Sonny Kiss

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Sonny Kiss
Born (1993-12-11) December 11, 1993 (age 28)[1]
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materBryan University (A.A./B.S.)[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Sonny Kiss
Exolicious
XO Lishus
Billed height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Billed weight187 lb (85 kg)
Trained byDustin Rhodes
Billy Gunn
Awesome Kong
Gino Caruso
ROH Dojo
DebutSeptember 2013

Sonny Kiss (born December 11, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, dancer, and professional wrestling manager. He[a] is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling.

Early life[]

Sonny Kiss was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on December 11, 1993.[3][4]

Dancing and cheerleading[]

Kiss attended a performing arts high school where he studied dance. In 2011, Kiss attended New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)'s Summer Youth Performance Workshop (SYPW) modern dance program, which he successfully auditioned for.[5] Later that year, Sonny won first place in Dance at the Hudson County Teen Arts Festival. In 2014, he attended an audition for the NY Jets Flight Crew. [6] Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Kiss worked as a background dancer and choreographer for indie artists during his teen years.[7]

Professional wrestling career[]

Independent Circuit and Lucha Underground (2011–2019)[]

Sonny Kiss initially debuted as a manager/valet in November 2011 at the age of 17.[8] In September 2013, Kiss made his in-ring debut at East Coast Pro Wrestling in New Jersey. Sonny later appeared on several wrestling promotions on the independent circuit such as Full Impact Pro and Evolve.

On June 27, 2018, he made his debut on Lucha Underground as XO Lishus by defeating Jack Evans. On August 8, 2018, he teamed up with Ivelisse in a losing effort to Joey Ryan and Jack Evans. Sonny later won the rematch against Jack Evans in a No Mas Match on August 29 of that year. On September 29, Kiss had his first title match teaming up with Ivelisse and Joey Ryan for the Trios Title, losing to the Reptile Tribe (Luchasaurus, Daga and Kobra Moon). The trio went on to lose to the Rabbit Tribe (Paul London, El Bunny and The White Rabbit) two weeks later. Kiss and Ivelisse competed for the Trios Title at Ultima Lucha Cuatro with Sammy Guevara as their third partner. The trio lost to the Reptile Tribe on October 10, 2018.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)[]

It was announced in February 2019 that Sonny Kiss had signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).[9] At AEW's inaugural pay-per-view event Double or Nothing on May 25, Kiss competed in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale, but was eliminated by Tommy Dreamer.[10] At Fight for the Fallen on July 13, Kiss defeated Peter Avalon.[11] In March 2020, Kiss formed a tag team with Joey Janela.[12] At Fight for the Fallen on July 15, Kiss challenged Cody for the AEW TNT Championship, but lost.[13] At the All Out event on September 5, Kiss participated in the Casino Battle Royale, but was eliminated by Brian Cage.[14] In October, Kiss competed in a tournament to determine the number one contender for the AEW World Championship, but was eliminated in the first round by Kenny Omega.[15] Throughout 2020 and 2021, Kiss often managed Joey Janela on AEW Dynamite against opponents Lance Archer, “Hangman” Adam Page, Chris Jericho, and Kenny Omega, to which Janela was unsuccessful.[16][17]

Personal life[]

In 2013, Kiss became a certified yoga instructor.[18]

Kiss is genderfluid[19] and identifies with both male and female pronouns.[20] In February 2021, Kiss stated on Table Talk with Mo and D-Von Dudley: "Half the roster calls me ‘she’ and the other half calls me ‘he’; sometimes even in the same sentence, and I love it."[21] Per Kiss's request, AEW allows Kiss to use the women's locker room and also trains with the women's wrestlers while wrestling in the men's division.[22]

In November 2020, Kiss earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise physiology.[23][24]

On the podcast AEW Unrestricted, Kiss described himself as a "nostalgia junkie" and is a fan of various pop culture fads from the 1990s and early 2000s relating to fashion, gaming, television, and teen films along with boy bands, girl groups, and various forms of popular music. Kiss is an avid fan of rap metal band Limp Bizkit.[25]

Kiss cites Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio, Trish Stratus, Lita, The Hardy Boyz, Jazz,[26]Sharmell,[27] Molly Holly, Victoria, Alicia Fox and Jacqueline along with his mentors Dustin Rhodes, Chris Jericho, and Billy Gunn as major influences on his career.[28][29]

Kiss is straight edge and is a vegetarian.[30][31]

Championships and accomplishments[]

  • American Championship Wrestling
    • ACE Fight or Flight Champion (1 time)[32]
  • East Coast Professional Wrestling
    • East Coast Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[33]
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked No. 164 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020[34]
  • Tier 1 Wrestling
    • Tier 1 Championship (1 time)[35]
  • Warriors of Wrestling
    • WOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[36]
    • WOW No Limits Championship (1 time)[37]
    • King of New York (2018)

Notes[]

  1. ^ Kiss is genderfluid and uses both he/him and she/her pronouns. This article uses he/him pronouns for consistency.

References[]

  1. ^ @SonnyKissXO (December 11, 2020). "December 11, 1993. 27 years ago. Jersey City, NJ Christ Hospital approx. 7:50am I was born... I am so grateful & blessed to see another year. 2020 has been a year of reflection & accountability. I've learned & grown so much.Thx you guys for the bday wishes! #imwithaew" (Tweet). Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Sonny Kiss - Zimbio".
  3. ^ "Sonny Kiss". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Kiss, Sonny [@SonnyKissXO] (January 24, 2020). "@jaime_corretjer @thejamiesenegal @AEWrestling @AEWonTNT Yep! Born and raised in Jersey City!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "AEW Unrestricted on Podimo".
  6. ^ "Sonny Kiss on wanting to be an NFL cheerleader, feeling pressure when he signed with AEW, his time in Lucha Underground". July 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Professional Wrestler (All Elite Wrestling), Dancer & Advocate Sonny Kiss.
  8. ^ Ryder, James (July 22, 2020). "Talk Is Jericho: Sonny Kiss Will Kick Your Ass". Talk is Jericho (Podcast). Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  9. ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWrestling] (February 7, 2019). ".@SonnyKissXO is #ALLELITE and will be at #DOUBLEorNOTHING" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Powell, Jason (May 25, 2019). "AEW The Buy In pre-show results: Powell's live review of the Casino Battle Royale, Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Powell, Jason (July 13, 2019). "7/13 AEW Fight For The Fallen results: Powell's live review of Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega vs. Cima, Chris Jericho promo, Hangman Page vs. Kip Sabian, Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Tedesco, Mike (March 24, 2020). "AEW Dark Results – 3/24/20 (Natural Nightmares, Jake Hager, Colt Cabana all in action)". WrestleView. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Powell, Jason (July 15, 2020). "7/15 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Fight For The Fallen featuring Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage for the AEW Championship, Cody vs. Sonny Kiss for the TNT Championship, FTR vs. Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (September 5, 2020). "AEW All Out "The Buy In" Pre-Show results: Powell's review of Private Party vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver of The Dark Order, Joey Janela vs. Serpentico". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (October 21, 2020). "10/21 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Penta El Zero M vs. Rey Fenix, Kenny Omega vs. Sonny Kiss, Colt Cabana vs. Hangman Page, and Wardlow vs. Jungle Boy in AEW Title Eliminator first-round tournament matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  16. ^ "AEW announces Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela for Dynamite". December 11, 2020.
  17. ^ "AEW: Dynamite Results - May 28, 2021". May 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Sonny Kiss – the Vegas Staycation Show".
  19. ^ @SonnyKissXO (June 10, 2020). "#GenderFluidLife