Kim began her career wrestling on the Canadian-Americanindependent circuit, before joining WWE in 2002. She became the firstWWE Diva in history to win a championship in her debut match. After being released by WWE in 2004, Kim joined TNA in September 2005. There, she joined thetag teamAmerica's Most Wanted as theirvalet. After the dissolution of the group, Kim performed as a singles wrestler, eventually becoming the inauguralTNA Knockouts Champion in October 2007. During her time in TNA, she had an acclaimed feud withAwesome Kong, which is generally considered one of the greatest women's wrestling feuds of the 2000s.
She later left TNA in August 2008, to return to WWE three months later, where she remained until 2011. The following October she returned to TNA, where she was until 2025. In 2012,Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Kim the number one female wrestler in the world and in 2016 she was the first female to be inducted into theTNA Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Kim was introduced toWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) employeeNora Greenwald (known on-screen as Molly Holly) by Jason Sensation in 2001; Greenwald encouraged Kim to send her videos and tapes to WWF officials.[7] In October 2002, she was hired by the WWF, now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[8] She spent eight months training in their then-developmental territoryOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and wrestledhouse shows anddark matches before being called up to their main roster.[6] After several weeks ofvignettes showcasingMatrix-like effects aired onRaw, Kim debuted on June 30 as afan favorite, with aMatrix-inspired outfit.[6]
Her first televised WWE match was a seven-womanbattle royal on the June 30, 2003, episode ofRaw with theWWE Women's Championship, then held by an injuredJazz, on the line.[6] Kim won the match by lastly eliminatingVictoria.[6] Kim held the title for four weeks, successfully defending it once againstMolly Holly, before losing it to Holly on the July 28 episode ofRaw.[9] The following week, Kim turnedheel onTrish Stratus, which stemmed from a previousRaw episode where Stratus cost Kim and herself a tag match against Victoria and Holly; Kim subsequently formed an alliance with Holly to take on Stratus, defeating her and various partners on several occasions, until Stratus was later assisted byLita.[2] At WWE'sUnforgivenpay-per-view event on September 21, Stratus and Lita defeated Kim and Holly in a tag team match.[10] The four women continued to feud until November, when Kim was sidelined with a brokenright collarbone.[7][8]
Kim returned toRaw in April 2004 and immediately reforged her alliance with Holly.[8] In May 2004, Kim submitted then-Women's Champion Victoria twice, in singles match and a six-woman tag match, earning herself a title shot atBad Blood.[11][12] However, Lita pinned Kim on the June 7 episode ofRaw, and Lita and Trish Stratus were added to the championship match. At Bad Blood on June 13, she faced Lita, Stratus, and Victoria in aFatal Four-Way match for the WWE Women's Championship, which was won by Stratus.[13]
Kim participated in a battle royal on October 19 atTaboo Tuesday, which was won by Stratus.[8] Kim, however, was released by WWE on November 3, 2004, as a result of cost cutting.[8][14] Kim was caught off guard by her release and was told that management wanted to take the women's division in a new direction.[7]
After her release from WWE, Kim made an appearance for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on January 22, 2005, inSouth Korea, teaming with Lollipop in a tag team match, where they defeatedMalia Hosaka andNidia.[2] On June 26, Kim made her debut for World Series Wrestling (WSW) inMelbourne,Australia, losing to Nidia in a singles match.[2] Two days later at another WSW event inSydney, Kim defeated Nidia in a rematch.[2] The following night, Kim teamed up withA.J. Styles to defeat Nidia andChristopher Daniels in a mixed tag team match.[2]
Following her release from WWE and the expiration of her 90-day no-compete clause,[7] Kim made sporadic appearances on the independent circuit, including at Michigan's All World Wrestling League and in Japan.[15] She also competed in Korea and Mexico before being signed byTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on September 6, 2005.[8][16] She made her TNA debut on the October 8, 2005, episode ofTNA Impact!, aligning herself withJeff Jarrett andAmerica's Most Wanted (AMW) (Chris Harris andJames Storm) and taking on the role of AMW's and Jarrett'smanager, and regularly got physically involved in the wrestlers' matches.[17] Kim made her in-ring debut on July 16, 2006, at TNA'sVictory Road pay-per-view in aSix Man Mixed Tag Team match with AMW againstA.J. Styles,Christopher Daniels, andSirelda. However, her team ended up on the losing end of the contest.[18] AtHard Justice on August 13, Kim defeated Sirelda in a singles match.[19]
In early 2007, after the dissolution of AMW, Kim continued to manage Storm untilFinal Resolution where he turn on her and replace her with a returningJacqueline, turning Kimface. The first encounter between the group was on February 11 atAgainst All Odds in a mixed tag team match, which Kim and her partner,Petey Williams, lost.[20] On March 11 atDestination X, Storm and Jacqueline won a rematch against Kim and Williams in aDouble Bullrope match.[21] Kim went on to defeat Jacqueline in aSix Sides of Steel cage match on April 15 atLockdown.[22] Their feud came to an end on the May 3 episode ofTNA Impact!, when Kim defeated Jacqueline understreet fight rules.[23]
After the conclusion to her feud withJacqueline, Kim made two minor pay-per-view appearances in a short feud againstRobert Roode, before outlasting nine other competitors in aten-woman gauntlet match to become the inauguralTNA Women's Knockout Champion on October 14, 2007, atBound for Glory.[24][25][26] She made her first title defense on November 11 atGenesis, where she retained the renamed TNA Women's Knockout Championship by defeatingRoxxi Laveaux,ODB, andAngel Williams.[27] Kim then began a feud withAwesome Kong over the championship. Their first encounter occurred on December 2 atTurning Point, which resulted in Kim retaining the title due to adisqualification by Kong.[28] On January 6, 2008, atFinal Resolution, Kim defeated Kong in an acclaimed second encounter to retain the championship underno disqualification rules.[29] In their third and final encounter in the main event of the January 10 episode ofTNA Impact!, Kong defeated Kim to win the TNA Women's Knockout Championship, however also suffering a concussion at the hands of Kong after being powerbombed in the ring three times.[30]
During the January 24 episode ofTNA Impact!, Kim was awarded the 2007TNA Knockout of the Year award.[31] Kim competed in athree-way match on March 9 atDestination X against Kong and ODB, which Kong won.[32] On April 13 atLockdown, she teamed with ODB to defeat the team ofRaisha Saeed and Kong in a tag team match.[33] On May 11 atSacrifice, Kim won a TNA KnockoutsMakeover Battle Royal, which involved a battle royal and then aladder match with the two remaining competitors, to become new one contender TNA Women's Knockout Championship.[34] Kim competed for the championship on the May 15 episode ofTNA Impact!, however failed to win the title.[35] AtSlammiversary on June 8, Kim teamed with ODB andRoxxi to defeatThe Beautiful People (Angelina Love andVelvet Sky) andMoose in asix woman tag team match.[36] Kim then went on to defeat Love on July 13 atVictory Road.[37] Kim then teamed with ODB andTaylor Wilde to defeat the team of Kong and The Beautiful People on August 10 atHard Justice, in her last TNA pay-per-view match.[38] Kim's final match with TNA aired on the August 21 episode ofTNA Impact! in a losing effort to Kong under street fight rules.[39] Kim left TNA in mid-August 2008 after her contract expired.[40]
On the June 29 episode ofRaw, Kim was traded to theRaw brand as part of a 15 wrestler tri-branded trade between Raw,SmackDown, andECW.[47] A few weeks later on the August 10 episode ofRaw, she became number one contender for the Divas title by winning a Fatal 4-Way match againstBeth Phoenix,Kelly Kelly, andAlicia Fox.[48] She, however, was unsuccessful in winning the championship on the August 17 episode ofRaw, when she faced then-championMickie James.[49] AtBragging Rights on October 25, Kim, withMelina and Kelly Kelly, represented Raw in a losing effort to Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, andNatalya, representing SmackDown.[50]
In early 2010, a tournament was held for the newly vacated Divas Championship,[51] and Kim defeatedJillian Hall and Alicia Fox en route to the finals.[52][53] The finals were originally to be held on February 21 atElimination Chamber,[54] but the match was changed to the team of Maryse and Kim versusTeam LayCool (Michelle McCool andLayla), which was won by LayCool as a result of Maryse abandoning Kim during the match.[55] A day prior on the February 22 episode of Monday Night Raw! Gail faced Maryse in the finals for the WWE Divas Title but was unsuccessful.[56][57][58] Kim was a part of a 10-Diva tag team match, where she, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Mickie James and Beth Phoenix were against Team LayCool, Alicia Fox,Vickie Guerrero, and Maryse, atWrestleMania XXVI on March 28 but where unsuccessful.[59] AtFatal 4-Way on June 20, Kim challenged for the WWE Divas Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match that also involved then-championEve, Maryse, and Alicia Fox, but was unsuccessful as Fox won the match to become champion.[60]
