Madison Rayne Returns To New World
The five-time Knockouts Champion faces Tessa Blanchard at Under Pressure.
After defeating Kiera Hogan in her Impact Wrestling debut, Tessa Blanchard took a page out of her father’s book and pounded her opponent after the bell. Suddenly, a familiar face tossed down her headset and charged the ring – Madison Rayne.
With Don Callis still recovering from Sami Callihan’s vicious assault, a spot was open next to Josh Matthews on commentary. Who better to fill in than Matthews’ wife and five-time Knockouts Champion? Of course, that competitive fire still burns inside Rayne, who will now be facing Blanchard on May 31 at Under Pressure.
“I didn’t have intentions of coming back and wrestling,” Rayne said during this week’s Impact Wrestling teleconference. “But it’s something still in my blood. My first goal is to make sure this Knockouts division continues to be run on the fundamentals that were in place in the beginning, which are respect and hard work. Not bullying.”
Perhaps it’s a sign of maturity, because the 13-year veteran wasn’t exactly a social justice warrior during her first run in the company. She was a member of The Beautiful People, a narcissistic group of women who vowed to cleanse the roster “one ugly person at a time.” Desperate to join the sexy duo of Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, Rayne agreed to undergo an initiation process in which she would cut off opponents’ hair. After being kicked out of the group and having her face covered with a paper bag, she even begged the goddesses to let her back in.
“I started in Impact when I was less than four years into my career, at only 22 years old,” Rayne said. “I could be wild and crazy and live like a rock star or be very humble and smart at the way I was going to let my career unfold. It was instilled in me at a young age to always remember where you came from. Well, I came from spot on the map you can’t find until you get to Central Ohio.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6NAtELrWc
With five title reigns to her name at a combined 404 days (the second-most total in company history), Rayne is wiser and more seasoned, having more life experience to complement her in-ring prowess. She is a mother, wife, divorcee and entrepreneur, still competing throughout the country on the indie scene. As the Knockouts division has evolved, so has she: changing up her training regimen as well as incorporating new moves into her repertoire.
“I’m at the peak of my in-ring performance right now,” Rayne said. “I don’t go to the gym six days a week or lift super heavy things anymore. I’ve transitioned to a maintenance phase, where I’m doing a lot of yoga and taking boxing classes, which makes me feel like a total badass. I train to stay more athletic than to see how much I can squat or how big I can make my bicep.”
Evolution is vital for survival in pro wrestling. Rayne has come back to a division chock-full of fresh faces like Blanchard, Hogan, Taya Valkyrie, Sienna, Rosemary, Su Yung and of course, Knockouts Champion Allie.
“This group is by far the most diverse of any group I’ve been a part of and equally as hardworking,” Rayne said. “They are young and hungry and feel like they have something to prove. In 2009, I was the Kiera Hogan and Tessa Blanchard. I never stopped growing and changing. I want to prove to myself that I still deserve to be in wrestling and particularly, the Knockouts division.”
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