IYO SKY trains with controversial former WWE Superstar

WWE Women's World Champion IYO SKY is gearing up for her upcoming title defense. The Genius of the Sky picked Rhea Ripley as her next opponent and the two will clash at the Evolution PLE. As such, SKY is leaving no stone unturned in her preparation for the marquee bout and was recently seen training with a controversial former WWE Superstar inside a dojo.

A clip shared online shows IYO SKY sparring with former WWE Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle. In the video, SKY can be seen wearing boxing gloves and punching away at Riddle.

Watch the video below:

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The dojo where SKY was training is the RUDOS Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which has hosted the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, Kairi Sane, and Giulia.

As for Matt Riddle, he was let go by WWE in 2023. Though he proved to be popular among fans and even won the RAW Tag Team Championship with Randy Orton, forming RK-Bro, his time in the promotion was marred by controversies.

Verbal altercations with high-profile stars like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg did him no good, and after he was found in violation of the company's wellness policy in 2022, the writing was on the wall. He was released a few months later in 2023, after an incident at JFK airport.

Meanwhile, IYO SKY will have her work cut out against Rhea Ripley, and the champion is going all out for the match.

IYO SKY receives a new nickname

While IYO SKY is training hard for her upcoming matchup, she is also using the time to relax in the sunshine.

She posted photos of herself in a white bikini with the Women's World Championship on her X/Twitter. This led to WWE's official German account retweeting the post with a new nickname for SKY.

"Genius of the Summer," said the tweet.

For now, SKY's focus will be on retaining her title at Evolution against Rhea Ripley. The two have had quite a few battles in the past and were part of a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 41, which was very well received.

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At Evolution, they get to add another chapter to their fascinating rivalry.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Kebin Edwin Antony