In early 2011, Kim participated in fewer matches on television, as she became the on-screen girlfriend ofDaniel Bryan. She also began accompanying him to the ring during his matches.[61] At that time, Bryan was managed byThe Bella Twins (Nikki andBrie), and after they discovered Bryan kissing Kim backstage, they started a feud with her.[62] The night after theRoyal Rumble, Kim accompanied Bryan to ringside for his match againstTyson Kidd. After the match, the Bellas ended their association with Bryan.[63]
For the first half of 2011, Kim feuded with Melina, due to Melina's claims that Kim was a "horrible friend". The matches between the two mainly took place onSuperstars, and saw Kim emerging victorious in two singles matches on May 30 and June 23.[2] On the August 1 episode ofRaw, Kim participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship, however, shortly after the match began, she eliminated herself. Kim later explained that WWE had instructed her to get eliminated from the match within the first minute, so she decided to just eliminate herself.[64] She subsequently quit WWE.[65] Kim later said that WWE did not grant her release, but would instead force her to stay with the promotion for the remainder of her contract.[66] Kim's WWE.com profile was removed on September 30, indicating that she had officially left the company, and that her contract expired.[67]
Kim returned toTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the October 20 episode ofImpact Wrestling, attackingTNA Knockouts ChampionVelvet Sky and aligning herself withMadison Rayne andKaren Jarrett, thus establishing herself as aheel.[68][69] On the October 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Jarrett named Kim the #1 Contender to Sky's title, before she went on to defeatTara in her first match back with the promotion.[70] On the November 3 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim and Rayne defeated TnT (Tara andBrooke Tessmacher) to win theTNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.[71] The following week they made their first title defense, defeating Velvet Sky andMickie James.[72] On November 13 atTurning Point, Kim defeated Sky to win the TNA Knockouts Championship for the second time, making her a double champion and only the second woman in TNA history, after her partner Madison Rayne, to hold both the Knockouts and the Knockouts Tag Team titles simultaneously.[73] She made her first title defense on December 11 atFinal Resolution, defeating Mickie James following interference from Madison Rayne.[74] On the December 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim retained her title against James following another interference from Rayne.[75]
On the January 5, 2012, episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim and Rayne retained their tag team titles against James andTraci Brooks.[76] Three days later atGenesis, Kim defeated James by disqualification to retain the Knockouts Championship.[77] On February 12 atAgainst All Odds, Kim successfully defended the Knockouts Championship against Tara, during which Madison Rayne walked out on her Knockouts Tag Team Championship partner.[78] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Rayne won a battle royal to become the number one contender to Kim's Knockouts Championship.[79] In the following weeks, tension between Kim and Rayne began to be teased with the two negatively interfering in each other's matches.[80][81] On the March 8 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim and Rayne lost the Knockouts Tag Team Championship toEric Young andODB.[82] On March 18 atVictory Road, Kim successfully defended the Knockouts Championship against Rayne.[83] On the March 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim and Rayne reconciled and remained together as a team.[84] On April 15 atLockdown, Kim defeated Velvet Sky in asteel cage match, following a distraction from Rayne, to retain her title.[85] Afterwards, Kim went on a losing streak against Brooke Tessmacher, which led to TNA naming Tessmacher the number one contender to her title.[86][87][88] On May 13 atSacrifice, Kim defeated Tessmacher, pinning her with her feet on the ropes, for another successful title defense.[89] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim successfully defended her title against Tessmacher and Velvet Sky in a three-way match.[90] On May 20, Kim became the longest reigning TNA Knockouts Champion in history by breaking Madison Rayne's previous record of 188 days. On June 10 atSlammiversary, Kim lost the title to Miss Tessmacher, ending her reign at 210 days.[91] Kim received her rematch for the title on the July 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, but was again defeated by Tessmacher.[92]
