AEW must find a way to feature Sonny Kiss on television

AEW has to answer the question “Why Sonny Kiss hasn’t been featured on AEW television?”

When All Elite Wrestling started, Cody Rhodes spoke as the company’s voice, claiming that AEW was going to be more conscious of diversity, inclusion, and representation with what was presented on television. Three years later and Rhodes is gone, but that expectation around DEI and representation are still present. Fans push AEW to do more with the women and people of color on their roster, especially the Black singles performers. AEW’s utilization or lack thereof with Sonny Kiss is glaring and needs to be corrected.

According to Cagematch, Sonny Kiss has had a total of 75 matches in AEW as of Sunday, July 10. Kiss’s last appearance on AEW Dynamite or Rampage came on October 21, 2020, in a defeat to Kenny Omega as Omega surged toward the AEW championship. Since AEW’s inception, Kiss has had 12 matches combined on Dynamite, a PPV, or a Buy-In leading to a PPV. But none of those have occurred in the last two years.

Another puzzling example is AEW’s YouTube page. Search for Sonny Kiss in AEW’s videos and the most recent post featuring them is a year old. With someone who competes so frequently on Dark and Dark Elevation, it’s interesting that the promotion hasn’t found anything “worthy” of posting in more than a year.

Like all professional wrestling, AEW is scripted and there have been opportunities to include Sonny Kiss on one of the featured shows. While Dark and Dark Elevation do have value in building up talent, two years shouldn’t pass before a talented individual like Kiss gets time on television when nearly millions of eyes are on the broadcast. For example, the story of Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela joining forces and their eventual split could have time on television. Jade Cargill is looking for a new member to join the Baddies and fans are calling for Kiss to be included in that spot. For a promotion that is praised for some creative storylines, it’s hard to believe the company can’t produce one to bring Kiss to one of the big weekly shows.

Sonny Kiss has the talent to be on Dynamite or Rampage

“I think there was honestly like, essentially like a petition kind of going on, Kiss said while talking about utilization in AEW on FaceTurn. “I would love to be used more in general. I feel like eventually, it’ll happen. I have been trying my best to be patient, wait my turn.”

However, AEW did manage to feature Kiss during LGBT Pride Month in June. Kiss, along with Nyla Rose, Anthony Bowens was highlighted speaking about the importance of representation within a major promotion like AEW. That’s a message the industry needs to hear, especially as wrestling continues to struggle with accountability and inclusion. But what about featuring Sonny Kiss on television? That’s a question that needs to be asked and answered sooner rather than later.

Don’t doubt that Kiss has the skills to put on a show in the ring. Look at the resume before the first match in AEW and there are several names that stand out as former opponents. For example, Sonny Kiss has shared the ring with the likes of Melina, Josh Alexander, Ace Austin, Darius Carter, MJF, and plenty of others. The “wait for their time” approach with Kiss isn’t credible in any sense.

There are a lot of talented performers across the AEW roster. But Kiss has been with the company since its inception and it’s still hard to fathom why the organization hasn’t featured them on television more. If AEW truly is a place that features its diverse roster for the world to see, then this is an egregious error that needs to be corrected as Kiss has the talent and abilities to stand in the ring with any other individual in the company.