Disclaimer: Depending on the source, reporters are referring to this professional wrestler as genderfluid or transgender. Any misuse of proper pronouns is not intended, as I am going to refer to them as the present themselves.
On Monday, September 4th, news broke that fan favorite wrestler Sonny Kiss had been released from her contract with major wrestling promotion AEW. This announcement was possibly fueled and pushed to the forefront after her fans noticed she removed from the active roster on AEW’s website.
Sonny Kiss was one of the first professional wrestlers signed to AEW when it became the second largest promotion in America, next to WWE, of course. She signed with the company in February 2019 and made her debut soon after in May of the same year. Although she never held a championship during her tenure there, both as a singles competitor or tag team, she was always high up in the ranks of potential challengers.
Despite the love from fans – and, hey, clicks from the haters – Sonny had recently experienced lack of TV time in the months leading up to her release from AEW.
President of AEW, Tony Khan, confirms that Kiss’ contract was simply not renewed; in other words, she was not fired. Wrestling Observer quotes him as saying:
I really like Sonny Kiss. We have a roster of over 100 wrestlers now across AEW… and Sonny is a great wrestler. I think I’ve done a lot to really keep the locker room stable. I can’t renew every single contract in AEW. It would be impossible. And with such a big roster and a limited amount of TV spots… I think Sonny Kiss is a great wrestler and had a lot of potential from the very beginning of AEW and still has a lot of potential as a wrestler.
Khan doesn’t rule out a possible Kiss Return in the future. He tells Wrestling Observer:
Sonny and a number of people who are not necessarily with AEW anymore, we’ll keep an eye on them and certainly I’d be open to bringing them back if something opens up. if I get an idea for a story or if anybody has an idea that I like for a story that I would do or if they get really hot and I get interested…
Before one jumps to conclusions, I don’t think Kiss was released due to being genderfluid or transgender. Unlike WWE, AEW has always been a safe haven for LGBT wrestlers. Queer wrestlers still with AEW include Nyla Rose (a former Women’s Champion) and Anthony Bowens (a 2x and current Tag Team Champion), among others.
She is also a dancer, choreographer and has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology. In the independent wrestling circuit, she is a 6x former champion in various promotions.
Should she want to continue with wrestling, I don’t think it’ll be long before another company swoops in and signs her up!
Source: Wrestling Observer