.jpg) Kong in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kia Michelle Stevens (1977-09-04)September 4, 1977 (age 48) Carson, California, U.S.[7] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Amazing Kong Awesome Kong Kharma[1][2] Margaret[3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[4][5] |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (120 kg)[4][5] |
| Billed from | Tokyo, Japan[5] |
| Trained by | Inoki Dojo Noah Denker[6] |
| Debut | October 20, 2002[6] |
| Retired | August 28, 2021 |
Kia Michelle Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and semi-retiredprofessional wrestler. She is best known for her time withTNA Wrestling under thering nameAwesome Kong. She also worked withRing of Honor (ROH),Shimmer Women Athletes,All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and withWWE under the ring nameKharma.
Stevens began her professional wrestling career in 2002 after appearing on a reality television show. For the first five years of her career, she primarily wrestled inJapan and held numerous championships there. In 2006, she began wrestling in her native United States again, wrestling on theindependent circuit before appearing on national television with TNA, where she was a driving force in the foundation of theirKnockouts division. During her time with TNA, she became atwo-timeTNA Knockouts Champion andone-timeTNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion withHamada. She later signed with WWE, where she became the third woman to enter the men'sRoyal Rumble match in2012, and she began making appearances for then-upstart AEW towards the end of the decade.[8]
Stevens was ranked first in the inaugural list ofPro Wrestling Illustrated'sPWI Women's 100 in 2008.[9] She retired from professional wrestling in 2021 and was subsequently inducted into theTNA Hall of Fame. As an actress, she is best known for playing Tammé "The Welfare Queen" Dawson in the wrestling-themed Netflix original comedy seriesGLOW.[10]
Kia Stevens[11] was inspired to become a professional wrestler by Amy Dumas, known during her WWE career asLita.[12] In 2002, Stevens appeared on theDiscovery Health Body Challenge as a contestant trying to lose weight in hopes of becoming a professional wrestler.[13] Afterwards, Stevens trained at theSchool of Hard Knocks out ofSan Bernardino, California.[6][14] Soon, she was able to have her first professional match in theEmpire Wrestling Federation.[6] Stevens also auditioned forTough Enough 2, a competition in which the winner earned aWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) contract, but failed her audition afterJim Ross told her that she was "too fat." After being signed to WWE in 2010, Stevens defended Ross, stating that "If [Ross] hadn't shot from the hip all those years ago, I wouldn't have had the fire to succeed as much as I did."[15]
After putting on an impressive showing at a tryout, Stevens was invited to further her training in the dojo ofjoshi puroresu (female Japanese wrestling) promotionAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW).[6][14] While there she underwent a rigorous training schedule, became fluent in Japanese, and engaged in training formixed martial arts but chose to pursue professional wrestling.[14] She was given the ring name Amazing Kong by Masatsugu Matsunaga, who needed a replacement for Japanese female wrestlerAja Kong in several matches.[16] Stevens, as Kong, worked for multiple women's promotions in Japan, and she defeatedAyako Hamada for theWWWA World Single Championship in late 2004.[6] Later, Stevens cited Hamada as one of her favorite opponents.[16]
In 2004 Kong debuted for the joshi promotionGaea Japan in a match against Aja Kong. At the promotion's ninth anniversary event Aja Kong won the match but gained enough respect for Amazing Kong that the two attacked both competitors in the main event, revealing themselves as a new tag team named W Kong.[17] The duo soon made their presence felt when they challengedChigusa Nagayo andLioness Asuka for theAAAW Tag Team Championship on May 5 and won.[18] The team defended the championship successfully all Summer, eventually losing toManami Toyota andCarlos Amano on September 20.[19] Going into 2005, Kong main evented the final Gaea show before the promotion closed down. In the final match ofFifth Anniversary, Kong teamed with Ayako Hamada andMayumi Ozaki in a winning effort againstAkino,Dynamite Kansai and Gami with Ayako picking up the victory.[20]
