You know, in terms of accomplishments and things like that, I feel like I've accomplished what I've wanted.
— Gail Kim
I am grateful to have been in this business for 16 years, which not a lot of women can say they have been fortunate to do that kind of run that many years in a row.
I think we were in London for TV and David Hasselhoff was guest host of 'Raw'. We had the match where we did the slo-mo entrance run. It was really funny.
When I signed with WWE I was really happy that they had the PG thing going on. I thought, 'Yes! No more bra and panties matches, no bikini contests.'
I just want to be as good as I can be with any opponent I have and hear everyone say 'that was her best match ever.'
I started becoming an agent and producing before I retired. I was doing double-duty to get my feet wet.
I'm a big sushi fan.
Once I started to retire, I was telling all of the girls in my generation, 'Wow I feel like an outsider in this locker room because this whole new generation of women has stepped in,' and that was one of the signs where I said maybe it's time to retire.
I like to lean on making wrestling the most believable, realistic form of entertainment as possible for the most part.
I've always had a lot of pressure on myself, but I'm not going to lie, I feel a lot of pressure to give the fans everything they expect plus more.
I never wanted the fans to remember me as anything but my best.
It's so frustrating to be working so hard and know that it's not going anywhere and it doesn't matter.
I know that as a performer how much we rely on the fans for how we feel and react.
My honest opinion, and this is only my opinion and I don't know this as fact, I just think Vince McMahon did not like women's wrestling.
I had a minor back surgery, as minor as it's going to get.
The WWE is the big company and the one the mainstream audience is watching, but I feel like if you were a hardcore wrestling fan, you were watching TNA.
I decided I really wanted to go into something athletic. But I was 23, starting later in life, so wrestling was one of the few things available.
When I first saw 'Broken' Matt Hardy, I thought to myself, 'Umm...' I actually said to Jeremy Borash 'Why is he talking like that? Is he trying to make an accent and it's coming out really bad?' And then it kind of grows on you and it's just funny as hell, at least for me.
To have the appreciation from your peers, the fans and the company you work for is the ultimate reward. For me, that has always been ultimate because respect has always been the most important thing to me in this business.
People say women's wrestling sucks and nobody wants to see it, but every time there are storylines and they invest in the women, people react and love it.
I heard many times that they want the Divas to be girly. They didn't care about the heel girls getting any heat. We just didn't understand. They did everything in their power, it seemed, to take everything to give us a good match, for the heels to get any heat. It was no kicking one week, or no punching the next. No this, no that.
I just want everyone to remember me as a great wrestler, that's what I aim to do.
I'm the only female producer on Impact, and they're very supportive, the men.
I enjoy cooking, but I don't know... I just don't think I have enough skills to teach other people.
But that's my point on intergender wrestling - I don't like to see things where a man is going to punch a woman. I just think about the kids that are watching. I take that into consideration.
Of course, having that confidence of having the fans behind you in your hometown is always special.
Throughout my career, especially the second half of my career, I was always nerdy or anal when it came to how I prepared for my matches.
Tessa Blanchard is a premium athlete and you can't take that away from her.
I feel that I've worked so hard to gain the respect of the fans and my co-workers.
WWE is basically scooping up all the talent and making it really difficult. They say they want competition and like competition, but I don't believe that. They are trying to make this a monopoly.
I feel like I have chemistry with every girl but I don't know what happened with Awesome Kong. I never even saw her work before our very first match. I just heard so much about her and then we brought in this whole women's division.
I don't think I could do the four or five days a week in the WWE. I feel bad for them.
Wrestling is one of those things that make me emotional.
Growing up, I would think I want to do this, I want to do that. You change your mind a million times.
I have always said that I will retire when my body starts giving out on me.
In terms of being honored at the TNA Hall of Fame, I think that's something that every pro wrestler dreams about.
With the success of the TNA Knockouts, that's when they started having their girls wrestle a lot more in WWE. I thought, 'This is a perfect time for me to come in. They care about women's wrestling.' Sadly it was just not the case.
I'm always looking to top the last match, I'm always looking to entertain the fans and steal the show.
I wasn't on television until 25.
Most people when they go to Vegas want to go to places on the Strip and experience the big names. Actually in Las Vegas, I find the best restaurants are off the Strip.
I really didn't know how to eat until I studied nutrition in my second year of college.
Why would you have a seven-hour show? The fans are going to be so tired halfway through the show.
I do find Twitter to be more negative than Instagram. Instagram is not so bad. I think it's because of the pictures and see a face where on Twitter people forget we are human beings.
Most of the time a wrestler misses the in-ring action, but because of my back and working with the girls as an agent, I don't miss it.
I've always known of ROH and have worked with a lot of the workers there, but they've never reached out to me. It's just never happened. But I'm always open to everything.
I've experienced WWE twice now, and I know that I do not enjoy that place. The second time I really had optimistic hopes and dreams, but I know I would never go back there.
I know people are going to be surprised to hear me say this because they think I'm such an advocate for women's wrestling... But I truly believe that the best time in wrestling, for me, was when I first got into WWE and they had a strong women's division and they also had girls who strengths weren't in the ring and were more for entertainment.
I think all wrestlers, you never really want it to end.
I think change is always scary but also always good.
Oh my gosh, women have it so much harder than men. If you ask me the differences are professional as well as physical.
