Gail Kim: two posts in a row, gaahh! She’s featured as an assassin in a new action film that got limited release last Friday, Royal Kill. Gail was so great to work with and also so impressive in her stunt work, that her part got extended.Goes to show you that maybe lady wrestlers could maybe have more interesting movie career than some of their male colleagues…? Go to the official website.
Is this incredible mess another proof that the WWE won’t ever take their female talent seriously? After a big promo about former Divas returning, nobody bothered to introduce back past legends like Sunny, Molly Holly or Victoria. Of course, that whole mess barely went past a meagre seven minutes… Another slap in the face, shall we say, was the outcome, as the still always hilarious Santino became Miss Wrestlemania doubling as Santina. What a pointless way to reintroduce Gail Kim in the company and all these past wrestlers (who all probably had a better time during the festivities previous to the show itself!).
Photo © WWE
How many wrestling Divas can claim to be of Moroccan descent? Not many. But here we have an unique beauty rubbing shoulders around too many bleached blondes: the winner of the 2006 Diva Search.
She was born in London on June 25, 1978, and was principally working as a dancer before being associated with the wrestling world. She used to perform for Carnival Cruise Lines, the NBA Miami Heat team and of course for music videos. In 2006, she took a chance to participate in the WWE Diva Search contest, which she won on August 16. Afterwards, she joined the Smackdown roster, being quickly “initiated”by the other girls (said initiation consisted of being spanked in the shower fully clothed… don’t ask).
So Layla began the usual career process of any new female wrestling personality: she began as an interviewer while being trained for future action in the ring. Her first match was a Diva Trick-or-Treat Battle Royale. She was then transferred to the ECW brand where her dancing skills were finally put on display as she joined a trio named Extreme Expose, with the three ladies dancing weekly on the show between matches. Layla also served as choregrapher and costumer designer.
But she was eventually drafted to Raw in 2008, as she can now claim to be the only female performer to have been part of the company’s three brand names. She currently serves as William Regal’s valet, but my guess is that this association will soon melt away…
We haven’t seen much one-on-one action from Layla, as she usually takes part in tag-team matches. Is she destined to ever be in a major angle involving the Women Championship? That seems a bit dubious. But her beauty is a very welcome breath of fresh air in the industry right now. Our featured picture is from a Flex magazine article and it’s something to behold!
After taking care of a foot injury for too many months, Melina is back on RAW! Isn’t that the most wonderful news to cheer us up as we are invaded for crappy weather around here? Here she is at your right celebrating a decisive win with teammates Mickie James and Candice Michelle. Sweet! I just hope that Gail Kim is next…
When was the last time you’ve seen a female “I Quit” Match? Pretty much never, right? This confrontation will be part of WWE One Night Stand on June 1 and it could be a sleeper. There are still a few skilled women wrestlers in the WWE, amidst that crowd of useless Divas and Playboy cover model wannabes. Beth Phoenix has been impressive as a monster heel since her debut (remember recently when she actually carried TWO opponents on her ample shoulders?) and I’ve been a Melina supporter for years now, as she and TNA’s Gail Kim are currently my two favorite performers in pro wrestling today (regardless of sex). These last two possess the right attitude, talent and look to make their mark in a more often than not backstabbing business. Oh, what a dream match this could be, though… bring on your favorite steel cage!
Is there anyone more interesting and sexier to watch on TV these days than to witness pro wrestler Gail Kim wearing tight jeans and a white bra kicking ass on an octagonal ring? I don’t think so. Right now, Gail is without a doubt my favorite female wrestler, combining great skill, beauty and demonstrating a sense of taking chances that we don’t see very often in North American performers of the “weaker” sex. Let’s try to understand where she’s coming from.
Well actually Gail is Canadian, born in Toronto on February 20, 1976, but of Korean heritage. Even while studying kinesiology at the University of Toronto, Gail had always shown great athletic prowess, being skillful in basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball and badminton… She eventually changed her course by attending Ryerson University, this time studying nutrition. Once obtaining her degree, Gail decided, just like that, to become a pro wrestler, to the amazement of her family. To achieve this goal, she enrolled at Ron Hutchinson’s School of Pro Wrestling in Toronto (isn’t that name awfully adequate?). She also attended the Squared Circle Pro Wrestling Gym. Now, she had a natural talent and thusly made her debut in December 2000, portraying a masked character named La Felina, The Queen of the Cats, for the Apocalypse Wrestling Federation promotion based in Southern Ontario.
