Madison Rayne is ready to get her hands on the Knockouts Championship once again.
This past November former two-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion Madison Rayne made her return to IMPACT Wrestling after departing from the company just four months prior. Rayne who is currently on her fifth run in the company has seen the growth and development of the Knockouts division and shared that she is excited to be working with the likes of Tessa Blanchard, Allie, Taya Valkyrie and all talents on the roster. One competitor who Rayne specifically mentioned was Kiera Hogan and Madison added that Kiera Hogan reminds her of herself from 2009 when she was finding herself in the company.
"I’m excited to work with all of these girls." Madison Rayne told RealSport during an interview. "I’m excited to test myself more against Tessa and Taya both, and I’ve said this before, I look at someone like a Kiera Hogan and I see Madison Rayne circa 2009. She’s young and she’s hungry, and all she wants to do is be successful in wrestling, and I think that she’s going to be a huge, huge star, and I can’t wait to get in the ring with her. You know, with her either in my corner, work alongside her, or against her, I’m really looking forward to that opportunity." Rayne continued, "I would love to work more with Allie. We’ve kind of been like ships passing in the night throughout our careers and haven’t had a chance to really get in the ring and test ourselves against each other. So yeah, I mean the division is not as deep in numbers as it has been in recent years, but I think that it’s only a matter of time before it is, and I would like to welcome any and all newcomers as the Knockouts Champion."
On July 22nd at IMPACT's 'Slammiversary XVI' PPV Madison Rayne will have the opportunity to become a 6-time Knockouts Champion as she will challenge Su Yung for her title. Rayne went on to explain the feeling of returning to the company in a dynamic manner and now having the chance to "Rayne supreme" in IMPACT once again.
"Such is life in the world of wrestling. While I’ve stepped away a few times from IMPACT Wrestling, I’ve never fully stepped away from wrestling, and I think that the fans of IMPACT Wrestling and maybe some of the bodies within the Knockouts division forget that. I never left wrestling. If anything, I went away from IMPACT and I completely changed my in-ring approach, and that makes me more dangerous. Because now, not only do I have the experience advantage, but I’m coming in as a whole new person." Rayne said. "It doesn’t matter if Taya Valkyrie is watching my matches from 2011, because I’m someone totally different now, and that’s exciting for me. It’s been exciting to branch out from IMPACT for a time and go out there and get experience and wrestling some new women, new faces, learn some new things, and in my opinion I have now beat two of the toughest women in this current division. I’m deserving of a Knockouts Title shot. Whether Tessa Blanchard thinks I am or not, I am, and then I’m gonna go to Slammiversary, and I’m gonna beat Su, and I’m gonna be a fighting champion just like I have been in my five previous reigns as champion."
The match card for 'Slammiversary XVI' is beginning to take shape with the PPV just a mere two weeks away. To take a look at the updated lineup thus far, click here.
