In April, Dave Meltzer revealed on the Wrestling Observer Radio, that AEW was preparing Scorpio Sky for a singles run, noting, “the deal is they’re breaking him out as a singles wrestler from Daniels and Kazarian and they’re trying to get him up and running like that.”
The news came as an exciting prospect as the consensus among fans has long been that the 37-year-old Scorpio Sky, who is an 18+ year veteran of the pro wrestling industry, is well overdue for a prominent world title run. Two months after Meltzer’s report came out, Sky began the current run he is on, as the so-called ‘King of AEW DARK.’ Since June 11th, Sky has appeared on seven of the last eight episodes of DARK, more often than not in showcase matches. He’s defeated Robert Anthony, Lee Johnson, Brady Pierce, Serpentico, Aaron Solow, Corey Hollis, and now, Will Hobbs.
But his long-awaited singles push has thus far been limited to just DARK as in the midst of his streak, Sky teamed up with his SCU mates for Fyter Fest, losing to Colt Cabana and the Dark Order. With the exception of taking part in the Casino Ladder match at Double or Nothing, Sky’s yet to wrestle a singles match on Dynamite this year. It’s something the fans have noticed but it’s also something that Sky himself has been aware of, and on Tuesday night, he let his frustrations that had been boiling to the surface, all come out.
Following yet another statement victory on DARK, Sky grabbed a mic and a chair, and sat down in the middle of the ring. “This chair right here is symbolic. This chair might as well be a throne,” Sky began, “because lately they’ve been calling me the King of AEW DARK, and I’m supposed to be happy about it.”
https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1290786825880186885
Scorpio Sky continued, saying he wasn’t out there to “bury” DARK, but rather to point out that in no way, was King of AEW DARK a moniker that represented his ceiling. Sky talked about his winning record (24-10; 12-6 in 2020) and then reminded those listening that only two people in AEW ever pinned Chris Jericho. One was Jon Moxley, the current world champion, and the other was Sky himself, who picked up a pin over the champion during a tag team championship match in November 2019. By doing so, Sky became the first person to pin the then-AEW champion and earned himself a title match as a result.
It was at that point in the promo, that Sky turned to the camera, making sure that those in the back were listening.
“Are you paying attention?” Sky asked, “because I am tired of sitting on the outside and waiting for my spot at table. I am sick and tired of watching everybody else eat. Maybe, I should kick in the damn door and bring my own seat.”
Sky finished his promo with an exclamation point, taking one last opportunity to remind everyone that he’s not going away and he’s not done fighting for what he believes he deserves.
“Y’all must have forgot who I am so let me remind you. Say the name: Scorpio Sky. Get used to it.”
Trained by the Rudos Dojo, Scorpio Sky spent much of his early career establishing a name for himself in the California indie scene. A regular with Revolution Pro Wrestling and Alternative Wrestling Show, where he won eight of his career titles, Sky was also one of the main attractions in the early days of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, wrestling on the company’s debut show in 2003 and remaining a focal point there for the next three years.
By 2006, Scorpio Sky had begun wrestling primarily for the NWA, soon becoming a regular for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. Over the next eight years, Sky developed a reputation as one of the most underrated wrestlers in the country and specifically the California indie scene. Sky continued to win titles and continued to build out his brand, making his Ring of Honor and TNA/IMPACT debuts in that time as well.
In 2017, So Cal’s ‘Best Kept Secret,’ Scorpio Sky, began to work the indies on a more nationwide basis, wrestling for Texas’ WrestleCircus, Ohio’s Rockstar Pro, Pennsylvania/Delaware’s Combat Zone Wrestling, and Mexico’s the Crash to name a few. Sky wrestled a career high 61 matches that year, only to top that number in 2018 with his current career high of 74 matches. That year saw Sky, who had joined Ring of Honor the year prior, in September 2017, work a full time schedule with the promotion. Sky aligned with Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian to form the largely popular SoCal Uncensored (SCU) trio. Together, the three won the world six man titles in March 2018 and by the end of the year, Sky had also claimed the tag team championships alongside Kazarian. For many, ROH was fans’ introduction to Sky and it didn’t take long for them to see what longtime followers had already known.
Sky’s run in ROH was cut short when he decided, alongside Kazarian and Daniels, to join AEW. The trio were the first signees outside of the Elite who were announced for the promotion and became a large part of the company’s plans early on. Sky and Kazarian represented SCU in the tag team tournament to crown the inaugural champions. The two defeated Best Friends, the Dark Order team of Evil Uno and Stu Grayson and finally the Lucha Brothers to claim the titles, holding them for 83 days. In the midst of their reign, Sky picked up the aforementioned pin of Jericho and received his first world title match. While he fell short in the match, it was clear that AEW had something in Scorpio Sky as a singles star.
SCU lost the tag titles to Hangman Page and Kenny Omega in January and failed to recapture them in their rematch the following month. The two received another contendership opportunity in May but lost to Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian. On DARK #37, Sky and Kazarian wrestled their last traditional two-on-two tag team match to date, with SCU’s last trios match coming in early July at Fyter Fest. While Sky is still associated with SCU, the team has mainly been represented by Daniels and Kazarian as the King of AEW DARK has been in the midst of his singles push.
Sky’s talent is undeniable but beyond that, his record alone should have him in the title picture for either a shot at Cody’s TNT Championship or a future opportunity for Moxley’s world title. AEW once professed the value of the ranking system to determining such contenders but if the stats mattered the way AEW says they do, Sky’s 7-1 singles record would rank him third, right behind the undefeated MFJ and the 10-1 Lance Archer. If total records are taken into account, Sky’s mark of 12-6 would also keep him on the rankings board as it’s better than Darby Allin’s 12-11-1 mark and Allin currently sits in fifth.
And yet, Sky’s place on the leaderboard is ignored and he’s been passed over for title opportunities by the other men who currently rank as Brian Cage, Mr. Brodie Lee, and Darby Allin have all had world title matches, MJF has one upcoming at All Out, and Lance Archer, as well as Allin, was involved in the tournament to crown the inaugural TNT Champion. An opportunity that Sky was also passed over for, in favor of wrestlers with a much less favorable record.
If wins really do matter in AEW, then Scorpio Sky should be contending for a singles title. But even if it doesn’t, it seems the King of AEW DARK is ready to relinquish his crown in favor of something bigger and better. Sky’s record may not get him what he wants, but at this point, it seems his persistence will. If AEW management wasn’t paying attention before, after Sky’s promo, it seems he has their ear. Sometimes you have to take what you want and as Scorpio Sky informed the world, he’s ready to start taking.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW DARK Tuesday nights at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
