Gail Kim comments on potentially returning to the ring.
Kim, a seven-time TNA/IMPACT Knockouts Champion, hasn't wrestled since 2019, when she lost to Tessa Blanchard at IMPACT Rebellion. This match marked her return to the ring; before that, she hadn't wrestled on a regular basis since her retirement run in 2017. In recent years, she has been focused on her role as a agent with IMPACT. Kim has worked closely with the Knockouts Division, which began a new era at IMPACT Hard To Kill 2023 when Mickie James beat Jordynne Grace to win the Knockouts World Championship. The match was the conclusion of James' Last Rodeo, a series of bouts where she would have retired if she had lost.
Speaking with Steve Fall for WrestlingNewsCo, Kim was asked whether she could potentially have her own Last Rodeo. She made it clear that she didn't know if she could compete in a series of matches, as she was unsure whether her body would hold up. However, Kim stated that she had a "never say never" mentality regarding a potential one-off return, especially for a dream match.
"I don’t know if I could do what Mickie did, in terms of go through all those matches to get to the top and prove myself. I don’t know if my body would hold up. But never say never to a dream [match], like a three-way or a dream four-way of all these different women. You never know, whoever the fans would want. You never say never. A Last Rodeo, maybe a last one match, but not multiple matches like she had," Kim said.
Earlier in the interview, Kim was asked to share her thoughts on James' match against Jordynne Grace at IMPACT Hard To Kill 2023 and whether she felt nervous about it. She highlighted the fans' response to the match and stated that it delivered on every level.
“I think everyone was feeling a little nervous. I think everyone really didn’t know what was gonna happen. It was incredible to hear the fans’ responses before and after, and Lisa Marie [Victoria] being there was a special guest. There were so many special things that happened at Hard To Kill, but yes, I think the main event definitely delivered on every level, in terms of the match, in terms of the storyline, in terms of the emotions for the fans, for the wrestlers, for everyone involved, for Mickie especially. Just to see her career, for us, it’s gone by in the blink of an [eye], but to see Alexis Laree turn into Mickie James, who she is today, and to see them main event, this is Mickie’s second time main-eventing a pay-per-view, that was incredible to watch. I love Mickie. I have nothing but the utmost respect for her. To see her, how far she’s come and what she’s accomplished to this day, I can identify with her in a lot of ways, in terms of her questioning whether she’s still got it and her wanting to prove to the fans that she’s still got it, and to win the title back again, it’s incredible to see," Kim said.
Kim continued by praising Grace and her growth in recent years. She called the former champion one of the best female wrestlers in the industry today. Kim also described how seeing Grace and others evolve makes her feel satisfied about her career at this stage. She then noted that the title match at IMPACT Hard To Kill was a "proud mama" moment" for her.
“You couldn’t ask for a better opponent than Jordynne Grace to question whether Mickie’s career was gonna continue. Jordynne Grace is a dominant force right now. She is one of the best female wrestlers out there currently, all across the board, in the entire industry, whether you talk about other companies as well, she’s up there. To see how much she has evolved throughout the last couple years, from the moment that she came into our company, and how much she has grown, for me, as a producer, as someone who cares about the women’s division with all my heart, to see someone grow like that and evolve, it’s truly just so, if I can’t have satisfaction for my own career, this is really what gives me true happiness and satisfaction is to watch these other women and other wrestlers evolve and grow into something great. Jordynne has become great. I remember telling her one thing, which she did, and I was like, ‘Did you see that? Did you see how the fans reacted?’ To see that now, it’s like a proud mama moment for both of them," she said.
In the same interview, Kim recalled how she wasn't sure about Frankie Kazarian's appearance at IMPACT Hard To Kill until he was cutting his promo. Check out her comments here.
Kim previously said she'd be willing to come out of retirement and wrestle Mickie James. More information is available here.
Mercedes Mone recently stated that she'd like to face James. Click here to see what she had to say.
Check out the card for IMPACT No Surrender here.
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