Gail Kim talks about the growth of women’s wrestling
Donald Wood of Ring Rust Radio passed along an interview with TNA Knockouts star Gail Kim talking about the growth of women’s wrestling and the Bound For Glory PPV.
On the growth of women’s wrestling:
“Way back before all this women’s wrestling happened for us back in 2007, people would always tell me that fans don’t want to watch women’s wrestling. I always refused to believe that. I could have listened to all these people who were my friends and other fans who thought they didn’t want to see it because they had a perception of what women’s wrestling was. I always believed and I was always passionate about women’s wrestling. I think the fans at the time saw us deliver and felt our passion. I always tried to think about why I wasn’t connecting with the fans in my early WWE days, and there were a lot of aspects to that at the time. Maybe I didn’t have a great story line, maybe I just wasn’t relatable, but I feel like ultimately in this business I connected with the fans because they felt my passion for this business. We shared that passion for wrestling. I am so glad that they appreciated everything from the beginning. Like the feud I had with Awesome Kong, they were the reason it was such a success. Yes, we took the ball and ran with it, but they truly believed in it. It took a long time for women’s wrestling to come this far since looking back at 2007. Now in 2016, the strides women’s wrestling has taken is great. I have said this in other interviews because people see us as competitive with WWE girls, but I support them. I want them to have that opportunity and the stage I never got to have back then. I can appreciate how bad they want it. When I see them accomplish what their dreams are it’s an unbelievable feeling. I know what it feels like and I want that for them as well.”
On the upcoming Bound For Glory PPV on October 2:
“First off, the Impact Wrestling roster is the one roster that goes through ups and downs and people always report about our morale. I will tell you every time we come together and put more than a 100 percent out there. We come together as a family, and no matter what happens we always give the fans the best performance we can every time. Bound for Glory will be no exception for us. In terms of my match with Maria, casual fans may know us from our WWE days even though she hasn’t really wrestled a lot since then. I think the people who have been watching the storyline will be so looking forward to the moment when I finally get her in the ring. It honestly has been almost eight months in the making; to finally get in the ring with her. To have the title has always been special to me and I would love to win the title. For me it’s more about getting her in the ring on that day, and I think everyone just wants to see me give her a major beat down. I am really looking forward to it personally.”
Chris Harris if he regrets decision to leave TNA
Ryan Rider of Main Event Radio passed along an interview with former TNA and WWE star Chris Harris where he is asked if he regrets leaving TNA and his brief run in WWE.
If he regrets leaving TNA:
“That’s hard to say. At the time I thought I did the right thing. If I had to look back, seeing the success that [James] Storm, Bobby Roode, and Eric Young those guys that I was really good friends with had, I kind of wish that I had stayed. It was more of a fraternity. At the time I was doing what was good for my family; what was good for me. At the time they really weren’t doing anything with me. I was a bit frustrated and the other side was giving me a big offer and I decided maybe it’s time for a jump. It had nothing to do with TNA. I loved TNA. Kurt [Angle] and I were supposed to do a program together which would have been awesome. I looked at it the other way, it was a big jump but I decided to move.”
His brief run in WWE as Braden Walker:
“For the first few months, I wasn’t on TV at all but they treated me great. Once they started me on TV, I had a meeting with the producers and the writers. We had something really good planned. I pulled out a gimmick that was very similar to the Shield. I was going to debut like a Bounty Hunter gimmick. Next thing I know they shut it out and put me out there as Braden Walker and it pretty much flopped. It was flat. How could the people care. Ron Killings [R-Truth] and I came at the same time. We both left TNA and went to WWE. They did some promos with him in South Carolina where he’s from with the ghetto thing and it made people care. When he came out, they knew who he was. When I came out, they know me from America’s Most Wanted, but there were no promos hyping me up. I talked to a few people but there was no help whatsoever. Johnny Ace [Laurinitis] called me and said they were going to let me go. I didn’t fight him at all. When he said that, I was like great. I was so unhappy, there were so many problems. I wanted to get out of there. If you had a previous run in WWE, there was a little favoritism. Before the past year, anybody that’s gone over there had got crushed. I think they’re finally learning that there’s life before WWE. AJ [Styles] is proving that. Gallows and Anderson are proving that. It’s gonna happen. Bobby [Roode]’s gonna be a big star, Eric [Young]’s gonna be a big star. They finally realize that you’ve gotta push the guys who have been somewhere been. When guys debut, listen to the response. The crowd goes crazy because they have access to the internet and all that. It would have been so good. I would have had so much fun. I really think that we could have done something, I really do.”