On January 13, 2013, at theGenesis pay-per-view, Kim competed in a five-womangauntlet match to determine the number one contender to theTNA Knockouts Championship. Kim eliminatedMiss Tessmacher,ODB andMickie James but was eventually eliminated byVelvet Sky after refereeTaryn Terrell failed to notice Kim's foot under the ropes.[93] Kim was defeated on the February 21 episode ofImpact Wrestling, in afatal four-way elimination match for the Knockouts Championship against championTara, Miss Tessmacher, and Velvet Sky after physical involvement from referee Taryn Terrell.[94]
On March 10 atLockdown, Kim unsuccessfully challenged Sky for her Knockouts Championship, after interference by referee Taryn Terrell. Kim then attacked Terrell backstage during an interview.[95] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Terrell was placed on probation due to her actions. Later that night, Kim and Tara were defeated by Mickie James and Velvet Sky in a match officiated by Terrell, after Terrell violated her probation by slapping Kim.[96] On the March 21 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Terrell was terminated as Knockouts referee byBrooke Hogan, who then immediately signed Terrell to the Knockouts roster.[97] On the April 4 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim and Tara defeated Terrell and Sky, with Kim pinning Terrell for the win.[98] The rivalry between Kim and Terrell culminated in aLast Knockout Standing match on June 2 atSlammiversary XI, which Terrell won.[99]
On the July 11 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim defeated Terrell in aladder match to become the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship.[100] Kim received her title opportunity on the July 25 episode ofImpact Wrestling, against champion Mickie James; Kim lost the match and afterwards, confronted referee ODB after she failed to see a dirty pin, beginning a feud between the two.[101] On August 15 atImpact Wrestling: Hardcore Justice, ODB pinned Kim in a three-way hardcore match, which also included James.[102] Kim and ODB faced off once again in a number one contendertwo out of three falls match on the August 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling, which ODB won after making Kim submit for the first time ever in her career, to score the last fall.[103] On October 20 atBound for Glory, Kim defeated ODB andBrooke in a three-way match, following interference from her new allyLei'D Tapa, to win her third TNA Knockouts Championship.[104]
Kim made her first televised defense on the October 31 episode ofImpact Wrestling, defeating ODB in a rematch.[105] When Kim and Tapa attacked ODB on the December 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim's former tag team partnerMadison Rayne returned to help ODB.[106]
Rayne received her championship match on January 16 atImpact Wrestling: Genesis, which she won, ending Kim's reign at 88 days.[107] The rivalry between Kim and Rayne continued as the two competed in astreet fight on the February 20 episode ofImpact Wrestling, which Kim won after a distraction by Tapa.[108] AtLockdown, Kim was unsuccessful in regaining the Knockouts Championship in asteel cage match.[109] On the March 13 episode ofImpact Wrestling, tension between Kim and Tapa began to show when Kim lost to the debutingBrittany after Tapa accidentally attacked Kim. After the match, a brawl between Kim and Tapa ensued, disbanding their alliance.[110]
Kim saved Rayne from an attack fromThe Beautiful People (Angelina Love andVelvet Sky) on the April 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling turningface, but later lost a tag team match against The Beautiful People with Rayne as her partner.[111][112] Kim and Love continued their feud, attacking each other on different occasions.[113][114][115] On the June 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim defeatedBrittany and Madison Rayne to become the number one contender to Love's championship.[116] Kim faced Love for the championship on June 15 atSlammiversary, but she was unsuccessful in winning the title.[117]
