Kia Stevens
Encyclopedia
Kia Michelle Stevens better known by her ring name
s Amazing Kong, Awesome Kong and Kharma. She is signed with WWE, but has been inactive since May 2011 due to pregnancy
. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA) and has also worked for Shimmer Women Athletes
, National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA), Lucha Libre USA
, and various independent promotions in the United States and Japan.
She is a former two-time TNA Knockout's champion
, a former WWWA World Women's champion in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, a former NWA World Women's champion
and a former AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's champion
. Her success is not limited to singles wrestling, as she frequently teamed with Aja Kong to form the tag team Double Kong who held tag team championships in four different promotions, along with winning the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship with Hamada
. She was also ranked first in the inaugural list of Pro Wrestling Illustrateds Top 50 Females.
She began her professional wrestling career in 2002 after appearing on a reality television show. She primarily wrestled in Japan for the first five years of her career, holding numerous championships there. In 2006 she began wrestling in her native United States again, appearing on the independent circuit before appearing on national television with TNA Wrestling where she was a driving force in the foundation of their Knockout division
.
. Soon, she was able to have her first professional match in the Empire Wrestling Federation
.
(AJW). While there she underwent a rigorous training schedule, became fluent in Japanese, and engaged in training for mixed martial arts
but chose to pursue professional wrestling. She was given the ring name Amazing Kong by Masatsugu Matsunaga, who needed a replacement for Japanese female wrestler Aja Kong in several matches. Stevens, as Kong, worked for multiple women's promotions in Japan, and she defeated Ayako Hamada
for the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship
in late 2004. Later, Stevens cited Hamada as one of her favorite opponents.
In 2004 Kong debuted for the joshi promotion Gaea Japan
in a match against Aja Kong. In the battle of American Kong versus Japanese Kong on April 30 at Limit Break. 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 Double Kong. The duo soon made their presence felt when they challenged Chigusa Nagayo
and Lioness Asuka
for the AAAW Tag Team Championship on May 5 and won. The team defended the championship successfully all Summer, eventually losing to Manami Toyota
and Carlos Amano on September 20. Going into 2005, Kong main evented the final Gaea show before the promotion closed down. In the final match of Fifth Anniversary, Kong teamed with Ayako Hamada and Mayumi Ozaki
in a winning effort against Akino, Dynamite Kansai
and Gami with Ayako picking up the victory.
After the closure of Gaea, Double Kong went on to wrestle for a number of Japanese promotions including Hustle, where they were given the comedic gimmicks of Margaret and Erika which involved, among other things, wrestling in a yellow tutu. They won the predominantly male Hustle Super Tag Team Championship
from June until October 2006. They were also the final team to hold WWWA World Tag Team Championship
before AJW shut down. In early 2007, Kong also won the AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's Championship
in Tokyo, Japan and held it from January to May. She lost it to Nanae Takahashi
in a three way match, which also included Wesna
.
, who began regularly booking her for their DVD tapings in Kong's homeland from May 2006. Her debut came on Volume 5 with a win against Nikki Roxx
. She defeated Roxx again on Volume 14: Hot Summer Nights in a rematch. The rematch was Kong's fifth successive win which led her to challenge for the Shimmer Championship
in October 2007 against inaugural champion Sara Del Rey
, for the Volume 15 taping. Del Rey retained to give Kong her first Shimmer loss, albeit via count out.
Kong then began another winning streak, losing only to Ariel
by disqualification after using a chair on Volume 17 which set back her chances of being given another championship match. She was placed in a Four-Way Contendership match on Volume 21; during the match Mercedes Martinez
used her Fisherman Buster finisher on Cheerleader 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. This incident led to a grudge match between Martinez and Kong on Volume 23, which Kong won. On the following show, instead of a Shimmer Championship match, Kong was put in a contendership match for the Shimmer 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 Champion MsChif
). After winning the match, they faced the reigning champions Ashley Lane and Nevaeh
in the following match, and once again Kong was disqualified after using chairs on her opponents. An assault continued until Martinez and Serena 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.
Wanting to focus on her singles career again, Kong wrestled LuFisto on Volume 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 on Volume 28, in November 2009, would be a three-way elimination match including the champion MsChif. Kong eliminated LuFisto early on with an Amazing Bomb, essentially leading to a rematch of Kong and MsChif's critically respected Volume 9 match. 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. She appeared for one more appearance in September 2010 for the Volume 35 event, answering an open challenge by Kellie Skater with an emphatic victory.
(ROH), Kong was noticed by ROH and scouted to appear on both products. On 15 September 2007 she made her debut for ROH at their Man Up
pay-per-view (PPV). Teaming with Daizee Haze
in a tag team match, they defeated Sara Del Rey and Lacey
.
