’re like, ‘If he keeps saying it to you, he means it.’ Everyone keeps saying, ‘Great job, great job,’ but then nothing came from it. So, I’m like, ‘Awh. Okay.’"
As for whether or not she would message him back, Kay joked that she'd play it off as just another reply to the original message.
"You DM’d me, so I’m DMing you back," she said.
While there hasn't been any interaction between the two sides recently, Allysin Kay knows that they have a lot going on and that with a big roster it's hard to find TV time for everybody.
"As of right now, no. I know they have a lot going on. I know they have a large roster and not enough TV time for everyone. I know that that’s true. Both large companies are like that. But, you know. You know how it is."
While in the NWA, Kay worked alongside current AEW talents such as Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, and (although not technically on the roster) Thunder Rosa. The former Sienna in IMPACT Wrestling, Kay has been working the independent scene as of late, appearing for AAW, AIW, and GWC at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport and Allie Kat's Real Hot Girl Shit. She'll also be working ROH dates soon.
