Zoey Serrano has reflected on a memorable WWE NXT vignette with IYO SKY and revealed that she was surprised by some of the backlash the segment generated.
During their time together in NXT, Serrano and SKY were paired as a tag team, with WWE airing several vignettes showing the two characters getting to know each other.
One of those segments took place at a sushi restaurant, where Serrano’s character pretended to enjoy the food while secretly throwing it away when SKY wasn’t looking.
During the latest edition of her Zoey 1001 video series, Serrano recalled the vignette after being asked about a segment she particularly enjoyed filming. “This is a good one. So this immediately makes me think of me and IYO SKY,” Serrano said. “When we were both in NXT, we were a new tag team and we did a vignette. We were at a sushi restaurant and of course they wanted me to not like sushi, which is not true, I’m a big fan.”
Serrano explained that the humor was supposed to come from her character attempting to impress SKY despite supposedly disliking the food. “They had me throwing it up against the wall, over my shoulder and pretending to like it because I really wanted IYO to like me,” she continued. “It always makes me laugh. One, just because it’s a fun, goofy promo, right?”
Despite enjoying the experience, Serrano recalled receiving significant criticism after the segment aired, including accusations of racism that she said she didn’t understand. “Two, boy did I get a lot of heat for this. People actually thought, one, I didn’t like sushi, and two, that somehow I was racist,” Serrano said. “I don’t, I don’t know how those two things link together.”
Serrano stressed that she was simply performing the material she had been given. She also remembered the experience positively because it allowed her and SKY to develop a closer relationship behind the scenes. “I was just doing what I was told, but I had a great time doing it, and it was an opportunity for IYO and I to actually get to know each other, which was a lot of fun,” she said. “I love her. She’s a sweetheart.”
Although the vignette attracted criticism at the time, Serrano now looks back on it as a fun part of her NXT run and an opportunity to bond with SKY away from the ring.
