Any article mentioning underutilized women in WWE or women who weren't given a fair shake in the company would be remiss if it did not include this lovely lady from Toronto. Hailed as the female Rey Mysterio in 2003, and even hyped up with vignettes that gave her a futuristic-Matrix quality, fans eagerly awaited the arrival of Gail Kim. After all, Divas were rarely given vignettes before debuting. After a blockbuster debut, winning the Women's Championship in a Battle Royal, things spiraled downward for Gail. Unfortunate injuries and a couple of miniscule botches plagued Gail's matches and her Women's Title run was one of the least memorable among the Divas. Just when she began finding her footing in WWE, she was released! However, Gail went on to join TNA and was the catalyst for the creation of the Knockouts Division, helping to build the division from the ground-up and becoming it's premiere champion. The Knockouts provided an alternative to what the Divas were offering, as the women were routinely seen in Ladder Matches, Cage Matches, First Blood Matches, and Stretcher Matches. Thanks to Gail, women who were given their walking papers from WWE (such as Tiffany, Mickie James, Victoria, and Jacqueline Moore) were able to really showcase what they were made of in TNA. When Gail returned to WWE, there was immediate hope that she would do for the Divas what she did for the Knockouts. She proved to be a major draw for TNA, so obviously WWE would recognize that, right? No. Unfortunately, Gail's second run with WWE was even more lackluster than the first, as she was devoid of direction, a strong storyline, and not given much of a personality as a generic, smiling babyface. After seeing the kind of punishment Gail was able to withstand in TNA, WWE could have instantly brought prestige and honor to the fledgling Divas Title by having Gail be featured in a feud over the title featuring her competing in matches that Divas have never competed in. Instead, Gail's talents were wasted until she walked out of the company and demanded to be released from her contract, before ultimately returning to TNA.
Tommy Bobby Watanabe is an aspiring American novelist, stage actor, playwright, former LGBT rights activist, and has three years of independent professional wrestling experience and has been a big fan since 1998. An avid horror movie buff and comic book aficionado, TBW is honored to be featured on WhatCulture with some of the Internet's most talented writers and looks to spread his own knowledge and wit to WhatCulture's loyal readers.