For the next couple of years, Gail found employment on the independent circuit, still mainly in Canada, learning her craft and already having memorable encounters with fellow fighter Tracy Brooks. In 2001, she met WWF current performer Holly Molly and gave her a promotional videotape of herself. This resulted in being hired in October 2002 and assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a training ground for future stars of the company. Gail debuted officially on June 30, 2003, on a female battle royal match televised for RAW, where she actually won the WWE Women’s Championship, no mean feat for a first appearance! She held the belt for a month, eventually losing to Molly and becoming soon after a “bad girl” or a “heel”, in wrestling terms.
Gail was quite busy until an injury the following November, an unfortunate broken right collarbone that kept her on ice until the next April. For a while, she didn’t return to high-flying tactics, preferring to specialize in submission moves. She had more title shots, but no more championship reign. Her last match for the WWE was on November 1, 2004, and she was released by the company the following day, a surprising move that astounded many fans, as that decision was really coming out of nowhere.
After a 90-day no-compete clause, Gail visited Mexico, South Korea, and Australia for matches on the independent circuit. She caused quite a happy sensation when willingly posing topless for a mobile phone ad in South Korea (now what was the connection between a cell and a naked cutie? Not that I’m complaining, but…).
Things looked well when Gail was hired by TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling and debuted on October 8, 2005. Being tossed around or body slammed by male wrestlers didn’t seemed to be a problem. She filmed a movie in 2006, Royal Kill, which should be released this year, directed by a guy named Babar, where she seemingly plays an assassin. In 2007, she had a great feud with another of my favorites, Jackie Moore, which culminated in a Cat Fight Steel cage match, an awesome affair that saw Gail victorious after actually jumping down the top of the cage on her opponent!
At the Bound for Glory pay-per-view on October 14, 2007, Gail became the first ever TNA Women’s World Champion after winning a Knockout Gauntlet Match involving nine more female athletes. Knockout is the term TNA uses for its female roster. So eventually Gail lost her title on a televised episode, to Awesome Kong, a 5 ft 10 in, 250 lb immense performer. Of course these days Gail wants her belt back where it belongs, but is now also involved in a love/hate relationship with fellow grappler O.D.B., after some communication problems of late.
Take my word for it: Gail Kim delivers in all departments. There’s a lot of her matches available on YouTube, so you can now program your own kick-ass Gail Kim Bone-Crunch Festival! I can just salute TNA for the quality given to their Knockout division: of course there’s much inflated boobs galore but these gals give their all in sometimes very brutal spots; in fact, there’s no embarrassing lingerie matches/sketches like those too often than not served by rival company WWE, a flagrant disrespect towards their own female roster wasting their time in limbo. It just irks me that McMahon likes more to waste his time in discovering a Diva of the Year when real wrestlers could be under his command.
Gail Kim is also now considered one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelorettes, to her own astonishment, as claimed by Forbes, coming at #32 on a list of forty!
Sites:
As I was watching last Monday WWE RAW’s 15th anniversary in a state of contented nostalgia, I couldn’t help but decide to pay homage on this blog to a favorite wrestling diva. Oddly, she was not seen on the short divas tribute video, probably because she’s active on another concurrent company, mainly TNA. Of course, I’m talking about one of the toughest gal I’ve seen on a wrestling ring, the Pride of Tennessee herself, Ms. Jackie Moore!
Jacqueline DeLois Moore was born January 6, 1966 (or is it 1964?) in Dallas, Texas. During her wrestling career, she has been known under many different aliases, mainly Jacquelyn Moore, Miss Jacqueline, Miss Tennessee, Miss Texas, Sgt. Rock (?), Sweet Georgia Brown, Queen Moesha and The Pride Of Tennessee. Confused yet? She became a wrestling fan in her youth (particularly admiring the Von Erich family) and was the only female trainee at her first wrestle school. To do so as a woman in this business is a sign of untold dedication. She wasn’t interested in being mere eye candy or a role as a grinning valet, the main stereotypes that can be still seen on wrestling events: she wanted to learn how to fight! Learn it she did, making a ring debut in 1989 for World Class Championship Wrestling. A couple of years later, she began to win titles, mainly for the United States Wrestling Association where she became their first Women’s Champion, eventually holding that belt for an impressive 14 times!