Kong returned to ROH on May 8, 2010 to take part in the promotion's annual Supercard 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 by Kings of Wrestling
stablemate Chris Hero
, sparking a rivalry between the two. Kong returned to settle the score with Del Rey two months later at Hate: Chapter II on July 23. The Kings of Wrestling were in the midst of a rivalry with the 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 stablemate Claudio 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. At the end of the year, ROH held their live PPV Final 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 a spear.
from Japan. She put it on the line in a champion versus champion match against MsChif
's NWA World Women's Championship
on May 5, 2007 becoming a joint champion with her win. A rematch between the two in September, exclusively for the NWA belt after Kong lost the AWA title in May, headlined the NWA No Limits 3rd Anniversary Show which saw Kong retain the title. 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. The following year, Kong once again challenged for the NWA World Championship at NWA Charlotte's Valentine's Day
themed inaugural show, Thorns & Roses, in the penultimate match of the evening. With Daffney in her corner, MsChif and saved herself from the Awesome Bomb by using her green mist, disqualifying herself to retain the belt in the process.
In June 2007, Kong toured Great Britain under the ChickFight
promotion, wrestling guest matches under that banner for other promotions. The tour started on June 15 in Wales
for Celtic Wrestling, where she picked up a victory over ChickFight stalwart Cheerleader Melissa. 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 champion Eden Black
, with Jetta
also coming up winless. The following day Kong competed in Chickfight 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 opponent Sweet 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.
After achieving notoriety on national television, Kong received more bookings including for the all-female company Women Superstars Uncensored
in March 2008. She appeared at their First 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 defeated Angel 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 an Amy Lee's Rules match
in the main event of Dawn of a New Day which Kong won after Lee passed out, refusing to submit. The two had a rematch at Army of One which Kong lost by disqualification after hitting a referee leading to a deciding rubber match contested under Last Man Standing rules. At the Second 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.
After winning this match, Kong was given a match against Martinez for the WSU Championship in December 2009 at a WSU and National Wrestling Superstars co-hosted event. Kong received another chance at the title at Evolve 5: Danielson v Sawa for the Evolve
promotion but still could not bring an end to Martinez's two year reign.
Kong also wrestled Anime North
's "Anime Pro Wrestling" show "Super Anime Extreme Wrestling" via Great Canadian Wrestling
May 27–28, 2010.
Stevens debuted on the October 11, 2007 episode of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA)'s flagship show Impact!
under the tweaked name Awesome Kong as part of TNA's attempt to bolster their Knockout division
. After defeating Gail Kim
, Kong participated appeared at the Bound for Glory
PPV. There she took part in a 10-Knockout Gauntlet match to crown the first TNA Women's Knockout Champion
but she was eliminated by the combined effort of Angelina Love, ODB
and eventual winner Gail Kim. Two months later at Turning Point, she lost a Women's Knockout Championship match to Kim via disqualification after shoving the referee and Awesome Bombing him. This incident led to a No Disqualification match for the Women's Knockout Championship at Final Resolution in January 2008, which Kong also lost. On the next episode of Impact!, airing 10 January, Kong debuted an anonymous manager wearing a niqāb
, later named Raisha Saeed; with her help Kong finally won the Women's Knockout Championship. At Lockdown, Kong and Saeed teamed up for the first time, losing a Tag Team Cage match to Kim and ODB.
On the 8 May episode of Impact! 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 by planted 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. Kong then failed to regain the championship from Wilde during a rematch at Victory Road
. On October 23, during a live episode of Impact! Kong defeated Wilde to become a two-time Knockout Champion. Two weeks later Wilde's tag team partner Rhaka Khan
turned on her and aligned herself with Kong and Saeed. The alliance of Kong, Saeed and Khan became known as The Kongtourage, with a fourth wrestler named Sojourner Bolt joining later. Wilde then found a new partner in Roxxi
, who helped her defeat Kong and Saeed in a tag team match at Turning Point
. Going into 2009, Bolt became the contender for Kong's championship and left the Kongtourage with Khan. Kong retained her title against Bolt at Destination X
in April.
On the March 26 episode of Impact!, Kong and Saeed were defeated by villainous tag team The Beautiful People
(Angelina Love and Velvet Sky
), and after the match The Beautiful People tried to cut Kong's hair as part of their makeover gimmick. They continued to target Kong's hair and eventually accomplished the task on the April 16 episode of Impact! which transitioned Kong into a fan favorite
by attempting to retaliate. The tension built to a Three-Way Cage match at Lockdown
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. After losing the title, Kong defeated Love's allies Sky, Madison Rayne and Cute Kip
in separate Stretcher matches
ahead of their rematch. Love, however, retained the title against Kong at Sacrifice
.
(Traci Brooks
and Sharmell) after Saeed blind tagged Kong and pinned Brooks, much to Kong's dismay. Three weeks later they were eliminated from the tournament by their long term rival Taylor Wilde and her partner Sarita when Wilde pinned Saeed. Subsequently, Kong began rivalries with Tara
and Knockout Champion ODB. At Bound for Glory
, Kong had her last match for the Knockout Championship against Tara and ODB, but Saeed inadvertently cost Kong match while interfering. On the following episode of Impact! 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. After interfering in two of Tara's matches, Kong and Tara wrestled at Turning Point
in a Cage match, which Tara won.