Kim received a rematch against Love for the Knockouts Championship on the July 3 episode ofImpact Wrestling, where Kim won the championship for a fourth time.[118][119] In her first title defense, Kim successfully retained her championship against Love, Madison Rayne and Brittany in a four-way match on the July 10 episode ofImpact Wrestling.[120] On the July 31 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim successfully defended her championship against Taryn Terrell after the match went to a no-contest due to interference from The Beautiful People.[121] Following a backstage attack by Love, on a specialHardcore Justice edition ofImpact Wrestling, Kim ended her feud with The Beautiful People when she defeated Love in aLast Knockout Standing match with her Knockouts Championship on the line.[122][123]
Kim successfully defended her title against Taryn Terrell on the September 3 episode ofImpact Wrestling. After the match, Kim and Terrell were both attacked by the debutingHavok.[124] In September, Kim suffered aseparated shoulder and torn ligaments during a pre-match brawl with Havok. Going against doctor's advice, Kim defended her title later that night and lost her championship to Havok.[125] Kim returned toImpact Wrestling in November, demanding her rematch for the Knockouts title against Havok, which Kim ultimately lost.[126]
On the January 30, 2015, episode ofImpact Wrestling, in a three-way match for the Knockouts Championship, Kim and Madison Rayne lost to the defending champion, Taryn Terrell.[127] On the May 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim started an alliance withAwesome Kong to feud with Terrell,Jade andMarti Bell, collectively known as The Dollhouse. The following week, Kim and Kong were defeated by The Dollhouse in a three–on–two handicap match.[128] Kim sustained an arm injury on the May 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling, after unsuccessfully challenging Terrell for the Knockouts Championship in asteel cage match and being attacked by The Dollhouse afterwards.[129]
After some hiatus, Kim returned on the July 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, portraying a superhero-like character and attacking Jade, which allowedBrooke to win the Knockouts Championship.[130] On the September 16 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim won her fifth Knockouts Championship by winning a four-way match also involving Brooke,Lei'D Tapa andAwesome Kong.[131] Kim successfully retained the championship against Kong atBound for Glory on October 4.[132] During October and November (taped in July), she participated in theTNA World Title Series, where she ended first of her block, tied with Awesome Kong, advancing to the finals. on the December 2 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim lost to the then currentTNA X Division ChampionshipTigre Uno and was eliminated from the TNA World Title Series. On January 19, 2016, Kim defended her title against Kong. She then lost her title to Jade in a three-way match also involving Madison Rayne afterMaria hit Kim with her title belt on the April 5.
On the May 10 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim faced Jade for the Knockouts championship, which she lost by DQ afterSienna attacked them. On the May 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kim defeated Sienna to keep her job, only to be attacked by Sienna and Maria. A week after, withEC3 as a manager for the night, Kim received a match against Maria atSlammiversary. At Slammiversary, her match with an injured Maria turned into a Triple Threat match for theImpact Knockouts Championship between her, Jade and Sienna (who eventually won the match).
Kim as the Knockouts Champion atBound for Glory in November 2017
On June 14, 2016, Kim was the first female inducted into theTNA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Shortly after, on October 2 atBound for Glory she defeatedMaria Kanellis for theImpact Women's Knockout Championship, winning the title for the record-tying sixth time which she had to vacate a week later after sustaining a back injury that forced her to take a few months off in-ring competition, during which Kim made a few appearances in November and December as she showed her support forJade whofeuded withRosemary for the vacant championship.[133][134][135]
On the July 6, 2017, episode of the recently rebrandedGFW Impact!, Kim returned to state her (legit) intention to retire at the end of 2017. A month later, on August 17, atDestination X, Kim facedSienna for theUnified GFW Knockouts Championship which she was unsuccessful to win due to interference by the return of her old rivalTaryn Terrell.[136][137] On November 5 atBound for Glory (in what was supposed to be afatal–four-way match between Kim, Sienna,Allie and Terrell but reverted to a three–way after Terrell's release from the company[138]) Kim competed in her final match where she won the Impact Knockouts Championship for a record-breaking seventh time.[139] The next night, she retired from professional wrestling and vacated the title in the process.
