Impact: Original Women’s Revolution

Don’t be fooled by the McMachine: WWE didn’t ignite the women’s revolution.

While Raw and Smackdown featured three-minute bra and panties matches, Impact Wrestling showcased their female athletes in a credible, competitive light, equal to their male counterparts. Gail Kim, Awesome Kong, The Beautiful People and other performers weren’t relegated to mere eye candy. They were given plenty of time to develop characters with depth, engage in compelling storylines and have exciting matches. For all the criticism that the former TNA has received over the years, the company deserves praise for supporting and cultivating women’s wrestling.

However, Impact wasn’t so quick to position its women in such a prominent position. In the early years of the company, there were women dancing in cages, characters insinuated as gold diggers and prostitutes and of course, the absurd Miss TNA lingerie battle royal. While it seems like Vince Russo would be to blame for this treatment, you have to remember that he returned to the company in 2006, right before the launch of the Knockouts division.

After becoming the company’s first Women’s Champion at Bound For Glory 2007, Gail Kim went to war with Awesome Kong in a great rivalry, laying the groundwork for what women’s wrestling has become today. There were a variety of secondary characters like voodoo queen Roxxi Laveaux, redneck ODB and gothic psycho Daffney. As the division evolved, familiar faces like Mickie James and Victoria joined the roster, helping in the development of homegrown talents like Taryn Terrell and Madison Rayne. In stark contrast to how WWE spotlighted its “Divas” at the time, Impact presented the females in serious fashion. As a result, Knockouts matches and segments regularly drew high ratings and passionate crowd response.

All good things must come to an end, though, as backstage politics and turmoil caused the Knockouts division to suffer.

Once Jeff Jarrett was sent home by Dixie Carter, key members of the creative team such as Dutch Mantel and Jim Cornette were fired. Russo, the arch bishop of talent bury, was firmly in control. Carter already lacked respect for the women, according to a story by Cornette in which she had everyone in the makeup room cleared out so she could have her face done.

It’s also no surprise that contract and payment issues arose. Bruce Prichard has gone on the record to discuss instances where contract negotiations were mishandled. If main event talent were having issues, just imagine how the women were treated. The most infamous instance is when Carter promised to cover Daffney’s medical bills, and of course, failed to deliver. As the issues and late payments piled up, the women’s roster began to clear out as Kong, Laveaux, ODB, Tara (Victoria), Alissa Flash and Traci Brooks all left the company.

While the option of going to WWE was there, few women took it. Kim went to WWE and hated it so much that she returned to Impact after a memorable exit from McMahonland. Mickie James wouldn’t go back until 2016. Rosita would go on to NXT and become Zelina Vega. Meanwhile, the Knockouts division was reinventing itself as fresh, young talent emerged through the ranks, such as Allie, Sienna, Jade and Rosemary.

While WWE claims to be leading a revolution, in reality, the sports-entertainment juggernaut simply hopped on Impact’s bandwagon. Before the first women’s Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank, Royal Rumble and every other stipulation, Kim and Terrell were redefining gender roles in the first Last Knockout Standing match. Despite WWE stealing all the headlines for Evolution, Impact held an all-woman’s pay-per-view five years ago.

Today, the Knockouts division is absolutely thriving. Tessa Blanchard is taking charge as the Knockouts Champion, Su Yung is breaking new ground in what a female wrestler can be and Scarlett Bordeaux is bringing sexy back. Women’s matches and segments can main event any show, and current Impact management has invested in the division’s future, partnering with promotions such as RISE to train the next generation of Knockouts.

By all means, enjoy BellaMania on October 28. Just remember where the evolution began.