10 Wrestlers Who Transformed Their Careers By Leaving WWE
3. Gail Kim
Gail Kim was a talent that WWE seemed to respect but didn’t know what to do with. During her 2003 TV debut Kim won the Women’s Championship in a Seven-Woman Battle Royal. However, creative had already saddled her with a disjointed Matrix-inspired gimmick that came with a leather duster. Kim held the title for just four weeks, her only reign as WWE Women’s Champion. She was let go in 2004 due to cost cutting measures. With this WWE let one of their best pure athletes go to the competition.
In TNA, Kim was initially a manager, albeit a physically involved one. However, when she transitioned to singles competition, she became the inaugural TNA Women's Knockout Champion. This ignited her classic feud with Awesome Kong, putting on some of the best women’s wrestling in America.
In 2008, Kim returned to WWE, but she was again underutilised. She secured her release by eliminating herself from a Battle Royal on live TV. Kim returned to TNA, where she continued to thrive as one of the world’s best female wrestlers. She was inducted in the first class of the Impact Hall of Fame.