On the December 17 episode of Impact! Kong formed a tag team with Hamada
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. On the first Impact! episode of 2010, Kong and Hamada defeated Sarita and Wilde to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
In a non-storyline incident Bubba the Love Sponge
claimed on his January 19 radio show that Stevens had attacked him while backstage for the tapings of Impact! the previous day due to his negative comments concerning the Haiti 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. 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. After she refused to take part in TNA's January 2010 tour of the United Kingdom, the company suspended her. The following month, Stevens filed a lawsuit against Bubba for an alleged threatening phone call. She was reportedly released from TNA on 1 March. On the March 8 episode of Impact! it was announced that Kong and Hamada were stripped of the Knockouts Tag Team title after allegedly failing to defend them in 30 days, even though their previous defense had taken place just 21 days prior, against Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky. On March 22, TNA confirmed Stevens' release, while also claiming that she had requested her release due to personal reasons, but she later said it was due to monetary issues and recent changes to TNA management.
(WWE). 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. During the April 25 episode of Raw
, Stevens' face was shown for the first time in the vignettes, and her new ring name was revealed as Kharma. Kharma made her debut on May 1 at Extreme Rules
, attacking Michelle McCool
after a match where she had lost her WWE contract, and she continued to attack different WWE Diva
s on both Raw and SmackDown in the following weeks. On the May 23 episode of Raw, Kharma interrupted a tag team match but rather than attack everyone, she uncharacteristically broke down crying. The following week Kharma spoke for the first time to reveal she was pregnant and thus forced to take a one year leave of absence from WWE.
and has a younger brother. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, she was employed as a social worker. She also owned a business that put vending machines in several high schools. Stevens' family and friends helped her fund her career in wrestling, when she went to train in Japan. She is also an investor in Nu Skin Enterprises
, a line of skin and nutritional products.
On December 22, 2010, Stevens was arrested in Hillsborough County, Florida
for driving without a valid license. She was charged with a second degree misdemeanor and released less than two hours later on $1,000 bond.
On May 30, 2011 Stevens announced that she was pregnant with her first child.
Despite not having wrestled a match for WWE, THQ has made Stevens (as Kharma) a downloadable playable Diva in WWE '12
.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Amazing Kong, Awesome Kong and Kharma. She is signed with WWE, but has been inactive since May 2011 due to pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) and has also worked for Shimmer Women Athletes
SHIMMER Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes is an American, Chicago based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005...
, National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA), Lucha Libre USA
Lucha Libre USA
Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors was a television program on the MTV2 broadcast channel, chronicling the rise of Mexican-style wrestling, or lucha libre, in the United States. The first episode was aired on July 16, 2010. The second season premiered October 1, 2011. However, after only four...
, and various independent promotions in the United States and Japan.
She is a former two-time TNA Knockout's champion
TNA Women's Knockout Championship
The TNA Women's Knockout Championship, often referred to simply as the Knockouts Championship, is a professional wrestling women's world championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested for in TNA's women's division...
, a former WWWA World Women's champion in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo was a joshi puroresu promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held their first card on June 4 of that year...
, a former NWA World Women's champion
NWA World Women's Championship
The NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
and a former AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's champion
AWA Japan Women's Championship
The AWA Japan Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling title in the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Promotion...
. Her success is not limited to singles wrestling, as she frequently teamed with Aja Kong to form the tag team Double Kong who held tag team championships in four different promotions, along with winning the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship with Hamada
Ayako Hamada
is a female professional wrestler of mixed Japanese and Mexican descent, who is currently wrestling most notably for Pro Wrestling WAVE in Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes in the United States, where she is a co-holder of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.She is best known for winning several...
. She was also ranked first in the inaugural list of Pro Wrestling Illustrateds Top 50 Females.
She began her professional wrestling career in 2002 after appearing on a reality television show. She primarily wrestled in Japan for the first five years of her career, holding numerous championships there. In 2006 she began wrestling in her native United States again, appearing on the independent circuit before appearing on national television with TNA Wrestling where she was a driving force in the foundation of their Knockout division
TNA Knockout
Knockout is a term used by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to refer to its female talent. The term is applied universally to wrestlers, backstage interviewers, and managers/valets. They are analogous to the Divas of rival WWE.-History:...
.
Professional wrestling career
Joanie Laurer, known during her WWF career as Chyna, served as Stevens' primary inspiration to become a professional wrestler. In 2002, Stevens appeared on the Discovery Health Body Challenge as a contestant trying to lose weight in hopes of becoming a professional wrestler. Afterward, Stevens trained at the School of Hard Knocks out of San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. Soon, she was able to have her first professional match in the Empire Wrestling Federation
Empire Wrestling Federation
The Empire Wrestling Federation is an independent wrestling promotion based in San Bernardino, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez). The EWF is also tied to Hernandez's wrestling school, The School Of Hard Knocks. The EWF is the longest running promotion in Southern California,...
.
Japanese promotions (2002–2007)
After putting on an impressive showing at a tryout, Stevens was invited to further her training in the dojo of joshi puroresu (female Japanese wrestling) promotion All Japan Women's Pro-WrestlingAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo was a joshi puroresu promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held their first card on June 4 of that year...
(AJW). While there she underwent a rigorous training schedule, became fluent in Japanese, and engaged in training for mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
but chose to pursue professional wrestling. She was given the ring name Amazing Kong by Masatsugu Matsunaga, who needed a replacement for Japanese female wrestler Aja Kong in several matches. Stevens, as Kong, worked for multiple women's promotions in Japan, and she defeated Ayako Hamada
Ayako Hamada
is a female professional wrestler of mixed Japanese and Mexican descent, who is currently wrestling most notably for Pro Wrestling WAVE in Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes in the United States, where she is a co-holder of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.She is best known for winning several...
for the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship
WWWA World Heavyweight Championship
The WWWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling from 1970 until it closed in 2005. It was also known in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and other London Publishing wrestling magazines as the All-Japan Women's International Championship...
in late 2004. Later, Stevens cited Hamada as one of her favorite opponents.
In 2004 Kong debuted for the joshi promotion Gaea Japan
GAEA Japan
Gaea Japan was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. (Japanese female professional...
in a match against Aja Kong. In the battle of American Kong versus Japanese Kong on April 30 at Limit Break. 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 Double Kong. The duo soon made their presence felt when they challenged Chigusa Nagayo
Chigusa Nagayo
is a retired Japanese female professional wrestler best known for her mainstream popularity in the 1980s as a member of the tag team The Crush Gals with long-time partner Lioness Asuka. She was the founder of the GAEA Women's Professional Wrestling organization . She briefly competed as alter-ego...
and Lioness Asuka
Lioness Asuka
is a Japanese professional wrestler from Tokyo. Along with long-time tag team partner Chigusa Nagayo she formed The Crush Gals, known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and the most successful women's tag team of all time.-Career:...
for the AAAW Tag Team Championship on May 5 and won. The team defended the championship successfully all Summer, eventually losing to Manami Toyota
Manami Toyota
is a professional wrestler best known for her work with the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling wrestling promotion. Following AJW's closure she has continued to work in other joshi promotions such as GAEA and NEO...
and Carlos Amano on September 20. Going into 2005, Kong main evented the final Gaea show before the promotion closed down. In the final match of Fifth Anniversary, Kong teamed with Ayako Hamada and Mayumi Ozaki
Mayumi Ozaki
is a Japanese female professional wrestler.-Career:Ozaki debuted in a tag match in August, 1986. In her career, she held the WWWA tag titles with Dynamite Kansai from April 11, 1993 to December 6, 1993 (born October 28, 1968) is a Japanese female professional wrestler.-Career:Ozaki debuted in a...
in a winning effort against Akino, Dynamite Kansai
Dynamite Kansai
Dynamite Kansai is a Japanese female professional wrestler.-Career:Chieko Suzuki was born on December 4, 1969, and was raised in Kyoto, Japan. In 1986 she auditioned for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling , but was unsuccessful, and instead joined the first rookie class of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling...
and Gami with Ayako picking up the victory.
After the closure of Gaea, Double Kong went on to wrestle for a number of Japanese promotions including Hustle, where they were given the comedic gimmicks of Margaret and Erika which involved, among other things, wrestling in a yellow tutu. They won the predominantly male Hustle Super Tag Team Championship
Hustle Super Tag Team Championship
The Hustle Super Tag Team Championship was the tag team championship in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Hustle.-Title history:-External links:*...
from June until October 2006. They were also the final team to hold WWWA World Tag Team Championship
WWWA World Tag Team Championship
The World Women's Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was the top doubles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling from 1970 until it closed in 2005...
before AJW shut down. In early 2007, Kong also won the AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's Championship
AWA Japan Women's Championship
The AWA Japan Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling title in the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Promotion...
in Tokyo, Japan and held it from January to May. She lost it to Nanae Takahashi
Nanae Takahashi
Nanae Takahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler from Japan. She has wrestled for prominent Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling SUN, and has held multiple world championships...
in a three way match, which also included Wesna
Wesna
Wesna Busic , better known by her ring name Wesna, is a retired Croatian professional wrestler, who resides in Germany and wrestled mostly there, but also over all of Europe as well as in Japan and America....
.
Championship pursuits (2006–2010)
Her success in Japan attracted the attention of United States promotion Shimmer Women AthletesSHIMMER Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes is an American, Chicago based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005...
, who began regularly booking her for their DVD tapings in Kong's homeland from May 2006. Her debut came on Volume 5 with a win against Nikki Roxx
Nicole Raczynski
Nicole Raczynski is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Roxxi...
. She defeated Roxx again on Volume 14: Hot Summer Nights in a rematch. The rematch was Kong's fifth successive win which led her to challenge for the Shimmer Championship
Shimmer Championship
The Shimmer Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Shimmer Women Athletes. It is competed for in Shimmer Women Athletes, and has been defended on shows of sister promotions Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in...
in October 2007 against inaugural champion Sara Del Rey
Sara Del Rey
Sara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as...
, for the Volume 15 taping. Del Rey retained to give Kong her first Shimmer loss, albeit via count out.
