Over the last several weeks I’ve been posting columns focusing on who should and should not be in the Main Event Mafia. Last week, I wrote about which Knockout I’d like to see join Sting’s new mafia. And as every good protagonist needs a counterbalance, this week I’d like to talk about utilizing at least one bad ass Knockout in the Aces and 8s group.
Awesome Kong
Without question, the woman who would make the biggest impact by joining Bully Ray’s Aces and 8s is Awesome Kong. Of course, this is a bit of a long shot, but how great would it be to have the most physically dominant woman wrestler since Bull Nakano and Chyna join the power group that is Aces and 8s? Kong ran roughshod over the Knockouts division when she was still with iMPACT Wrestling and I would love to see her make a grand return to the company in a villainous fashion. Hell, with Kong in their corner the Aces and 8s would be able to wrap up the TNA Knockouts Championship in no time at all. And in addition to all of the bad ass-ery (I made that word up) that Kong brings to the Aces and 8s, think of all the great matches she could bring to the Knockouts division overall – including rekindling her feud with Gail Kim!
Gail Kim
Of the current Knockout roster, Gail Kim is one of a small handful of women who can truly be considered ring generals. Kim, along with Tara and Mickie James, is one of the best women wrestlers of the last decade. She brings a whole new level of potential dominance to Bully Ray’s Aces and 8s. Kim is both a versatile and impressive performer and I think that her membership in Aces and 8s would allow her to expose a violent streak that we’ve yet to experience from her character… yet.
Madison Rayne
True, Madison Rayne recently did not have her contract renewed by iMPACT Wrestling. And true, she is getting ready to give birth to her first child. Yet, Rayne presents a unique option for the writers at TNA. She is a truly homegrown talent having spent several years in the independent scene before making her debut in iMPACT Wrestling where she rose to her greatest stardom. Plus, she has a built-in heat-producer that the writers can exploit with her contract not being renewed while she was pregnant. This storyline writes itself! But more than those easy shots, the best thing about Rayne potentially joining Aces and 8s is that she plays the role of “irritating, yet skillful” Knockout with ease. She is a natural born heel.
Winter
Alright – in the realm of “long shots” even I can admit that Winter rejoining iMPACT Wrestling to join the Aces and 8s is probably never going to happen. However, Winter is a really good in-ring talent and can play the role of a manipulative, power-hungry Knockout better than most people we’ve seen come through the promotion (she may only be bested in this area by Karen Jarrett). If Winter was given an opportunity to really put her skills on display and to be a true heel that focused on beating the rest of the women in the division instead of poisoning one of them to brainwash her, then I think she would really make a tremendous mark in the company. I’ve always been a fan of Winter and I’d love for her to be given a chance to be the bad ass woman that she can be in iMPACT Wrestling.
And there you have it, folks. Look, we all probably know that we’re going to get Brooke Hogan as a member of this group sooner rather than later. Of course, there is the interesting wrinkle about her recently getting engaged in real-life to Phil Costa of the Dallas Cowboys, but the writers can figure out how to solve that one. For our purposes on this fan site, I’d love to see one of the women noted above join the ranks of the Aces and 8s in their battle against Sting’s new Main Event Mafia. What about you? Did I miss someone in the list above? Which Knockout do you want to see join the Aces and 8s? Use the comment system below to let us know what you think!
– Joe Vincent
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