Wrestlers being “benched” has been a popular talking point in recent months. WWE President Nick Khan made a snide comment about WWE not benching wrestlers compared to competitors, when that is simply not the truth. However, it doesn’t cover the fact that AEW has pushed names to the sidelines at random times. One such person was Scorpio Sky, and the “was” is key in that sentence because Sky returned during the AEW Collision tapings for the July 5 episode.
During the episode taping Max Caster did his standard open challenge. This time, Scorpio Sky was the one to answer the call. He came out to defeat Caster, as everyone else has in the past, returning to a resounding response from fans.
This was Sky’s first match on AEW television since the Over the Budget Charity Battle Royal on September 3, 2023. Since then, he’s competed on three Ring of Honor shows, but those stopped in 2023 as well. He’s shown up on some indie shows throughout the business but was inexplicably absent from AEW in all forms. Sky opened up about that during his new podcast.
“My career has sure taken a nosedive, hasn’t it?” Sky said while speaking on Creating Character. “Anyone that has followed me obviously knows that things have been a little different over the past couple of years.”
There was never a clear reason why Sky was kept off television for nearly two years. But he was benched for some reason that even he did not know. He spoke openly about how a July 2024 interview with Chris Van Vliet may have injured his relationship with AEW.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t lie when I was on the show, but I definitely went out of my way to not make the company look bad,” Sky said. “I really obviously wanted to preserve a relationship that has been built over a number of years, and I didn’t want to say anything that would poison that relationship. Come to find out, someone there still, maybe has a few issues with some of the things I may have said. Now, I’m like, ‘Screw it, I’m going to say whatever the hell I want now.’”
Where does Scorpio Sky fit in today’s AEW?
All Elite Wrestling is vastly different in July 2025 compared to where it was back in September 2023. AEW has an exceptionally stacked roster today that is completely different than where it was two years ago. Does that mean Scorpio Sky doesn’t have a place? Of course not. What it means is that Tony Khan and his team will have to work harder to present Sky as the top star that fans wanted him to be years ago.
Sky could fit into the midcard picture, chasing after the TNT Championship currently held by Adam Cole. He’s held that title in the past and could be seen as a viable challenger to Cole or anyone else holding that championship. He could also fit in the Ring of Honor World Championship picture. ROH is a step back when compared to AEW main roster, but many of those champions do get featured consistently on the show and on PPVs.
Fans should be excited to see Scorpio Sky back on AEW television. He’s a talented performer and one of the “original” cast members who hit a point of popularity that was never acted on. Before complaining about how far he will go, just enjoy his return after nearly two years.