After the closure of Gaea, W Kong went on to wrestle for a number of Japanese promotions includingHustle, where they were given the comedic gimmicks of Margaret and Erika which involved, among other things, wrestling in a yellow tutu.[14] They won the predominantly maleHustle Super Tag Team Championship from June until October 2006.[6][21] They were also the final team to holdWWWA World Tag Team Championship before AJW shut down.[14] In early 2007, Kong also won theAWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's Championship inTokyo, Japan and held it from January to May.[6] She lost it toNanae Takahashi in a three-way match, which also includedWesna.[22]
Her success in Japan attracted the attention of United States promotionShimmer Women Athletes, who began regularly booking her for their DVD tapings in Kong's homeland from May 2006. Her debut came onVolume 5 with a win againstNikki Roxx.[23] She defeated Roxx again onVolume 14: Hot Summer Nights in a rematch.[24] The rematch was Kong's fifth successive win which led her to challenge for theShimmer Championship in October 2007 against inaugural championSara Del Rey, for theVolume 15 taping. Del Rey retained to give Kong her first Shimmer loss, albeit via count out.[25]
Kong then began another winning streak, losing only to Ariel by disqualification after using a chair onVolume 17 which set back her chances of being given another championship match. She was placed in a Four-Way Contendership match onVolume 21; during the matchMercedes Martinez used herFisherman Buster finisher onCheerleader Melissa but before she could be pinned, Kong dragged Martinez to the floor and the two battled it out while Ariel stole the win to receive a championship match.[26] This incident led to a grudge match between Martinez and Kong onVolume 23, which Kong won.[27] On the following show, instead of a Shimmer Championship match, Kong was put in a contendership match for theShimmer Tag Team Championship, forming a brief alliance of convenience with Del Rey, who herself was having issues with their opponents MelissChif (Cheerleader Melissa and Shimmer ChampionMsChif). After winning the match,[28] they faced the reigning championsAshley Lane andNevaeh in the following match, and once again Kong was disqualified after using chairs on her opponents. An assault continued until Martinez andSerena Deeb, who was feuding with Del Rey, appeared to help out the Tag Team Champions. This occurrence led to another tag team match with Kong and Del Rey picking up a victory over Martinez and Deeb.[29]
Wanting to focus on her singles career again, Kong wrestledLuFisto onVolume 27 in a match to take on the Shimmer Champion. It ended in a double count-out, with the two brawling outside the ring through the building and even during the next match in the show. This meant the championship match onVolume 28, in November 2009, would be a three-way elimination match including the champion MsChif.[30] Kong eliminated LuFisto early on with an Amazing Bomb, essentially leading to a rematch of Kong and MsChif's critically respectedVolume 9 match.[31][32] In this match, however, MsChif took a return win after kicking out of the Amazing Bomb and delivering all of her signature finishing moves on Kong to become the first woman to pin Kong in Shimmer.[30] She appeared for one more appearance in September 2010 for theVolume 35 event, answering an open challenge byKellie Skater with an emphatic victory.[33]
Owing to Shimmer being a promotional partner ofRing of Honor (ROH), Kong was noticed by ROH and scouted to appear on both products. On 15 September 2007 she made her debut for ROH at theirMan Up pay-per-view (PPV). Teaming withDaizee Haze in a tag team match, they defeated Sara Del Rey andLacey.[34]
Kong returned to ROH on May 8, 2010, to take part in the promotion's annualSupercard of Honor V. Once more she wrestled Del Rey, this time in a singles match which she lost after Del Rey used a weighted elbow pad thrown to her byKings of Wrestling stablemateChris Hero, sparking a rivalry between the two.[35] Kong returned to settle the score with Del Rey two months later atHate: Chapter II on July 23. The Kings of Wrestling were in the midst of a rivalry withThe Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark), and so Kong teamed with them in a six-person tag team match, where they defeated Del Rey, Hero and their stablemateClaudio Castagnoli, though Kong did not secure the pin. Consequently, they had a singles rematch the following night, with Kong finally defeating Del Rey one-on-one.[36][37] At the end of the year, ROH held their live PPVFinal Battle 2010, which saw Del Rey challenge Daizee Haze to bring more competition to ROH. Haze responded by bringing Kong back for the December 18 match against Del Rey and her partner Serena Deeb. In the match Del Rey pinned Haze, while Deeb successfully neutralized Kong with aspear.[38]