Kong then began another winning streak, losing only to Ariel
Ana Rocha
Ana Rocha is an Portuguese-American professional wrestler and manager known by her ring name "The Portuguese Princess" Ariel, who has competed in Northeastern independent promotions including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South and the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early life and career:Born in São...
by disqualification after using a chair on Volume 17 which set back her chances of being given another championship match. She was placed in a Four-Way Contendership match on Volume 21; during the match Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez is a American professional wrestler, currently performing for Shimmer Women Athletes, as well as numerous independent promotions including World Xtreme Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and Full Impact Pro....
used her Fisherman Buster finisher on Cheerleader 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. This incident led to a grudge match between Martinez and Kong on Volume 23, which Kong won. On the following show, instead of a Shimmer Championship match, Kong was put in a contendership match for the Shimmer Tag Team Championship
Shimmer Tag Team Championship
The Shimmer Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Shimmer Women Athletes...
, forming a brief alliance of convenience with Del Rey, who herself was having issues with their opponents MelissChif (Cheerleader Melissa and Shimmer Champion MsChif
MsChif
Rachel Collins is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest matches in England and Japan...
). After winning the match, they faced the reigning champions Ashley Lane and Nevaeh
Nevaeh (wrestler)
Elizabeth Vocke is an American professional wrestler, currently performing for several Northern United States-based independent promotions as well as the all-female promotion Shimmer Women Athletes.-Professional wrestling career:...
in the following match, and once again Kong was disqualified after using chairs on her opponents. An assault continued until Martinez and Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena...
, 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.
Wanting to focus on her singles career again, Kong wrestled LuFisto on Volume 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 on Volume 28, in November 2009, would be a three-way elimination match including the champion MsChif. Kong eliminated LuFisto early on with an Amazing Bomb, essentially leading to a rematch of Kong and MsChif's critically respected Volume 9 match. 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. She appeared for one more appearance in September 2010 for the Volume 35 event, answering an open challenge by Kellie Skater with an emphatic victory.
Ring of Honor (2007, 2010)
Owing to Shimmer being a sister promotion of Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH), Kong was noticed by ROH and scouted to appear on both products. On 15 September 2007 she made her debut for ROH at their Man Up
ROH Man Up
Man Up was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on September 15, 2007 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, the site of the second Pay-per-view taping Driven, and first aired on November 30...
pay-per-view (PPV). Teaming with Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze is an American professional wrestler. Whilst wrestling for many companies Daizee Haze is also the head trainer for the Shimmer Women Athletes promotion.-Training and Gateway Championship Wrestling:...
in a tag team match, they defeated Sara Del Rey and Lacey
Lacey (wrestler)
Lacey is an American former professional wrestler, most known for working with numerous promotions throughout Northern America career such as Ring of Honor, Shimmer, IWA-Mid South, Full Impact Pro, and NWA Midwest. She has also wrestled for Chikara, ChickFight, and was part of Wrestling Society X...
.
Kong returned to ROH on May 8, 2010 to take part in the promotion's annual Supercard 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 by Kings of Wrestling
Kings of Wrestling
The Kings of Wrestling is a professional wrestling stable that wrestles on the independent circuit, formed in Chikara, but also appearing in other promotions. It originally included Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Arik Cannon, Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor, Icarus, Gran Akuma...
stablemate Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
, sparking a rivalry between the two. Kong returned to settle the score with Del Rey two months later at Hate: Chapter II on July 23. The Kings of Wrestling were in the midst of a rivalry with the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
(Jay and Mark), and so Kong teamed with them in a six-person tag team match, where they defeated Del Rey, Hero and their stablemate Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...
, 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. At the end of the year, ROH held their live PPV Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, with the first taking place in 2002, but only the second to be...
, 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 a spear.
Independent circuit (2007–2010)
After growing success in Shimmer, Kong began appearing on the American independent circuit bringing with her the AWA World Women's ChampionshipAWA Japan Women's Championship
The AWA Japan Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling title in the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Promotion...
from Japan. She put it on the line in a champion versus champion match against MsChif
MsChif
Rachel Collins is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest matches in England and Japan...
's NWA World Women's Championship
NWA World Women's Championship
The NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
on May 5, 2007 becoming a joint champion with her win. A rematch between the two in September, exclusively for the NWA belt after Kong lost the AWA title in May, headlined the NWA No Limits 3rd Anniversary Show which saw Kong retain the title. 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. The following year, Kong once again challenged for the NWA World Championship at NWA Charlotte's Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
themed inaugural show, Thorns & Roses, in the penultimate match of the evening. With Daffney in her corner, MsChif and saved herself from the Awesome Bomb by using her green mist, disqualifying herself to retain the belt in the process.
In June 2007, Kong toured Great Britain under the ChickFight
ChickFight
ChickFight is an all-female professional wrestling promotion based in San Francisco, California. It is cited as the home promotion of female professional wrestler, Cheerleader Melissa.-History:...
promotion, wrestling guest matches under that banner for other promotions. The tour started on June 15 in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
for Celtic Wrestling, where she picked up a victory over ChickFight stalwart Cheerleader Melissa. The following day Kong debuted for Real Quality Wrestling
Real Quality Wrestling
Real Quality Wrestling is a British professional wrestling organisation. Len Davies is the Owner and chairman of the company and their sister company, Spectrum Multimedia. The company began as an independent promotion, but soon became an umbrella promotion in 2007 with the self-stated aim to...
(RQW) and took part in a Four-Way RQW Women's Championship
RQW Women's Championship
The Real Quality Wrestling Women's Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Real Quality Wrestling. It is competed for in independent promotions across Britain and Europe, most notably for RQW and its subordinate promotions International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom, World...
match, that saw Wesna win the belt from reigning champion Eden Black
Eden Black
"The Jezebel" Eden Black is the ring name of a retired British professional wrestler who wrestled internationally on the independent circuit in promotions such as Real Quality Wrestling, Shimmer Women Athletes and ChickFight among others...
, with Jetta
Jetta (wrestler)
Jetta is the ring name of a British professional wrestler. She is best known for her work on the independent circuit in England with various promotions including LDN Wrestling, ChickFight and Real Quality Wrestling where she is the current Women's Champion...
also coming up winless. The following day Kong competed in Chickfight 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 opponent Sweet Saraya
Sweet Saraya
Julia Hamer is an English professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Sweet Saraya.-Professional wrestling career:...
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.
After achieving notoriety on national television, Kong received more bookings including for the all-female company Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars Uncensored is an American, New Jersey based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 1996. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and comedic storylines. The company tapes two DVDs worth of material during weekend shows...
in March 2008. She appeared at their First 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 defeated Angel Orsini
Angel Orsini
Angel Orsini is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and former mixed martial arts fighter, best known by her ring name Riptide...
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 an Amy Lee's Rules match
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
in the main event of Dawn of a New Day which Kong won after Lee passed out, refusing to submit. The two had a rematch at Army of One which Kong lost by disqualification after hitting a referee leading to a deciding rubber match contested under Last Man Standing rules. At the Second 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.
After winning this match, Kong was given a match against Martinez for the WSU Championship in December 2009 at a WSU and National Wrestling Superstars co-hosted event. Kong received another chance at the title at Evolve 5: Danielson v Sawa for the Evolve
Evolve (professional wrestling)
Evolve Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeast founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and current Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky, Full Impact Pro owner Sal Hamaoui, and independent wrestler Davey Richards...
promotion but still could not bring an end to Martinez's two year reign.
Kong also wrestled Anime North
Anime North
Anime North is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming , Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances...
's "Anime Pro Wrestling" show "Super Anime Extreme Wrestling" via Great Canadian Wrestling
Great Canadian Wrestling
Great Canadian Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion company based in Oshawa, Ontario. GCW was founded in 2005 and promotes shows throughout Southern Ontario. The company also hosts since 2005 an annual Great Canadian Wrestling Expo that takes place over several days and...
May 27–28, 2010.
Knockout Champion (2007–2009)
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA)'s flagship show Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
under the tweaked name Awesome Kong as part of TNA's attempt to bolster their Knockout division
TNA Knockout
Knockout is a term used by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to refer to its female talent. The term is applied universally to wrestlers, backstage interviewers, and managers/valets. They are analogous to the Divas of rival WWE.-History:...
. After defeating Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
, Kong participated appeared at the Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2007)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on October 14, 2007 at the Gwinnett Center in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia. It was the third event under the Bound for Glory chronology...
PPV. There she took part in a 10-Knockout Gauntlet match to crown the first TNA Women's Knockout Champion
TNA Women's Knockout Championship
The TNA Women's Knockout Championship, often referred to simply as the Knockouts Championship, is a professional wrestling women's world championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested for in TNA's women's division...
but she was eliminated by the combined effort of Angelina Love, ODB
Jessica Kresa
Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion....
and eventual winner Gail Kim. Two months later at Turning Point, she lost a Women's Knockout Championship match to Kim via disqualification after shoving the referee and Awesome Bombing him. This incident led to a No Disqualification match for the Women's Knockout Championship at Final Resolution in January 2008, which Kong also lost. On the next episode of Impact!, airing 10 January, Kong debuted an anonymous manager wearing a niqāb
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
, later named Raisha Saeed; with her help Kong finally won the Women's Knockout Championship. At Lockdown, Kong and Saeed teamed up for the first time, losing a Tag Team Cage match to Kim and ODB.
On the 8 May episode of Impact! 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 by planted 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. Kong then failed to regain the championship from Wilde during a rematch at Victory Road
Victory Road (2008)
Victory Road was the fourth Victory Road professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. On October 23, during a live episode of Impact! Kong defeated Wilde to become a two-time Knockout Champion. Two weeks later Wilde's tag team partner Rhaka Khan
Trenesha Biggers
Trenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.-Professional wrestling career:...
turned on her and aligned herself with Kong and Saeed. The alliance of Kong, Saeed and Khan became known as The Kongtourage, with a fourth wrestler named Sojourner Bolt joining later. Wilde then found a new partner in Roxxi
Nicole Raczynski
Nicole Raczynski is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Roxxi...
, who helped her defeat Kong and Saeed in a tag team match at Turning Point
Turning Point (2008)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on November 9, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Turning Point chronology and first event under the name to...
. Going into 2009, Bolt became the contender for Kong's championship and left the Kongtourage with Khan. Kong retained her title against Bolt at Destination X
Destination X (2009)
Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on March 15, 2009 at the TNA Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida...
in April.
