10 Wrestlers Who No Longer Work For AEW
8. Awesome Kong
The third member of The Nighmare Collective to make this list, making “Death Match Specialist” Luthor that group’s unlikely sole survivor.
It seems AEW arrived just a little too late for Awesome Kong, after years of putting her body through the pro-wrestling wringer caught up with her. A legend of women’s wrestling, Kong is best known as a leading light of TNA’s knockouts division but also wrestled for promotions including Ring of Honor, NWA and Shimmer. She held top championships in the US and Japan and was ranked No. 1 in the inaugural PWI Women’s 100.
Away from the business in the three years leading up to AEW’s formation, Kong found a whole new audience as Tammé “The Welfare Queen” Dawson on Netflix series GLOW. AEW represented a chance to end her career with an awesome final run.
Sadly, after getting caught up with Brandi and her hair-collecting nonsense, Kong picked up an injury ahead of a planned hiatus to film GLOW’s final season. A presumed transition to a backstage role never materialised and her contract quietly lapsed last year. Formally retiring in 2021, Awesome Kong was inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame.