Very few wrestlers – male or female – can say they have had a career like Gail Kim. The former seven-time TNA Knockouts Champion and one-time WWE Women’s Champion burst on the scene in the early 2000s and was a featured player in a short amount of time. Trained by the legendary Ron Hutchison (who also taught Edge, Christian, Trish Stratus, and many more Ontario-based wrestlers), Kim was as polished as she was pretty. It made her a natural fit for World Wrestling Entertainment.
Finding success in the biggest wrestling company in the world, she parlayed that into a career that has lasted 25 years, as a wrestler, manager, and now… as a producer for Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. Working with younger performers, she has passed along her vast knowledge about the industry to a new group of female wrestlers.
Her relationship with WWE hasn’t always been positive – particularly regarding the ‘old guard’ of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. She’s been very outspoken over the years over the treatment of female wrestlers that she witnessed while she was there. Still, her accomplishments and her resume deem her more than worthy of a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Gail Kim made the jump to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002, after only a couple of years in the squared circle. Her athleticism and persona made her an instant hit with the fans, as she would capture the WWE Women’s Championship in 2003. Throughout her first tenure with the promotion, she would battle future legends like Trish Stratus and Lita.
For a while, she was part of a Renaissance in the promotion, as that generation of female competitors were groundbreakers. They combined beauty with bad-assery, and many competitors from the early 2000s WWE Women’s Division are recognized as some of the game’s all-time greats.
Kim was abruptly released in 2004 and made her way to TNA Wrestling, where she would help shape their Knockouts Division. While managing the tag team of America’s Most Wanted for two years, she also became involved in Total Non-Stop Action’s women’s action. Deemed the ‘TNA Knockouts’, Kim became the group’s first-ever champion.
Kim’s legendary battles with performers like ODB and Awesome Kong were spectacular, leading many to speculate that the Knockouts were far superior to what was happening with the Divas division over in WWE. More than anyone, Kim spearheaded that movement. As the established star and skilled technician, she took it upon herself to help bring attention to TNA and her fellow Knockouts.
Unfortunately, Kim’s TNA contract expired in the summer of 2008. At that time, she decided to try her luck back in World Wrestling Entertainment. However, she would encounter a much different environment on her second pass through the promotion.
Kim would rejoin WWE in early 2009. However, a change in the industry – and specifically in the division- saw competitive matches give way to much more risque fare. New females were being brought into the company based more on their appearance than their ability.
Gone were the names like Lita and Stratus. They had been replaced by cardboard cutouts like Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, and Maryse – women who had very little grappling ability. The division had broken down to the point of the championship being decided via strange stipulations. The ladies were put through degrading backstage vignettes – yet given very little ring time. It was a problem that got considerably worse in the three years after Kim returned.
By 2011, Kim wanted out and asked for her release. However, she was forced to stay through the remainder of her WWE deal. In August 2011, she participated in a Divas Battle Royal, and shortly after the match began, she eliminated herself. She exited the promotion almost as quietly – heading back to TNA.
Kim returned to TNA Wrestling as a conquering hero, treated like the legend she truly was. Her second run with the company provided fresh feuds with Madison Rayne, Mickie James, and more. She continued to win more Knockouts Championships as she continued to add to her sterling legacy. In late 2017, she captured her seventh (and final) crown and then immediately retired – vacating the title. In 2016, she was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.
Since then, she has gone on to become a successful producer and creative contributor for the TNA females. She’s been a spokesperson for the group, acted as an on-air authority figure, and (most importantly) helped to nurture the careers of the Knockouts who have followed her.
Now, with TNA and WWE having an official working agreement, it’s a golden opportunity to finally give Kim her just due in the other company where she made history. She should be a surprise entrant in next month’s Women’s Royal Rumble. Then, Triple H and World Wrestling Entertainment should roll out the red carpet for her… one that leads to the Hall of Fame.
There are very few women who could be considered any more worthy than the Toronto native. The time is right, the atmosphere is right, the politics are right, and there’s certainly no one who would argue against her credentials. For her in-ring accomplishments, her outside-the-ring work, and her status as a pro wrestling ambassador, Gail Kim should be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
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