After growing success in Shimmer, Kong began appearing on the American independent circuit bringing with her theAWA World Women's Championship from Japan. She put it on the line in a champion versus champion match againstMsChif'sNWA World Women's Championship on May 5, 2007, becoming a joint champion with her win.[6][39] A rematch between the two in September, exclusively for the NWA belt after Kong lost the AWA title in May, headlined the NWA No Limits3rd Anniversary Show which saw Kong retain the title.[40] Kong defended the belt in a number of promotions throughout the year but 11 months later, in April 2008, MsChif won back the title via countout under a special stipulation to retain Kong's stature.[41] The following year, Kong once again challenged for the NWA World Championship at NWA Charlotte'sValentine's Day themed inaugural show,Thorns & Roses, in the penultimate match of the evening. WithDaffney in her corner, MsChif and saved herself from theAwesome Bomb by using hergreen mist, disqualifying herself to retain the belt in the process.[42]
In June 2007, Kong toured Great Britain under theChickFight promotion, wrestling guest matches under that banner for other promotions. The tour started on June 15 inWales for Celtic Wrestling, where she picked up a victory over ChickFight stalwartCheerleader Melissa.[43] The following day Kong debuted for Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) and took part in a Four-Way RQW Women's Championship match, that saw Wesna win the belt from reigning championEden Black, withJetta also coming up winless.[44] The following day Kong competed inChickfight IX, the ninth and final all-women knockout tournament under the ChickFight banner. She received a bye via forfeit, owing to a severe injury Cheerleader Melissa had given her opponentSweet Saraya at RQW the night before, which allowed her to be fresh against Blue Nikita. After defeating Nikita in the semi-final, she faced dethroned RQW Champion Eden Black and won the trophy.[45]
After achieving notoriety on national television, Kong received more bookings including for the all-female companyWomen Superstars Uncensored in March 2008. She appeared at theirFirst Anniversary Show answering an open challenge made by Rick Cataldo and Roxxie Cotton, defeating them both in a handicap match within a minute. Later in the same event she teamed with Amy Lee and defeatedAngel Orsini and Shimmer rival Mercedes Martinez. Despite picking up the victory, Kong felt that Lee stole the glory of a win from her and went to attack Lee; this led to anAmy Lee's Rules match in the main event ofDawn of a New Day which Kong won after Lee passed out, refusing to submit. The two had a rematch atArmy of One which Kong lost by disqualification after hitting a referee leading to a deciding rubber match contested under Last Man Standing rules. At theSecond Anniversary Show, Kong narrowly beat Amy Lee after charging at Lee with a chair only for Lee to pass out to the ground and Kong to hit the ropes and knock the chair back into herself. Judging Lee to have been down one count before Kong, Kong won the match but bowed to Lee afterwards out of respect.[46]
After winning this match, Kong was given a match against Martinez for theWSU Championship in December 2009 at a WSU and National Wrestling Superstars co-hosted event.[46] Kong received another chance at the title atEvolve 5: Danielson v Sawa for theEvolve promotion but still could not bring an end to Martinez's two-year reign.[citation needed]
Stevens debuted on the October 11, 2007 episode ofTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)'s flagship showImpact! under her original name "Amazing Kong" which would be later tweaked to "Awesome Kong" as part of TNA's attempt to bolster theirKnockout division. After defeatingGail Kim,[6] Kong participated at theBound for Glory PPV. There she took part in a 10-Knockout Gauntlet match to crown the firstTNA Women's Knockout Champion but she was eliminated by the combined effort ofAngelina Love,ODB and eventual winner Gail Kim.[47] Two months later atTurning Point, she lost a Women's Knockout Championship match to Kim viadisqualification after shoving the referee and Awesome Bombing him.[48] This incident led to aNo Disqualification match for the Women's Knockout Championship atFinal Resolution in January 2008, which Kong also lost.[6] On the next episode ofImpact!, airing 10 January, Kong debuted an anonymous manager wearing aniqāb, later namedRaisha Saeed; with her help Kong finally won the Women's Knockout Championship.[6] AtLockdown, Kong and Saeed teamed up for the first time, losing aTag Team Cage match to Kim and ODB.[49]