On the March 26 episode of Impact!, Kong and Saeed were defeated by villainous tag team The Beautiful People
The Beautiful People (professional wrestling)
The Beautiful People was an alliance of professional wrestlers that appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , consisting of Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Cute Kip, Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich. The stable was known for their narcissistic gimmick, and holding the TNA Women's Knockout...
(Angelina Love and Velvet Sky
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
), and after the match The Beautiful People tried to cut Kong's hair as part of their makeover gimmick. They continued to target Kong's hair and eventually accomplished the task on the April 16 episode of Impact! which transitioned Kong into a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
by attempting to retaliate. The tension built to a Three-Way Cage match at Lockdown
Lockdown (2009)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 19, 2009 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the fifth event under the Lockdown chronology...
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. After losing the title, Kong defeated Love's allies Sky, Madison Rayne and Cute Kip
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
in separate Stretcher matches
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
ahead of their rematch. Love, however, retained the title against Kong at Sacrifice
Sacrifice (2009)
-Pre-show:Before the show was broadcasted live, there was a match that aired on TNA's Web site and for free on television, which pitted Amazing Red against Kiyoshi...
.
Knockouts Tag Team Champion (2009–2010)
In August 2009 Kong and Saeed entered the tournament to crown the inaugural TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions. In the first round of the tournament, the team was able to defeat The Main Event MafiaThe Main Event Mafia
The Main Event Mafia was a heel stable in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
(Traci Brooks
Tracy Brookshaw
Tracy Brookshaw is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and professional wrestling referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she has spent most of her career.-Early life:Brookshaw grew up on a...
and Sharmell) after Saeed blind tagged Kong and pinned Brooks, much to Kong's dismay. Three weeks later they were eliminated from the tournament by their long term rival Taylor Wilde and her partner Sarita when Wilde pinned Saeed. Subsequently, Kong began rivalries with Tara
Lisa Marie Varon
Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
and Knockout Champion ODB. At Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2009)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on October 18, 2009 at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California. It was the fifth event under the Bound for Glory chronology. The Event was the Premiere...
, Kong had her last match for the Knockout Championship against Tara and ODB, but Saeed inadvertently cost Kong match while interfering. On the following episode of Impact! 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. After interfering in two of Tara's matches, Kong and Tara wrestled at Turning Point
Turning Point (2009)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on November 15, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
in a Cage match, which Tara won.
On the December 17 episode of Impact! Kong formed a tag team with Hamada
Ayako Hamada
is a female professional wrestler of mixed Japanese and Mexican descent, who is currently wrestling most notably for Pro Wrestling WAVE in Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes in the United States, where she is a co-holder of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.She is best known for winning several...
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. On the first Impact! episode of 2010, Kong and Hamada defeated Sarita and Wilde to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
In a non-storyline incident Bubba the Love Sponge
Bubba the Love Sponge
Todd Alan Clem is an American radio personality better known by his Legal name Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. He is the host of The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on various Cox Radio and Beasley Broadcast Group stations, formerly on Sirius XM Howard 101, as well as on RadioIO.-Early career and the...
claimed on his January 19 radio show that Stevens had attacked him while backstage for the tapings of Impact! the previous day due to his negative comments concerning the Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
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. 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. After she refused to take part in TNA's January 2010 tour of the United Kingdom, the company suspended her. The following month, Stevens filed a lawsuit against Bubba for an alleged threatening phone call. She was reportedly released from TNA on 1 March. On the March 8 episode of Impact! it was announced that Kong and Hamada were stripped of the Knockouts Tag Team title after allegedly failing to defend them in 30 days, even though their previous defense had taken place just 21 days prior, against Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky. On March 22, TNA confirmed Stevens' release, while also claiming that she had requested her release due to personal reasons, but she later said it was due to monetary issues and recent changes to TNA management.
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2010–present)
On December 29, 2010, it was reported that Stevens had signed a contract with World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). 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. During the April 25 episode of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Stevens' face was shown for the first time in the vignettes, and her new ring name was revealed as Kharma. Kharma made her debut on May 1 at Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules (2011)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on May 1, 2011 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida...
, attacking Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted...
after a match where she had lost her WWE contract, and she continued to attack different WWE Diva
WWE Diva
Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....
s on both Raw and SmackDown in the following weeks. On the May 23 episode of Raw, Kharma interrupted a tag team match but rather than attack everyone, she uncharacteristically broke down crying. The following week Kharma spoke for the first time to reveal she was pregnant and thus forced to take a one year leave of absence from WWE.
Personal life
Stevens grew up in Carson, CaliforniaCarson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
and has a younger brother. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, she was employed as a social worker. She also owned a business that put vending machines in several high schools. Stevens' family and friends helped her fund her career in wrestling, when she went to train in Japan. She is also an investor in Nu Skin Enterprises
Nu Skin Enterprises
Nu Skin Enterprises is an American direct selling company that develops and distributes personal care products and nutritional supplements that are sold under the Nu Skin and Pharmanex brands. Nu Skin was founded in 1984 in Provo, Utah....
, a line of skin and nutritional products.
On December 22, 2010, Stevens was arrested in Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
for driving without a valid license. She was charged with a second degree misdemeanor and released less than two hours later on $1,000 bond.
