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What's the story?
Gail Kim added the cherry on the top of her retirement by winning the Impact Knockouts Championship in her final match at Bound for Glory 2017.
In case you didn't know...
Is anyone more synonymous with Impact Wrestling's Knockouts division than Gail Kim? The Toronto-native made her TNA debut way back in October 2005, initially as a manager for America's Most Wanted (James Storm and Chris Harris) before eventually making the transition to an in-ring performer.
In October 2007, Kim made history by outlasting nine other performers to become the first TNA Knockouts Champion in history. She feuded with Awesome Kong over the belt for months, and the matches between the two are largely credited with reviving women's wrestling in North America.
Kim went on to win the title five more times over the next decade (three years of which were spent in WWE) before the Canadian announced her impending retirement. Gail Kim said that she would retire at Bound for Glory 2017, but not before competing for the Knockouts Championship one last time.
The heart of the matter
The match was initially supposed to be a Fatal 4-Way, but Taryn Terrel's decision to leave the company meant that Sienna was to defend her title against Kim and Allie in a triple threat match.
The champion dominated the early part of the match before the usual three-way chaos kicked into high gear. Sienna went to hit Allie with her AK-47 finishing move, only to subsequently be hit with an Eat Defeat from the second rope. Three counts of the referee's hand later, and Gail Kim is your new Impact Knockouts Champion.
What's next?
The triple threat match at Bound for Glory 2017 was billed as Gail Kim's last bout in an Impact ring, so one can only presume that the Impact Knockouts Championship will now be held up. Kim deserved an emotional and celebratory send-off, and it doesn't get any more emotional and celebratory than winning a title in your home state.
Author's take
Big congratulations to Gail Kim on her seventh Knockouts Championship, and I hope she enjoys every second of her well-earned retirement. What not for the Knockouts Championship? Kim leaves the division in safe hands, with Allie, Rosemary, Taya, Sienna and others waiting to do battle over the prestigious championship.
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