Mia Yim says coming back to IMPACT Wrestling has helped her get back on track and remind herself that she can wrestle.
Yim returned to IMPACT at the Under Siege event in May, and she has been a featured member of the roster ever since. She has competed in multiple high-profile matches during her time with the company, including the Queen of the Mountain match at Slammiversary.
In an interview with Straight Talk Wrestling, Yim was asked whether she and Keith Lee were trying to land in the same company after WWE released them last November. She explained that they opted to do their own things, and she chose to sign with IMPACT Wrestling because she knew it was the right move for her.
“So the thing that I always tell people, even though me and Keith are together, we are our own separate brands. I never wanted to be one of those couples that are like, ‘If you book my husband, you have to book me’ or vice versa, or we’re a package deal. We’re not like that, so it’s like babe, you go do what you gotta go do. In my opinion, Keith is a much bigger star than I am, and I’m completely okay with that. I’m gonna go do me and do whatever I wanna do. So I’ve always wanted, like after getting released, IMPACT was the only thing on my mind, just because that’s kind of where I started to flourish. Like my first experience on TV was IMPACT, and then all my friends are there, Gail is there. I’ve gotten real close with Scott. So for me, it was more so trying to get this [points to head] under control and teaching myself that I can wrestle and I am okay in the ring. It’s more of a mental obstacle for me where I knew that IMPACT was going to give me that comfortability and the trust to just be like hey, we’re here for you, we’re gonna help you with whatever you need. This is your platform, go do what you know you can do, without any hesitation," Yim said.
She continued by noting that, over the course of her first few matches, she started to find her confidence again. Yim emphasized that she believed that IMPACT could help her get back on track.
"The first couple matches, I’m a perfectionist so I’m like I know this wasn’t perfect, but was it okay? Just kind of second-guessing everything. But then the more it was like, you’re doing great. Keep listening to the crowd, go do what you gotta do, like you’re doing awesome, and we’re happy with it. It was a confidence thing for me more so than getting a wider platform or money or anything like that. It was just, I needed IMPACT, and I told Gail this from the jump, that like my mental is not where I wanted it to be, and I knew that they could get me back on track," Yim said.
When asked to name some pf her favorite matches since she returned to the company, Yim highlighted her clash with Jordynne Grace at IMPACT Emergence. She described how the bout helped her see that she can still perform at a high level, and she also noted that positive feedback from her peers meant a lot to her.
“To me, it was my own personal test like okay, we are semi-main, if this match can be the quality of a semi-main or even a main match, I will be happy with it. Hearing the crowd, having the crowd behind me is a feeling I can’t even explain. But hearing the crowd, watching it back, and my biggest thing which I think, WWE has done a lot for me, is the psychology and putting things together where it makes sense and the transitions, so it was nice to see that instead of doing all the crazy moves back to back, but like have meaning and purpose and a story behind it and facials and emotion, it felt really good after the match, to the point where Gisele was like everyone in the back was applauding both you and Jordynne after the match. Just knowing that even our peers really appreciated and showcased the support for the match, and then watching it back and seeing that, having a good match and knowing you had a good match is awesome. But watching it back and being like, ‘Damn, that was really good,’ and just seeing all the little things that I did that I didn’t even think about doing, I think that match with Jordynne definitely put it in my brain like, 'You know what, yeah, I still got this, and I can still go. Yeah, I’m back, I’m here now,'" Yim said.
Yim previously discussed why she chose to return to IMPACT. You can check out her comments here. She also explained why she didn't join Keith Lee in AEW.
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