On the 8 May episode ofImpact! Kong began a regular $25,000 challenge to females in the audience who wanted to challenge her for the Women's Knockout Championship. The audience members, played byplanted wrestlers, failed to defeat her but one challenger,Taylor Wilde, kept returning and on 10 July she won both the $25,000 and Women's Knockout Championship on her third attempt.[6][50] Kong then failed to regain the championship from Wilde during a rematch atVictory Road.[51] On October 23, during a live episode ofImpact! Kong defeated Wilde to become a two-time Knockout Champion.[6] Two weeks later Wilde's tag team partnerRhaka Khan turned on her and aligned herself with Kong and Saeed.[52] The alliance of Kong, Saeed and Khan became known as The Kongtourage, with a fourth wrestler namedSojourner Bolt joining later.[53] Wilde then found a new partner inRoxxi, who helped her defeat Kong and Saeed in a tag team match atTurning Point.[54] Going into 2009, Bolt became the contender for Kong's championship and left the Kongtourage with Khan.[55][56] Kong retained her title against Bolt atDestination X in April.[57]
On the March 26 episode ofImpact!, Kong and Saeed were defeated by villainous tag teamThe Beautiful People (Angelina Love andVelvet Sky), and after the match The Beautiful People tried to cut Kong's hair as part of their makeovergimmick.[58] They continued to target Kong's hair and eventually accomplished the task on the April 16 episode ofImpact! which transitioned Kong into afan favorite by attempting to retaliate.[6] The tension built to a Three-Way Cage match atLockdown for the Women's Knockout Championship with Kong defending against Angelina Love and continual rival Wilde. In the match, Kong lost the championship after Velvet Sky, on the outside, tied Kong's hair to the cage preventing her from breaking up Love's pin on Wilde.[59] After losing the title, Kong defeated Love's allies Sky,Madison Rayne andCute Kip in separateStretcher matches ahead of their rematch.[6] Love, however, retained the title against Kong atSacrifice.[6]
In August 2009 Kong and Saeed entered the tournament to crown the inauguralTNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions. In the first round of the tournament, the team was able to defeatThe Main Event Mafia (Traci Brooks andSharmell) after Saeed blind tagged Kong and pinned Brooks, much to Kong's dismay.[60] Three weeks later they were eliminated from the tournament by their long term rival Taylor Wilde and her partnerSarita when Wilde pinned Saeed.[61] Subsequently, Kong began rivalries withTara and Knockout Champion ODB. AtBound for Glory, Kong had her last match for the Knockout Championship against Tara and ODB, but Saeed inadvertently cost Kong the match while interfering.[62] On the following episode ofImpact! Kong faced Saeed in a grudge match and powerbombed her through the entrance stage, signalling the end of both their partnership and the Saeed character.[63] After interfering in two of Tara's matches, Kong and Tara wrestled atTurning Point in aCage match, which Tara won.[64]
On the December 17 episode ofImpact! Kong formed a tag team withHamada as they won a three-way non-title match against The Beautiful People (Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky) and the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Taylor Wilde and Sarita, when Kong pinned Rayne.[65] On the firstImpact! episode of 2010, Kong and Hamada defeated Sarita and Wilde to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.[66]