After a brief stay at Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Jackie began work for World Championship Wrestling, debuting there in January 1997, being allied with Kevin Sullivan who had just started a feud with the late Chris Benoit. Interestingly, she began fighting against men (and sometimes winning!). In the summer of 1998, Jackie joined the as then-known World Wrestling Federation, rapidly feuding with Sable alongside the latter’s estranged husband Marc Mero. This memorable rivalry included bikini contests, arm wrestling, an evening gown match and an eventual win of the WWF Women’s Championship belt (of which she’s the first African-American winner). Soon after, Jackie founded a stable including Terri Runnels and Ryan Shamrock, which was known as PMS (Pretty Means Sisters). These gals didn’t hesitate in manipulating and low-blowing men… (i.e. hitting them on the crotch). Let’s note that at some point, Jackie was even knocked over the head by Jeff Jarrett’s guitar. Also, she participated in some hardcore matches, rare feat for women wrestlers, one being against Ivory and Luna Vachon. Let’s mention also a win in a gravy bowl match. Yes, it was exactly like your imagination can picture it. Like many female wrestlers/personalities these days, she popped out of her top on some occasions, at least once during a high profile pay per view. This is officially called an “wardrobe malfunction”.
After a second title reign, she began an association with the APA or Acolytes Protection Agency (including Faarooq and Bradshaw). In 2001, Jackie became one of the trainers for the reality TV series Tough Enough, where we could finally see a new side of her, which revealed a warm and caring personality. In 2002, she became an official referee, being also present for men’s matches. But for some reasons she became less and less seen on TV, being delegated as a trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling. Her last glory for WWE was becoming the first female Cruiserweight Champion on Smackdown, this in May 2004. A month later, she announced that her contract was not being renewed. No official reason was never mentioned. Probably Vince McMahon was more concerned in finding new divas that possessed absolutely no wrestling talent but could only be marketed as visual attractions.
His loss was pure luck for us, as Jackie found work for another high-profile wrestling company, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, for which she debuted in November 2004, at the Victory pay-per-view. She’s still at the employ of TNA, recently enjoying an excellent feud with Gail Kim, for which an unbelievable steel cage match was held in April 2007, a type of contest rarely seen in North American female wrestling. The two women absolutely ruled the ring and it gave us a glimpse of what a women’s fight should be, certainly not with opponents only parading in bikinis and being dipped in sticky gravy sauce. Soon after, Jackie had her two front teeth knocked out, once again by Kim, has she had a trashcan over her head and was pummeled with a broomstick! Bikinis, indeed!
Holding a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Jackie Moore is a tough cookie, even with a frame of 5 ft 3 in and 118 lbs. She’s also a great performer, giving her all at the WWE edition of Fear Factor and impressing me to no end. She will be seen in a couple of upcoming movies, Sin-Jin Smyth (with a character memorably named V.M. “The Engine” Sexton) and Knight Fever. She combines strength and beauty in the best way, being able to deliver the goods in any ring with any opponent and also to be exciting to look at. In my view, she should be an example for other girls to follow. Real wrestlers now, not just flesh mannequins.
You think I won’t talk about wrestling from time to time, don’t you? Well guess again, as tonight we can order WWE Unforgiven. And why should we? To see the Women’s Championship on the line, what else, really? 
With the WWE Diva Search 2007 going on (sadly more a priority in the devious mind of Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon than establishing a serious female roster), to which degree this match would have serious repercussions? For a former model, Candice Michelle has made some great effort to be a credible wrestler, but I doubt that she’ll become the next Trish Stratus. As for Beth, she’s being pushed as an unstoppable monster in a mostly credible way. Yes, I admit to enjoy the eye candy as any other, but I know that these gals work real hard to being where they are.
So from time to time, I’ll profile a wrestling diva worth our attention.
 |
