Jeff Jarrett Credits Gail Kim for Pushing TNA Women’s Division Forward

During the latest episode of My World With Jeff Jarrett, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett opened up about what made Gail Kim such a standout talent in the TNA Knockouts division. He reflected on her early days in the company and the key qualities that set her apart from the rest of the roster.

Jarrett began by acknowledging Gail Kim's foundational role in the Knockouts division. “Well right out of the gate, she was the OG,” he said. “I mean look, I know we had dancers on, and people are going, ‘Say no, no, she wasn’t the original.’ And we had a little bit — but with me and America’s Most Wanted, she was the first one, and she really, really pushed. She did.”

He went on to elaborate on Gail Kim’s efforts to establish a women’s division in TNA, revealing that he initially hesitated to move forward with the idea. “She really, really pushed for a women’s division at that time. And I gave the pushback multiple times, because I said, ‘Hey, we just — A, if we’re going to do it, we got to make sure we give the proper amount of time to it. We got to have a deep enough roster because when you have four or six, it’s so hard.’ I said, ‘I think we need to get up to around eight.’”

Jarrett praised Kim’s athleticism and the way she physically stood out in the early days. “What made her different right out of the gate? I just think you have to say, her athleticism. She’d jump off the top and do a hurricanrana, but her athleticism in the early days jumped off the page.”

He also touched on her in-ring psychology and ability to play a convincing babyface, especially when paired with a dominant heel like Awesome Kong. “Now look, obviously as the days, months, and years rolled by and Kong, and the presence and her ability to really personify a female fighting, athletic babyface. I think to this day, when you really look and maybe study her career during that TNA run, that’s what — she knew how to be a babyface. And that’s — you have to have time in and understand your craft and trade to really be able to do that.”

Continuing, he explained how her chemistry with Kong elevated both performers, crediting them equally. “Yes, she had a great monster heel, but if she didn’t know how to sell… but the chemistry that that had. And you gotta give both of them in a lot of ways equal credit. But she knew how to be a babyface.”

Jarrett wrapped up his praise for Kim by highlighting the complexities of being a female babyface in wrestling. “And I’ll say this with diplomacy; sometimes it is harder for a female to be that — you know, as we call the business white meat babyface. I think it’s harder for a female to portray that, because you still got to have an edge. And I don’t want to say be a bitch, because then that pushes it over. But you got to have that edge. She was very, very, very skilled, and I’ll say this: a professional wrestler.”

In a different part of the podcast, Jarrett also spoke about Kevin Owens and his recent neck issues, expressing concern for the WWE star and sharing thoughts on the potential implications of the injury.

“I think the understanding that it was kind of like two moves that happened,” Jarrett said, referencing speculation that a combination of bumps may have led to the injury. “There’s been a couple of things they put online, the bad bumps he’s taken throughout the years — and Kevin is one of those guys. He ain’t afraid, he’s taken big, big, big — I’ll call them dangerous bumps. And I guess something happened in a recent match. Man, I hate it.”

Jarrett emphasized how unfortunate the timing is, especially with WrestleMania season in full swing. “I mean, if that’s the reality — look, it’s never a good time but man, what a disastrous time for all this to go down.”

Reflecting on the seriousness of neck surgeries, Jarrett noted how far the medical field has come but acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation. “You have C3, C4, C5 surgery, you’re done. It is instant retirement, you know, it’s over. But now with, I guess you could say the advancements in the procedures and the technology and the healing and what they know and all that.”

He added, “Have they given a specific diagnosis? My understanding is no, because that’s what I would kind of lean into, like what actually is the surgery? Because I do know enough to know that neck surgeries can be minor or major. I think that’s the easy way to say it.”

Jarrett concluded with heartfelt support for Owens, highlighting his dedication to the craft. “Man, I hate it for him. What a hell of a performer [who] puts his heart into this business in so many ways and has for years. And so missing a Mania is huge for those guys.”