In an interview with former WWE creative team member Kevin Eck for Press Box Online, IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Famer Gail Kim discussed whether she is still contracted to the company, her back injury and more.
Highlights of the interview are below:
On her back injury and recovery process: “My back was injured just basically from wear and tear over the years. Luckily, Impact has been so good to me in terms of letting me take time off to make sure I’m healthy and never making me feel bad about it. I’ve been ready to come back for a little while but [Impact Wrestling] has had some time off because we film a bunch of shows once a month or once every other month, so that’s the only reason why I haven’t been back in the ring, but I’m going to be back shortly.”
On whether she is still contracted to IMPACT Wrestling: “Technically, no, but I have a contract in hand. I won’t ever go anywhere else. That’s my family.”
On being the “elder statesman” of IMPACT Wrestling’s Knockout Division: “Yeah, I am [laughs]. I call myself the mama of the locker room. I feel like my role has changed a little bit. Obviously, I’m just as passionate about what I do in the ring and the quality of the wrestling I put out there. But now I do feel like I want to help the younger talent coming in. Like I said, we’re in a rebuilding stage. Some of the girls are very polished and some are green, but there’s a lot of potential. I saw Chelsea [Green], who’s Laurel Van Ness, when she tried out the first time [with Impact]. She was fresh out of Tough Enough and hadn’t been working that long. She had a tryout match with us in Bethlehem, Pa., and I remember how green she was back then. She has just come so far, and I always tell her how proud I am. Her in-ring work is solid, but you don’t even get to see much of that right now because her character work is just so over the top and great. I feel like she is the future. Rosemary is already very polished. I love what she does in the ring and in her promos and character work. And then there’s a couple girls that we just picked up that I’m working with one-on-one outside of the company, and I will continue to do that with some of the girls who come in and hopefully help them learn at a faster pace. Right now, it feels like WWE is basically trying to take over the industry, so it’s almost hard to get talent.”
The interview is available in full at this link.