In a non-storyline incidentBubba the Love Sponge claimed on his January 19 radio show that Stevens had attacked him while backstage for the tapings ofImpact! the previous day due to his negative comments concerning theHaiti earthquake relief project. Kong, who had been a driving force in the wrestling community in raising funds for Haiti, was reportedly sent home from the tapings following the altercation.[67] It was later reported that the same day as Bubba's radio show, Stevens asked for her release from TNA, but it was not granted.[68] After she refused to take part in TNA's January 2010 tour of the United Kingdom, the company suspended her.[69] The following month, Stevens filed a lawsuit against Bubba for an alleged threatening phone call.[70] She was reportedly released from TNA on March 1.[71] On the March 8 episode ofImpact! it was announced that Kong and Hamada were stripped of the Knockouts Tag Team title after allegedly failing to defend them in 30 days,[72] even though their previous defense had taken place just 21 days prior, against Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky.[73] On March 22, TNA confirmed Stevens' release, while also claiming that she had requested her release for personal reasons, but she later said it was due to monetary issues and recent changes to TNA management.[74][75]
In March 2013, Stevens turned down an offer to take part in a special all Knockouts pay-per-view held by TNA.[76]
On December 29, 2010, it was reported that Stevens had signed a contract with WWE.[77][78] From April 11, 2011, onwards, vignettes aired during WWE television with Stevens, whose face was concealed by shadows and her signature braids, dismembering female dolls while cackling maniacally.[79] During the April 25 episode ofRaw, Stevens' face was shown for the first time in the vignettes, and her new ring name was revealed asKharma.[2] Kharma made her debut on May 1 atExtreme Rules, attackingMichelle McCool after a match,[80] and she continued to attack formerWWE Divas Champions on bothRaw andSmackDown in the following weeks.[81][82] On the May 23 episode ofRaw, Kharma interrupted a tag team match but rather than attack everyone, she uncharacteristically broke down crying.[83]
The following week, Kharma spoke for the first time to reveal she was pregnant and thus forced to take a leave of absence from WWE.[84] During her absence, she was included as adownloadable playable character in theWWE '12 video game.[85]
Kharma made a surprise return in the2012 Royal Rumble match as the twenty-first entrant. She intimidatedMichael Cole into eliminating himself before eliminatingHunico only to be thrown out byDolph Ziggler. With her entrance, she became the third female, afterChyna andBeth Phoenix, to participate in a men's Royal Rumble match. This also marked her first and only official WWE match.[8] In July 2012, Stevens confirmed that she had been released by WWE.[86] On August 19, she was added to the list of the playable characters on the main roster in theWWE '13 video game.[87] In September 2013, Stevens revealed that she had been released because she was not ready to return in the time allotted to her. She also confirmed her interest in returning to the company, stating she was ready.[88]
In early November, it was reported that Stevens (again under the "Amazing Kong" gimmick) would be appearing at aShine event on November 16, 2012, as the mystery partner ofJazz in a tag team match againstMercedes Martinez andRain. At the event, Kong and Jazz defeated Martinez and Rain after Kong pinned Rain.[89] On January 18, 2013, Kong defeated D'Arcy Dixon, Nikki St. John and Thunderkitty in a four-way match to win thevacantResistance Pro Wrestling Women's Championship.[90] On March 8, Kong returned toChikara, losing toEddie Kingston in an intergender main event.[91][92] Stevens has also wrestled for PWS Bombshells (as Amazing Kong) in early to mid-2013, defeating Amy Lee in consecutive matches.[93]
On April 6, 2013, Kong returned to Shimmer at theVolume 53 internet pay-per-view, defeatingMia Yim in the opening match.[94] The Amazing Kong returned toShine event on July 12, 2013, in a losing effort toIvelisse in a four way to qualify forShine Championship tournament among the participants were Angelina Love and Kimberly. Then atShine 12 on August 23, 2013, she defeatedMercedes Martinez in a singles match. On September 27, 2013, Kong andJessicka Havok were in a losing effort againstAllysin Kay andIvelisse. On October 25, 2013, she defeatedMadison Eagles in a singles match and later in the night she was announced the next challenger for theShine Championship.[citation needed] On December 13, 2013, she was defeated byRain for the Shine Championship by count-out. On January 24, 2014, she defeatedTaylor Made and onShine 18 Kong defeated Nikki Storm andShine 19 she defeatedAthena.[citation needed] On August 22, 2014, Kong was part of a #1 contender four corner survival match to challengeIvelisse for the Shine Championship the other participants in the match were Leah Von Dutch, Su Yung, andNevaeh. Nevaeh would emerge victorious in the #1 contender match but was unsuccessful on capturing the Shine Championship. On September 21, 2014, Stevens was part of Smash CANUSA Classic where she was captain of Team USA, Stevens would lose in her tournament match againstLuFisto who was team captain of team Canada which lead Team Canada victorious.[citation needed]