Kim wrestled what was supposed to be the final match of her career on February 3, 2018, for Southside Wrestling inStevenage, United Kingdom, where she defeated Kasey Owens in themain event of the show.[140] After this retirement, Kim returned toImpact Wrestling as a producer and agent (talent development roles in which a seasoned, active or retired performer is a behind-the-scenes coach to active wrestlers on how to improve, and how to handle the day-to-day demands of being a wrestler).[141]
In late–November, Kim was inserted in thefeud betweenTaya Valkyrie andTessa Blanchard, after the latter had retained her title by attacking the referee.[142][143] In December, in order to prevent any shenanigans from their upcoming match, Kim was introduced as theguest referee for the next encounter between the twoKnockouts, that was set for January 6, 2019, atImpact Wrestling Homecoming.[144] At the event, after she attacked Kim multiple times, Blanchard lost theImpact Wrestling Knockouts Championship to Valkyrie after Kim used herfinishing move"Eat Defeat" on Tessa Blanchard.[145] Throughout the next few months, the feud between Kim and Blanchard progressed even further as both attacked each other inside and outside the ring (including at the restaurant of Kim's husband).[146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154] This led to a match between the two, atImpact Wrestling Rebellion on April 28,[155][156][157] in which Blanchard defeated Kim in what was officially Kim's last match. After the match the two women embraced and in a backstage interview Kim confirmed that she is still going to work as a producer for the company.[158] By February 2024, her backstage roles expanded to include working as a member of the creative team.[159] On March 25, 2025, she was fired from TNA, ending her 14-year tenure with the company.[160]
Kim has been praised as one of the greatest female wrestlers ever.[161][162] Former Knockouts ChampionODB named Kim "the greatest Knockout ever".[163] Wrestling journalistDave Meltzer commented that Kim "was so ahead of her time."[164]Although references of Kim were ultimately dropped by WWE following her second departure, in 2021, WWE Network included her in a list of Top 50 female performers in the history of the company.[165]
Kim married celebrity chefRobert Irvine on May 11, 2012.[166][167] The couple met on the set ofDinner: Impossible.[168] On October 10, 2017, Kim became an American citizen, and now holds dual Canadian/US citizenship.[169]
Kim posedtopless for a cell phone ad campaign in South Korea.[170] In 2007, Kim was listed onForbes' top 40 list of "America's Most Eligible Bachelorettes".[171] In 2009, Kim was a part of the cast of the independent psychological thriller entitledRoyal Kill.[1] On October 13, 2011, Gail Kim, along withThe Miz,John Morrison,Kofi Kingston,Heath Slater andEve Torres appeared on a special WWE edition ofFamilyBrainSurge.[172] On August 18, 2012, Kim's and Robert Irvine's wedding ceremony was documented on an episode of Irvine'sRestaurant: Impossible program.[173]Gail also appeared with her husband, Robert, on an episode of Guy's Family Road Trip.
In March 2020, Kim, along withLita andChristy Hemme, launched "KAYfABE", a new wrestling show inspired by true events which blends scripted drama with pro wrestling.
^Tedesco, Mike (January 8, 2010)."Superstars results – 1/7/10". WrestleView.com.Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2010.
^Golden, Hunter (January 26, 2010)."Raw results – 1/25/10". WrestleView.com.Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2010.
^Nemer, Paul (February 22, 2010)."Raw results – 2/22/10".Www.wrestleview.com. WrestleView.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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