Sometimes, the best moments in wrestling are the ones that are real.
Gail Kim and Awesome Kong have a bond with one another forever because of their bounty of classic matches with one another during the early days of the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts division.
At NWA EmPowerrr, a historic event in its own right, Awesome Kong saved Gail Kim from a three-on-one attack led by Taryn Terrell. After this, Awesome Kong stayed in the ring and officially retired from wrestling, saying that the only way she wanted to go out was while sharing a ring with Gail Kim because of their history.
During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Gail Kim explained that she did not know that Kong was going to retire and was just excited that she had agreed to appear on the show.
“You know, it really started with just me coming on board at first. Mickie asked me and numerous amount of women to be a part of that and I said, as long as IMPACT is cool with it. Of course, you know, I always want to support all the women in this business and Mickie is a go-getter and a legend in her own right, an incredible woman. I knew the passion behind the project that she had and then I really didn't even know what they wanted me to do besides produce at that point. She said, ‘maybe you come out and cut a promo.’ So I said, ‘Yeah, sure, no problem.’ I would say, probably a week after that, you know, she informed me about Kia accepting.”
She continued, “Wrestling's always been one of those things that I actually get really emotional about. I always tell the story that my husband gets mad because I didn't cry at our wedding but I'll cry or anything wrestling that moves me. Yeah. So when she said, you know, she just, she said she never got that final moment say thank you. I started I was like, I'm feeling emotional already. I got really super excited., Honestly, I didn't know she was gonna stay in the ring that night, I found out at the same time as all the fans watching that she was retiring. Yeah, Mickie and I both.”
When speaking about the authenticity of moments in the ring, Gail Kim would say that that's what she wants her moments in wrestling to be about and that is why she did not plan anything she was going to do at the event ahead of time.
“That's what I wanted to and that's why I said, I don't even want to talk about what I'm going to say or whatever it is. Because I wanted it to be organic and authentic and it truly was, and I could -- I think in wrestling, we already all have a brotherhood and a sisterhood. But when you share that kind of magic with someone, you just have that bond, a special bond that you always hold dear. I will always cherish her as a person, as a human. As a fellow wrestler, I will always have that love and respect for her.”
Even though Gail has been retired for quite some time, Jordynne Grace recently revealed that she is trying to get Gail to come out of retirement. Learn more about that here.
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