On May 30, 2011 Stevens announced that she was pregnant with her first child.
Despite not having wrestled a match for WWE, THQ has made Stevens (as Kharma) a downloadable playable Diva in WWE '12
WWE '12
WWE '12 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the first game in the WWE series and the fourteenth overall in the combined series. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown vs...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Amazing Bomb (Independent circuitIndependent circuitIn professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
/ JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) / Awesome Bomb (TNATotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
) (Sitout powerbomb) - Amazing Press (Independent circuit / Japan) / Diving splash (TNA)
- Implant Buster (Lifting double underhook facebuster)
- Amazing Bomb (Independent circuit
- Signature moves
-
- Accordion Rack (Bow and arrow arrow hold)
- Body avalanche
- Gorilla press slam
- One-handedChokeslamA chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
or a two-handed chokeslam - Running splash
- Short-range lariat
- Spinning backfist
- With HamadaAyako Hamadais a female professional wrestler of mixed Japanese and Mexican descent, who is currently wrestling most notably for Pro Wrestling WAVE in Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes in the United States, where she is a co-holder of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.She is best known for winning several...
- Falling powerbomb (Kong) / Missile dropkick (Hamada) combination
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Raisha Saeed
- The Kongtourage (Saeed, Rhaka KhanTrenesha BiggersTrenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.-Professional wrestling career:...
, and Sojournor Bolt)
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Empire March" by Dale OliverDale OliverDale Byron Oliver is an American music composer who works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Formerly a guitarist in BackHawk , Oliver serves mainly as a composer of theme music used in professional wrestling.-Music composer for TNA:Since 2003, Oliver writes, records, and produces music under...
(TNA) (2007-2010)
Jim JohnstonJim Johnston may refer to:* Jim Johnston , member of the Bristol band Monk & Canatella* Jim Johnston , composer of music for WWE* Jim Johnston * Jim Johnston , American television director and producer...
(WWE) (2011-present) - "Empire March" by Dale Oliver
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Women's Pro-WrestlingAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, nicknamed Zenjo was a joshi puroresu promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held their first card on June 4 of that year...
- WWWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipWWWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling from 1970 until it closed in 2005. It was also known in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and other London Publishing wrestling magazines as the All-Japan Women's International Championship...
(1 time) - WWWA World Tag Team ChampionshipWWWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Women's Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was the top doubles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling from 1970 until it closed in 2005...
(1 time) – with Aja Kong - Japan Grand PrixJapan Grand PrixThe Japan Grand Prix was an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling to determine the number one contender for the promotion's highest achievement, the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship. The tournament was held in the summer every year from...
(2003)
- WWWA World Heavyweight Championship
- AWA Superstars of WrestlingAWA Superstars of WrestlingWrestling Superstars Live is a governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various championships. It was founded in 1996 by Dale Gagner and Jonnie Stewart.-History:...
- AWA Superstars World Women's ChampionshipAWA Japan Women's ChampionshipThe AWA Japan Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling title in the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Promotion...
(1 time)
- AWA Superstars World Women's Championship
- Cauliflower Alley ClubCauliflower Alley ClubThe Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
- Women's Wrestling (Active) Award (2011)
- ChickFightChickFightChickFight is an all-female professional wrestling promotion based in San Francisco, California. It is cited as the home promotion of female professional wrestler, Cheerleader Melissa.-History:...
- ChickFight IX
- GAEA JapanGAEA JapanGaea Japan was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. (Japanese female professional...
- AAAW Tag Team ChampionshipAAAW Tag Team ChampionshipThe AAAW Tag Team Championship was a title in the GAEA Japan promotion. The title was abandoned when GAEA closed in 2005.-Title history:-External links:*...
(1 time) – with Aja Kong
- AAAW Tag Team Championship
- HUSTLE
- Hustle Super Tag Team ChampionshipHustle Super Tag Team ChampionshipThe Hustle Super Tag Team Championship was the tag team championship in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Hustle.-Title history:-External links:*...
(1 time) – with Erika
- Hustle Super Tag Team Championship
- Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling
- LLPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Aja Kong
- NWA MidwestNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Women's ChampionshipNWA World Women's ChampionshipThe NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
(1 time)
- NWA World Women's Championship
- NEO Ladies Pro Wrestling
- NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Matsuo Haruka (1), and Kyoko Kimura (1)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked her #1 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008
- PWI Woman of the Year (2008)
- Pro Wrestling World-1
- World-1 Women's Championship (1 time)
- Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
- TNA Women's Knockout ChampionshipTNA Women's Knockout ChampionshipThe TNA Women's Knockout Championship, often referred to simply as the Knockouts Championship, is a professional wrestling women's world championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested for in TNA's women's division...
(2 times) - TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with HamadaAyako Hamadais a female professional wrestler of mixed Japanese and Mexican descent, who is currently wrestling most notably for Pro Wrestling WAVE in Japan and Shimmer Women Athletes in the United States, where she is a co-holder of the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.She is best known for winning several...
- TNA Women's Knockout Championship
External links
- Online World of Wrestling profile
- WWE profile
- Kharma Crush
- Kia Stevens on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...