Gail Kim
Gail Kim-Irvine is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockouts Champion and she also was a one-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Madison Rayne. In WWE, she won the WWE Women's Championship in her first match.
Kim began her career wrestling on the Canadian-American independent circuit, before joining WWE in 2002. She became the first WWE 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 the tag team America's Most Wanted as their valet. After the dissolution of the group, Kim performed as a singles wrestler, eventually becoming the inaugural TNA Knockouts Champion in October 2007. During her time in TNA, she had an acclaimed feud with Awesome 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 the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Early life
Kim was born on February 20, 1977 in Toronto, in Ontario, Canada to Korean immigrants. She attended York Memorial Collegiate Institute in York district. Kim then attended the University of Toronto majoring in kinesiology, before transferring to Ryerson University in the Garden District and changing her major to nutrition.Professional wrestling career
Early career (2000–2002)
After obtaining her degree from Ryerson University, Kim decided to become a professional wrestler and joined Ron Hutchison's School of Pro Wrestling in Toronto. She received supplementary training from Rob Etchevarria at the Squared Circle Pro Wrestling Gym. She debuted in December 2000, wearing a mask and wrestling as "The Queen of the Cats" La Felina in the Southern Ontario-based Apocalypse Wrestling Federation. She, however, was eventually unmasked by Tracy Brooks in a "Mask versus Hair" match. Kim worked on the Canadian independent circuit for two years, wrestling for promotions such as Border City Wrestling.World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2004)
Kim was introduced to World Wrestling Federation employee Nora Greenwald by Jason Sensation in 2001; Greenwald encouraged Kim to send her videos and tapes to WWF officials. In October 2002, she was hired by the WWF, now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment. She spent eight months training in their then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling and wrestled house shows and dark matches before being called up to their main roster. After several weeks of vignettes showcasing Matrix-like effects aired on Raw, Kim debuted on June 30 as a fan favorite, with a Matrix-inspired outfit.Her first televised WWE match was a seven-woman battle royal on the June 30, 2003, episode of Raw with the WWE Women's Championship, then held by an injured Jazz, on the line. Kim won the match by lastly eliminating Victoria. Kim held the title for four weeks, successfully defending it once against Molly Holly, before losing it to Holly on the July 28 episode of Raw. The following week, Kim turned heel on Trish Stratus, which stemmed from a previous Raw 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 by Lita. At WWE's Unforgiven pay-per-view event on September 21, Stratus and Lita defeated Kim and Holly in a tag team match. The four women continued to feud until November, when Kim was sidelined with a broken right collarbone.
Kim returned to Raw in April 2004 and immediately reforged her alliance with Holly. 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 at Bad Blood. However, Lita pinned Kim on the June 7 episode of Raw, and Lita and Trish Stratus were added to the championship match. At Bad Blood on June 13, she faced Lita, Stratus, and Victoria in a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Women's Championship, which was won by Stratus.
Kim participated in a battle royal on October 19 at Taboo Tuesday, which was won by Stratus. Kim, however, was released by WWE on November 3, 2004, as a result of cost cutting. Kim was caught off guard by her release and was told that management wanted to take the women's division in a new direction.
Independent Circuit (2005)
After her release from WWE, Kim made an appearance for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on January 22, 2005, in South Korea, teaming with Lollipop in a tag team match, where they defeated Malia Hosaka and Nidia. On June 26, Kim made her debut for World Series Wrestling in Melbourne, Australia, losing to Nidia in a singles match. Two days later at another WSW event in Sydney, Kim defeated Nidia in a rematch. The following night, Kim teamed up with A.J. Styles to defeat Nidia and Christopher Daniels in a mixed tag team match.Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
America's Most Wanted (2005–2007)
Following her release from WWE and the expiration of her 90-day no-compete clause, Kim made sporadic appearances on the independent circuit, including at Michigan's All World Wrestling League and in Japan. She also competed in Korea and Mexico before being signed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on September 6, 2005. She made her TNA debut on the October 8, 2005, episode of TNA Impact!, aligning herself with Jeff Jarrett and America's Most Wanted and taking on the role of AMW's and Jarrett's manager, and regularly got physically involved in the wrestlers' matches. Kim made her in-ring debut on July 16, 2006, at TNA's Victory Road pay-per-view in a Six Man Mixed Tag Team match with AMW against A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Sirelda. However, her team ended up on the losing end of the contest. At Hard Justice on August 13, Kim defeated Sirelda in a singles match.In early 2007, after the dissolution of AMW, Kim continued to manage Storm until Final Resolution where he turn on her and replace her with a returning Jacqueline, turning Kim face. The first encounter between the group was on February 11 at Against All Odds in a mixed tag team match, which Kim and her partner, Petey Williams, lost. On March 11 at Destination X, Storm and Jacqueline won a rematch against Kim and Williams in a Double Bullrope match. Kim went on to defeat Jacqueline in a Six Sides of Steel cage match on April 15 at Lockdown. Their feud came to an end on the May 3 episode of TNA Impact!, when Kim defeated Jacqueline under street fight rules.
