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NewsMust-Read Awesome Kong Interview - WWE, TNA, Return, More

Must-Read Awesome Kong Interview – WWE, TNA, Return, More

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Amazing Kong recently spoke with Wrestling101.con about her career, her time in WWE and TNA and more. Check out the highlights:

On how she got into the business: “It started off as a joke that went too far, WWE at the time was doing Tough Enough and my brother in law wanted to participate and he had me download the application form and I decided I would turn one in as well. I then got invited out to Las Vegas, but I didn’t make it through and that is where the infamous interaction between Jim Ross and myself took place [Jim Ross told Kia she was too fat to be a diva] which sparked a fire in me to become a wrestler by any means.”

On if she was a fan growing up: “Growing up it was actually my younger brother that was the wrestling fan in the household and he would actually torture me! Not that many people would believe it now but I was a shy child and my brother used to put me in the Boston Crab or the Camel Clutch. I then got the idea to start watching wrestling myself up in my room on a Saturday morning and I got to learn some of the moves, then the next time he came at me I was able to counter his moves and from then on we had a mutual respect and enjoyed watching wrestling together….I liked watching guys like, Junkyard Dog, Nikolai Volkoff, the original Sheik of course, ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude, Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant for sure, all those wrestlers back in the eighties we enjoyed immensely.”

On getting the Kong name in Japan: “There is a funny story, there was a big show in Okazaki and it was supposed to be Yumiko Hotta versus Aja Kong. Well on the card they had Yumiko Hotta versus A. Kong, there was a contractual dispute with Aja so they scouted America and found me, they got the bright idea to bring me in as Amazing Kong and that way they were still fulfilling the fact that A. Kong was going to be on the card. That was my first match in a main event in Japan; I had only had two matches EVER before that, so I was on an extreme fast track to learn the craft. It was a learn as you go kind of deal, I was thrown out there, kind of like when you throw a kid in the swimming pool when teaching them how to swim, that’s what happened with me in wrestling. Everything that people experienced when I got to TNA, the look etc. was evolved in Japan, that whole character I had down to a tee by the time I arrived back in America.”

On her TNA run: “It was fun, I had a good time and it was a new experience wrestling on television in America where my family got to see me wrestle every week, it was exciting. The US was a bigger market, so it enabled me to gain more momentum in my career as far as followers and fans; it was a very exciting and promising time for me.”

On her TNA departure: “That situation all ties into kind of why I ended up with the name Kharma in WWE. I’ve always been the kind of person that dislikes bullies, so for me to stand up even if I was standing up alone to wrong. If something’s wrong no matter if I’m going to lose on it or not, I’ve lost a lot in my lifetime for standing up for what is right and I’m okay with that. Without going into too much detail I stood up for what I felt was right, it may not have been the appropriate action, but that’s what I felt needed to happen at that time.”

On how much input she had on her WWE introduction: “They let me know the idea that they were going with so I went in and we shot it, we had a great time and they used some of my ideas and they actually used the first idea, which was in the first vignette where I flicked the doll so that was awesome. I was actually included a lot in the creative process leading up to my debut which I didn’t expect to be so that was a big surprise and very exciting.”

On who she wanted to face in WWE: “After seeing how excited people were over the feud between Gail and I, my next goal was to build up to a great feud with Beth Phoenix. Fans were already excited for that match and it hadn’t even happened yet; it hadn’t even been alluded to. I always say and I still say, as long as Beth and I are still breathing it still may happen, so fans don’t lose hope. There were also lots of people that wanted to see me get my revenge on the Bella Twins but they have ended up leaving as well.”

On her Royal Rumble return: “It was extremely surreal to be only the third woman ever to participate in the actual Royal Rumble match after Chyna and Beth Phoenix so that is an historical thing. And with me being a woman of colour I could always say I was the first black woman to be in the Royal Rumble match (laughs).”

On the current Diva’s division: “Even with the men’s roster there are periods in wrestling in general that we have fluctuation of talent and I’m not saying anything bad about the roster right now but yes they did lose a big person that the fans were invested in which was Beth Phoenix, but also the likes of Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Eve Torres. They do have girls that have come back from injury like Layla and Tamina, and AJ Lee exploded on the scene so that’s a great thing, there are still exciting people there to do stuff. One monkey doesn’t stop a show, with me leaving it was exciting for me to be there, but because I left it doesn’t mean I won’t come back, you never know what is going to happen in wrestling.”

On a potential WWE return: “People leave and people come back, I left you never know I may be back. Look at Ryback he was in WWE once before and now he’s back and wants people to feed him more, it’s exciting! My god daughter goes crazy when he comes on the television, it’s insane so I have to mimic him sometimes.”

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