Originally published at Sonny Kiss gives his take on how to present LGBTQ+ wrestlers on TV
Sonny Kiss has pitched a variety of ideas to keep a dialogue going between him and the fans.
AEW’s Sonny Kiss has been a part of the company dating back to the build-up to Double or Nothing 2019. Kiss regularly competes on Dark and Dark: Elevation and his last TV match was in October of 2020.
Alongside Sonny, AEW roster and staff members like Anthony Bowens, Leyla Hirsch and Aubrey Edwards represent the LGBTQ+ community. Sonny talked to Renee Paquette on ‘The Sessions’ podcast and gave his thoughts about how to present LGBTQ performers on television. He feels that storylines involving himself would not need to “push the envelope” and mentioned that when viewers see an Anthony Bowens or a Leyla Hirsch on TV, they’re not associated with their sexualities and are just presented as wrestlers.
Just letting them be them. Letting the journey be — letting every individual be themselves. I think that’s honestly the best way to call it because people, you know, as far as storylines, feel like it has to be, you know, feel like it has to push the envelope and I feel like it doesn’t have to. I feel like you can have a storyline with an openly gay male and a cisgender straight male and it’d still be cool. When you look at in dialogue with the fans.
Darius Martin, one-half of Top Flight has been sidelined after undergoing ACL surgery. Sonny had an idea he wanted to pitch to AEW President Tony Khan that involved Darius and Dante Martin and here is that idea:
I like — so like, bring it all to me sexy flight attendant. It may have sounded a little cheesy but I was like it’ll be fun.
Sonny was in action at the AEW Dark taping in Washington D.C. on 1/21. That taping featured independent talent Janai Kai who was interviewed by POST Wrestling in early January.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit The Sessions with Renee Paquette along with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.