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Sonny Kiss Interview – TNT Championship Match With Cody, Gimmick, Mindset

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Sonny Kiss was interviewed by TV Insider where he discusses his upcoming TNT Championship Match with Cody at AEW’s Fight For The Fallen, his mindset heading into the match and his overall gimmick itself.

His mindset heading into the TNT Championship Match with Cody:

“I’m going into this more mentally prepared more than anything. Usually, I have this fitness regimen. I would dance and go hard trying to keep my body in shape. Here it’s more about the mind because it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You’re thinking about how big this opportunity is. You want to stay balanced. I have been doing a lot of meditation and marinating and letting this opportunity come to me rather than over-analyzing it. I’m still physically preparing for everything Cody has for me. I’m excited.”

Working with Dustin Rhodes:

“Dustin alongside Billy [Gunn] are two of my mentors. They’ve been keeping me grounded and honing my craft with me. Making me a better performer overall. Working with Dustin is a dream come true. How can it get any better than Dustin as my trainer, my mentor, the one guiding me. He is amazing. He is a legend. Him having my back through everything. Making sure I’m okay. Every time I’m out there and performing, he gives me these pep talks. I’m going to need a big one on Wednesday, Dustin, so if you’re around? He is absolutely amazing.”

On Cody backing him up over the homophobic tweet:

“I’ve known who I was since maybe five years old. Very, very young. There is really not much anyone can say to deter me from who I am or make me feel less than. I really appreciate the outpouring of support I’ve been getting on social media. There isn’t anything I haven’t heard before. That’s why I can stay positive because I know exactly who I am, and nobody can take that from you once you know who you are. I know I have a group of people looking for ways to respond themselves. So if I show them that I’m strong, they will be able to say, “I can be like Sonny and not care what these people are saying about me.” These people who have 30 followers. They can’t tell me who I am. Tell me that something is wrong with me. They are nobody. I know who I am, and that’s that.”

Any inspirations?:

“I’m inspired by Serena Williams. I love [anchor] Sharon Reed. A lot of people. Simone Biles. These are very unapologetic black women who are doing amazing in their respective fields. I just love how they portray themselves in the media. I love how they fight against adversity. I feel like I’m trying to do that as well. When I see those women, they are very powerful and beautiful and athletic. They’re intelligent speakers. They speak so eloquently. Sharon Reed had a very derogatory email sent to her news station. She clapped back in a classy way. It was beautiful. I aspire to be like that. Take something negative and educate people and shed a positive light on it.”

Planned tag team with Joey Janela:

“Joey and I were supposed to team with each other back in March at the New York show. But due to the climate today, we were unable to do that. We have really good chemistry. It’s authentic. We’ve been together throughout the indies. We’ve traveled 16 to 24 hours together. We’re really good friends. I learned so much from him, thankful to have him by my side. AEW pairing us together was perfect timing. It totally worked. We’re like peanut butter and jelly.”

On finding the balance between his flashy persona and being taken seriously:

“I’m glad you brought that up. People are seeing or have seen me in the past and may say, ‘Sonny Kiss and that gimmick.’ Sonny Kiss is not a gimmick. Sonny Kiss is who he is, who she is, because I identify as either or. I’m authentic and true to who this person is. Moving forward, it’s about being shown in that light as a serious competitor and not just the gimmick you think I am. I’m definitely going to tweak some things and prove that I belong in this division and earned this title shot. I’m going to show the best me. I’ve been working hard. The fans are in for a treat for sure.”