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AEW went on a signing spree in early 2019 as Tony Khan and The Elite worked to build the foundation of the company. But with four years having passed, some of the promotion's earliest stars are now departing as their deals expire. One of these foundational talents is Sonny Kiss, who recently opened up about leaving AEW.
Sonny Kiss signed with the Jacksonville-based promotion in February 2019, just a month after AEW was officially formed and before its first event had even taken place. Over the next few years, she would make sporadic appearances on the company's television and YouTube shows but never truly managed to gain momentum.
Kiss quietly left All Elite Wrestling in early September 2023 after Tony Khan decided not to renew her contract. Speaking on Women's Wrestling Talk, she described the day she found out that she was leaving:
"That was a very emotional time, especially like it still is to this day. I still think about it, of course, it still feels very fresh. But when that happened, and I was going to Chicago and I did the Effy's Gay Brunch and all throughout all of that it was very, like... I felt like everybody was staring at me and wondering how I was feeling. And I think they were trying to pick my brain and see what was going on. Like, why was I no longer there, it was just a lot. It was super emotional for me," she said.
Kiss went on to express her gratitude to Tony Khan for keeping her employed during the pandemic:
"I did, and I want to say this too, I am so grateful for Tony Khan. Tony Khan has always been great to me in the sense of ...first of all, he helped pay my bills during a global pandemic . You know, there's so many great things about Tony Khan and people expect me to say something negative about him, but no he's given me my life... he gave me stability in my life. Like I said he helped pay my bills during a time where a lot of people were not, you know, things weren't so uncertain. So, yeah, no, I'm forever grateful for Tony Khan." [h/t Fightful]
Former AEW star Sonny Kiss recently debuted in IMPACT Wrestling
After her departure from AEW, many fans wondered what was next for Sonny Kiss. The 29-year-old answered that question quickly with her recent debut in IMPACT Wrestling.
Kiss made her debut at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view on October 21, where she competed in the Intergender Call Your Shot Gauntlet match. She wrestled her first singles bout for the company on the Bound for Glory Fallout show the next day, losing to former WWE Superstar Trinity.
The Concrete Rose later sent out a message to her fans to announce her arrival in the promotion.
Are you excited to see what Sonny Kiss does in IMPACT Wrestling? Let us know how far you think she can go in the comments section.
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