Singles competition (2007–2008)
After the conclusion to her feud with Jacqueline, Kim made two minor pay-per-view appearances in a short feud against Robert Roode, before outlasting nine other competitors in a ten-woman gauntlet match to become the inaugural TNA Women's Knockout Champion on October 14, 2007, at Bound for Glory. She made her first title defense on November 11 at Genesis, where she retained the renamed TNA Women's Knockout Championship by defeating Roxxi Laveaux, ODB, and Angel Williams. Kim then began a feud with Awesome Kong over the championship. Their first encounter occurred on December 2 at Turning Point, which resulted in Kim retaining the title due to a disqualification by Kong. On January 6, 2008, at Final Resolution, Kim defeated Kong in an acclaimed second encounter to retain the championship under no disqualification rules. In their third and final encounter in the main event of the January 10 episode of TNA 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.During the January 24 episode of TNA Impact!, Kim was awarded the 2007 TNA Knockout of the Year award. Kim competed in a three-way match on March 9 at Destination X against Kong and ODB, which Kong won. On April 13 at Lockdown, she teamed with ODB to defeat the team of Raisha Saeed and Kong in a tag team match. On May 11 at Sacrifice, Kim won a TNA Knockouts Makeover Battle Royal, which involved a battle royal and then a ladder match with the two remaining competitors, to become new one contender TNA Women's Knockout Championship. Kim competed for the championship on the May 15 episode of TNA Impact!, however failed to win the title. At Slammiversary on June 8, Kim teamed with ODB and Roxxi to defeat The Beautiful People and Moose in a six woman tag team match. Kim then went on to defeat Love on July 13 at Victory Road. Kim then teamed with ODB and Taylor Wilde to defeat the team of Kong and The Beautiful People on August 10 at Hard Justice, in her last TNA pay-per-view match. Kim's final match with TNA aired on the August 21 episode of TNA Impact! in a losing effort to Kong under street fight rules. Kim left TNA in mid-August 2008 after her contract expired.
Return to WWE (2008–2011)
After leaving TNA, Kim re-signed with WWE in late 2008. She made her return as a fan favorite on the March 27, 2009, episode of SmackDown, interrupting a WWE Divas Championship match between the villainous Diva's Champion, Maryse and Michelle McCool by attacking both competitors. Kim made her in-ring return on the March 30 episode of Raw in an 18-Diva tag team match. She made her first WrestleMania appearance in the 25-Diva Miss WrestleMania battle royal on April 5, 2009, at WrestleMania XXV. On the April 17 episode of SmackDown, Kim defeated then-Divas Champion Maryse. This earned her a championship match the following week, which she failed to win.On the June 29 episode of Raw, Kim was traded to the Raw brand as part of a 15 wrestler tri-branded trade between Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. A few weeks later on the August 10 episode of Raw, she became number one contender for the Divas title by winning a Fatal 4-Way match against Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, and Alicia Fox. She, however, was unsuccessful in winning the championship on the August 17 episode of Raw, when she faced then-champion Mickie James. At Bragging Rights on October 25, Kim, with Melina and Kelly Kelly, represented Raw in a losing effort to Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya, representing SmackDown.
In early 2010, a tournament was held for the newly vacated Divas Championship, and Kim defeated Jillian Hall and Alicia Fox en route to the finals. The finals were originally to be held on February 21 at Elimination Chamber, but the match was changed to the team of Maryse and Kim versus Team LayCool, which was won by LayCool as a result of Maryse abandoning Kim during the match. 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. 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, at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28 but where unsuccessful. At Fatal 4-Way on June 20, Kim challenged for the WWE Divas Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match that also involved then-champion Eve, Maryse, and Alicia Fox, but was unsuccessful as Fox won the match to become champion.
In early 2011, Kim participated in fewer matches on television, as she became the on-screen girlfriend of Daniel Bryan. She also began accompanying him to the ring during his matches. At that time, Bryan was managed by The Bella Twins, and after they discovered Bryan kissing Kim backstage, they started a feud with her. The night after the Royal Rumble, Kim accompanied Bryan to ringside for his match against Tyson Kidd. After the match, the Bellas ended their association with Bryan.
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 on Superstars, and saw Kim emerging victorious in two singles matches on May 30 and June 23. On the August 1 episode of Raw, 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. She subsequently quit WWE. 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. Kim's WWE.com profile was removed on September 30, indicating that she had officially left the company, and that her contract expired.