IYO SKY was one of three surprises at WWE SummerSlam as she, Bayley, and Dakota Kai confronted Bianca Belair after Belair successfully defended her Raw Women's Championship against Becky Lynch.
IYO, who used the name Io Shirai in NXT, had been off television since NXT Stand & Deliver.
Speaking to Tokyo Sports, SKY commented on her absence and injury, saying, "When I flew in a moonsault outside the ring against Kay Lee Ray, I hit my foot on the announcer's table and broke my right ankle and had to have surgery. I was referred to a "master ankle surgeon" in Alabama, who is a WWE official. Now I have one bolt in to hold the bone in place. I was unable to put any weight on my right leg for about a month, and I had to use a crutch and a wheelchair. It took me about three months to be able to put my full weight on it."
SKY was out of action from April 2 to August 1. She returned to the ring at on WWE Raw against Bianca Belair.
When asked about her name change, SKY said, "I think the image of the previous "Shirai" can be conveyed in kanji to Japanese people, but that is not the case in the United States. I think it is a good name because the "sky" in it conveys the image. The first letter of "Io" was capitalized and the second letter was lower-case "Io. So it looked like a lowercase L and O (lo), or like a number, and some people misread it. Now it's all capitalized "IYO," which I think makes it easier to understand."
SKY is currently teaming with Kai in the WWE Women's Tag Team Title tournament. They are set to compete in the finals of the tournament after defeating Alexa Bliss & Asuka in semifinals.
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