On August 26, 2015, Kong returned to Japan to work the first ever event of Nanae Takahashi's newSeadlinnng promotion, which saw her andMeiko Satomura lose to Takahashi and Ayako Hamada in a main event tag team match. At the end of the show, Kong reformed the W Kong tag team with Aja Kong.[95] Stevens was supposed to return to take part in Seadlinnng's November 25 event, but on November 22 Takahashi announced that she had pulled out of the match due to "poor health" and claimed she had decided to retire from professional wrestling.[96] Stevens later stated that she had wrestled her final match in Japan and retired the Amazing Kong name, but was for the time being still working as Awesome Kong.[97]
Despite her previous announcement that she had wrestled her final match in Japan, Stevens, again working under the name Amazing Kong, returned to the country on July 18, 2016, to work Aja Kong's 30th anniversary event, promoted byOz Academy. In the main event of the show, Kong teamed with Aja Kong and Ayako Hamada to defeatChihiro Hashimoto,Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita.[98]
On January 7, 2015, duringImpact Wrestling's debut onDestination America, Awesome Kong returned after abattle royal, had an altercation in the ring withHavok and attacked referee Brian Stiffler.[99] Over the following weeks, tension would build between Kong and Havok, with their feud culminating in asteel cage match on theLockdown edition ofImpact Wrestling on February 6, which Kong won.[100] On the March 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kong failed to capture theTNA Knockouts Championship in her match againstTaryn Terrell after she got herself disqualified.[101] She received ano disqualification rematch against Terrell on theTKO: Night of Knockouts edition ofImpact Wrestling on April 24, which she lost after The Dollhouse (Marti Bell andJade) attacked Kong.[102] On the May 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kong turnedface and allied herself withGail Kim to feud with The Dollhouse. The following week, Kong and Kim were defeated by The Dollhouse in a 3–on–2 handicap match.[103] On the June 17 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kong teamed up withBrooke to defeat The Dollhouse in a "Double or Nothing" tag team match, meaning that Kong and Brooke would face Taryn Terrell for the TNA Knockouts Championship in a three-way match.[104] AtSlammiversary XIII, Kong once again teamed with Brooke to defeat The Dollhouse in a 3-on-2 handicap match.[105] Kong and Brooke received their three-way championship match on the July 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, in which Terrell retained the title.[106]
In mid–August, Kong, representing TNA, started a brief feud withLei'D Tapa, who representedJeff Jarrett'sGlobal Force Wrestling. The two faced off on August 12 in a match, that ended in a double count-out.[107] On the September 16 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kong competed in a fatal–four-way match against Brooke, Gail Kim and Tapa for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship, which Kim would win.[108] AtBound for Glory, Kong received a match against Kim for but was unsuccessful in regaining the championship. During October and November (taped in July), she participated in theTNA World Title Series, where she ended first of her block, tied with Gail Kim, advancing to the finals where she lost toJessie Godderz.[citation needed]
On January 5, 2016, duringImpact Wrestling's debut onPop, Kong allied with The Dollhouse (Jade,Marti Bell andRebel) and became their new leader after she attackedThe Beautiful People (Madison Rayne andVelvet Sky) andGail Kim, once again turningheel in the process.[109] On February 5, TNA announced that Stevens had been released from her contract following a backstage real-life physical altercation withRebecca (Reby) Hardy just a week before TNA's tour in theUnited Kingdom.[110][111]
Kong returned for one night only atBound for Glory along withTaryn Terrell,Christy Hemme andDixie Carter to inductGail Kim into theTNA Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
