TNA announced tonight that Gail Kim is the newest member of their Hall of Fame.
Kim has been the key player in TNA’s Knockouts division from being with the company in a manager/valet like role in its early days, starting in 2005 after being cut by WWE in late 2004. Kim started doing occasional matches in 2006. In late 2007, when TNA started its Knockouts Division and featured women’s matches regularly on television, the division was built around Kim, the first champion, and Awesome Kong, in a long rivalry.
TNA’s womens’ division, largely due to Kim and Kong, was considered superior to WWE for the early years. In 2008, WWE signed Kim away from TNA and she stayed until quitting when her contract expired in 2011. She returned to TNA at that point and for most of the past five years has been the company’s key women’s performer, most notably having some great matches with Taryn Terrell.
She has been Knockouts champion five times, tag team champions once and was also WWE women’s champion in 2003, winning the title in her television debut.