Kiera Hogan’s Coming Out Party
The girl on fire has gone ice cold.
Considered the most improved wrestler of 2019 by her boss Don Callis, Kiera Hogan is finally getting the respect she deserves in Impact Wrestling.
After a year of being the underdog and Allie’s best friend, Hogan stopped worrying about everybody else. She left Rosemary to fend for herself and snapped Jordynne Grace’s olive branch. Changing her trademark hair color from red to blue, the girl on fire has gone ice cold.
“A lot more people are paying attention because I’m not this little, sweet, innocent girl who just loves to be a wrestler,” Hogan told The Wrestling Estate. “I’m actually serious about my craft now and I want to be taken seriously as a wrestler and performer.”
As Impact moves to AXS TV, a much bigger network than Pursuit (Impact’s home since January), the 25-year-old grappler is looking to make a statement in the Knockouts division. It’s a familiar setting for the Atlanta resident, as she has already been featured on AXS TV earlier this year as part of WOW – Women of Wrestling under the alias Fire.
“Impact has been underrated for a really long time,” Hogan says. “We’re going to put it back on the map. Now more people can see what we’re about.”
In addition to switching television homes, Impact has undergone a lot of changes this year in regards to its roster. Popular performers such as Scarlett Bordeaux, Allie, Santana and Ortiz, and the Lucha Bros have all left for other companies. Hogan says it’s been bittersweet to see her “family” moving on.
“It’s sad to see them go, but they’re growing and evolving,” she says. “It’s awesome that they’re moving on to different things and different outlets and getting more eyes on them. Complacency is something I try to avoid. I always want to be doing something different. I want to be changing and evolving, too.”
The Georgia peach hasn’t just evolved in the ring this year – she’s made a drastic change in her personal life as well. On the final day of Pride Month, Hogan came out publicly as a member of the LGBTQ community in an Instagram post. She followed up in July by taking her relationship with fellow wrestler Diamante public, posting some heartfelt messages on social media.
“I made that Pride post driving home from Miami after seeing my girlfriend,” Hogan says. “I knew I was secure in all my feelings. I didn’t have a fear of what other people may think. I just wanted to share how happy I was.”
In support of Hogan’s decision, Impact has scheduled numerous high-profile events and appearances in Chicago this weekend as part of “Kiera Hogan’s Coming-Out Party.” Heading into Bound For Glory this Sunday, Hogan will be taking part in a pizza party to benefit The Pinta Pride Project, an effort by 12-year-old Molly Pinta to organize a Pride Parade in her hometown of Buffalo Grove, IL. Hogan will also be performing the ceremonial coin-toss for flag football games from the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA) and the ceremonial puck-drop for the Chicago Wolves for the team’s Pride Night. She’ll be co-hosting a drag show at Scarlet Bar on Saturday and will be giving a speech at Center on Halsted, Chicago’s LGBT community center, just hours before Bound For Glory.
“I’ve had so many people inspire me growing up in every aspect of my life, but I wish I had somebody to say ‘don’t be afraid’ earlier on,” Hogan says. “Maybe I would have come out sooner. I didn’t really have that inspiration or figure in my life. Maybe now I can be that figure for somebody else.”
What an honor & great time meeting @repgregharris today at his Chicago office. My Coming-Out Party has started — I’m so excited! Now I have multiple media interviews about #BFG and everything @IMPACTWRESTLING. And it’s @LouMalnatis Pizza tonight with @pride_bg in Buffalo Grove. pic.twitter.com/p7V9051abs
— Kiera Hogan (@HoganKnowsBest3) October 17, 2019
With such a busy weekend ahead, Hogan is fueled by coffee, Monster Energy and the unlimited support of her girlfriend. Already partners outside the ring, she and Diamante will be teaming up in WOW as part of the Tag Team Championship Series. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time before we see the former LAX member return to Impact.
“I definitely hope to see her back,” Hogan says. “Our Knockouts locker room discusses who we’d like to see as part of our division. Her name always comes up. It’s not just me, a lot of people have noticed how much progress she’s made as she’s evolved, too.”
As for the sold-out pay-per-view this Sunday, Hogan says she’s not scheduled to compete at the moment, but may pop up in the X-Division Championship match.
“You never know,” she says. “I’m just getting hotter by the second, by the minute, by the hour, by the day, by the month and by the year. Hopefully, and I see it in the near future, I will have that Knockouts Title, which matches my blue aesthetic so well, around my waist.”
Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory takes place October 20 at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, IL. You can order the show on pay-per-view or on FITE TV.
You can watch Impact Wrestling on AXS TV, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST.
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