On May 25, 2019, Awesome Kong debuted inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a surprise entrant in the women's triple threat match atAEW Double or Nothing, making it aFatal 4-way match, which she failed to win. On July 13, 2019, she accompaniedBrandi Rhodes to the ring atAEW Fight for the Fallen, being face to face withAja Kong after Rhodes won her match.[112] She began appearing in vignettes showing her alliance with Brandi. During theFull Gear pre-show, afterBritt Baker defeatedBea Priestley, Kong and Rhodes made their way to the ring, assaulting Priestley and cutting a lock of her hair with akarambit. Kong then tied it to her gear where other locks of hair were already seen. In the following months, Stevens and Brandi Rhodes formed a stable known as The Nightmare Collective. The group was later joined byMel andDr. Luther. Being poorly received by the fans, the angle was dropped in February 2020 after Stevens went on hiatus to filmGLOW.[113][114][115] After not appearing on AEW since February 2020, AEW decided not to renew her contract on June 1, 2021.[116]
On August 28, 2021, she announced her retirement from in-ring competition atNWA EmPowerrr, thus concluding her nearly 20-year career.[117] On October 9 atKnockouts Knockdown, it was announced that Kong will be inducted into theImpact Hall of Fame atBound for Glory.[118][119] At Bound for Glory on October 23,Gail Kim inducted Kong into the Impact Hall of Fame.[120][121]
Seven years after her last match inImpact Wrestling, Kong made her in ring return to Impact Wrestling during the celebrations of Impact 1000. Taking part in a 10 Knockout Tag Team match where she sealed the victory for her team after pinningGisele Shaw.
Stevens is a playable character as Kharma inWWE '12 DLC andWWE '13.[citation needed]
Stevens playsTammé "The Welfare Queen" Dawson in the Netflix original comedy seriesGLOW from producerJenji Kohan (creator ofOrange Is the New Black), which was inspired by the 1980s female professional wrestling leagueGorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.[citation needed] She also appeared in the third episode of the first season of 2020 Netflix sketch comedy seriesAunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun.
Stevens also made an appearance inKaty Perry's "Swish Swish" music video.[122]
Stevens grew up inCarson, California. Her mother, Phyllis Durant, was an actress and contestant coordinator forFamily Feud.[123] She has a younger brother.[7] Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, she was asocial worker[13] and owned a business which put vending machines in high schools.[7] Stevens' family and friends helped her fund her career in wrestling when she went to train in Japan.[7] She has also soldNu Skin Enterprises, aMulti-level marketing company for skin and nutritional products.[7]
On May 30, 2011, Stevens revealed that she was pregnant with her first child.[124] On December 31, 2011, she suffered a miscarriage.[125] After competing in the2012 Royal Rumble, false reports claimed that she had given birth to a baby boy named Jamie.[126][127] Stevens revealed the truth about her miscarriage in March.[125]
On August 6, 2012, weeks after she confirmed her WWE release, Stevens stated that she was on a mission to lose weight. She recruited a team of fitness experts and a therapist so she could get back into wrestling shape. She also showed interest into turning the experience into a reality show. Photos from August 2012 revealed a much slimmer Stevens.[128]
| 1 match | 1 win | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| No contests | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Rika Shimizu | TKO (punches) | G-Shooto: Wrestle Expo 2006 | August 19, 2006 | 2 | 1:05 | Tokyo,Japan | [138] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Discovery Health Body Challenge | Herself | Contestant |
| WWF Tough Enough 2 | Reject contestant | ||
| 2007 | TNA Today | Awesome Kong | Guest star, 1 episode |
| 2017–19 | GLOW | Tammé Dawson | Recurring role (Season 1) Main role (Season 2–3) |
| 2017 | Movie Trivia Schmoedown | Herself | Guest star, 1 episode |
| 2020 | Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun | Guest star, 1 episode ("'Lympics") | |
| 2023 | Biography: WWE Legends | Contributor, 1 episode ("Chyna") |
Music video
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Swish Swish | Katy Perry featuringNicki Minaj | A part of theGLOW cast |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | WWE'12 | Kharma | DLC, video game debut |
| 2012 | WWE'13 |
,Cagematch,Internet Wrestling Database
