IYO SKY

Io Shirai’s WWE Contract & Debut

In 2017, Io Shirai signed a contract with the WWE after she took part in a tryout at the WWE Performance Center in Florida. Shirai’s debut was delayed a month after a WWE medical examination discovered that she had a neck injury and heart issue. WWE rescinded its offer initially but after six months, they announced she had signed with the promotion and would be competing in the company’s developmental territory, NXT.

Shirai made her in-ring debut at the second annual Mae Young Classic Tournament in 2018. Io Shirai made it to the finals but was defeated by Toni Storm at Evolution. Io Shirai had many title matches in NXT but saw even more after turning heel on Candice LeRae when they stole the show at NXT TakeOver Toronto in 2019.

On the January 22, 2020 episode of NXT, Shirai suffered a minor injury in her match against Toni Storm. Io Shirai returned on the March 25 episode by replacing Xia Li in her match to qualify for a number one contender’s ladder match for the NXT Women’s Championship. She defeated Aliyah to earn a spot in the match.

Io Shirai Wins NXT Women’s Championship

In June 2020 at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Io Shirai defeated Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT Women’s Champion. On the July 15 episode of NXT, Io Shirai made her first successful title defense against Tegan Nox before being attacked by Dakota Kai. This led to a match at NXT TakeOver: 30 where she successfully retained her title against Dakota Kai despite interference from Kai’s enforcer, Raquel González.

In September, Shirai renewed her rivalry with Candice LeRae. As a result, their feud sparked two title matches at NXT TakeOver 31 and NXT: Halloween Havoc, including the first ever tables, ladders and scares match, in which Shirai retained her title. On the November 18th episode of NXT, Shirai also successfully retained her title against Rhea Ripley.

At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Shirai was a part of Team Blackheart (herself, Shotzi Blackheart, Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon) who faced Team Lerae (Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Dakota Kai and Raquel González) in a losing effort in which Shirai was pinned by González.

On February 14, 2021, at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Shirai defeated Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm in a triple threat match to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. On the March 10, 2021 episode of NXT, Shirai was challenged by Storm for the title, which she retained.

Io Shirai’s reign as NXT Women’s Champion ended after 304 days when she lost the title to Raquel Gonzalez at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver pay-per-view event.

Shirai Wins Tag Team Gold with Zoey Stark

Io Shirai made her return on the June 8 episode of NXT. A few weeks later, she partnered with Zoey Stark as a tag team. On the June 29 episode of NXT, they won a triple threat match to become the number one contenders for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship. At The Great American Bash, Shirai and Stark defeated The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) to win the titles.

They successfully defended their titles on the September 7th episode of NXT against the team of Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. They successfully retained their titles in a match against the Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) on the September 28 episode of NXT. At Halloween Havoc, in a triple threat Scareway to Hell Ladder match against the Toxic Attraction and the team of Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta, they lost to Toxic Attraction. Their reign lasted 111 days.

Shirai Returns to WWE

After a hiatus due to an injury, on July 30, 2022, Shirai returned to WWE at SummerSlam alongside Bayley and Dakota Kai, with the three being allies. They confronted Raw Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair. Shirai was presented under the new ring name IYO SKY and joined the RAW brand as a heel.

On the following episode of RAW, the trio targeted and attacked Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka. SKY’s debut match was against Belair in a non-title match resulting in no-contest due to interference from Asuka, Bliss, Kai, and Bayley entering the ring and starting a fight.

Damage CTRL Wins Tag Team Titles

On the September 12th episode of Monday Night RAW, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY defeated Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. They called themselves Damage CTRL.

On October 31st, Kai and SKY lost the tag team titles to Asuka and Alexa Bliss. But five days later, Damage CTRL regained their titles at WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia.

The rivalry between the two trios ended at Survivor Series WarGames on November 26th, where Damage CTRL, Rhea Ripley, and Nikki Cross lost to Belair, Asuka, Bliss, Mia Yim, and Becky Lynch in a WarGames match. Kai then entered the women’s Royal Rumble match in January 2023. She eliminated five wrestlers before being eliminated by Becky Lynch. On the February 27th episode of RAW, following interference from Trish Stratus, Kai and Sky lost the titles to Lynch and Lita, ending their second reign at 114 days.

As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Kai, along with stablemates Bayley and Sky, was drafted to the SmackDown brand.

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