TNA Knockouts Korner #2: Worthy of Gold?

Since Gail Kim was crowned the first Knockout Champion in October 2007, three different women have held the gold.

Awesome Kong became the first two-time champion, beating both Kim and Taylor Wilde for the belt. She currently holds the gold strap.

With Kim gone to WWE (where she has yet to debut), the Knockouts Division has been left in an awkward place, and things haven't seemed the same.

But despite what many critics say, there are plenty of women on the TNA roster capable of holding the belt. Following is a look at 15 knockouts on the roster, their chances of holding championship gold and what it will take for them to reach the top of the division. Excluded are Karen Angle and Lauren Brooke.

Awesome Kong

Awesome Kong has been a dominant force in the TNA Knockouts Division since its inception.

After beating Gail Kim to become the company's second women's champion, Kong embarked on a path of destruction, destroying every woman (and some men) who crossed her path.

She dropped the belt to Taylor Wilde as part of her open challenge, but she managed to win the title back on TNA's first-ever live show from Las Vegas.

Since October, she's continued to dominate, but lately injuries have caused Kong some problems and she may need time off, which means she may drop the belt soon.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: Technically, the answer is 100 percent because Kong already holds the belt. Our score will instead by 90 percent, the chances she will drop the belt but become a three-time champion by the end of the year.

ODB

Since her TNA debut as a heel knockout, ODB has caught the attention of the fans and made the natural transition to top babyface status.

With her gimmick as a loudmouthed, flask-chugging, self-touching maniac, ODB has climbed the ladder to being one of the most recognized faces of the Knockouts Division.

Her popularity, however, hasn't managed to turn into a title reign, as she's fallen victim to Awesome Kong on multiple occasions. Her last match at Against All Odds was cut short because of Kong's ongoing injuries, but management didn't want to make the title switch.

ODB is more than capable of carrying the division on her shoulders, and there is no shortage of heels to challenge if she had the belt. ODB has done what she can to make her way to the top of the women's division, and now management needs to take the leap of faith and put the strap on her.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 95 percent

Roxxi

To put it bluntly, TNA management has flat out failed with Roxxi.

Roxxi made one of the most successful transitions from heel to babyface in recent memory, but there was no reward for her hard work and sacrifice.

A little more than a year ago, Roxxi was stuck with her "Voodoo Queen" gimmick and the fans weren't really connecting (possibly because she was paired with two wrestlers the audience couldn't have cared less about).

After being fired by the Voodoo Kin Mafia, Roxxi was offered a makeover by the Beautiful People, and hence began her face turn. The course of the turn saw Roxxi be determined as the number two knockout in the division behind ODB, compete in the first ever women's ladder match in televised wrestling, shave her head for the sake of the company and win the first ever Queen of the Cage match at Lockdown.

With all that behind her, Roxxi was apparently on the fast track to the title. But instead, she got beat by Awesome Kong and went on to be kind of forgotten for several weeks. Now, she's been promoted as the "hardcore knockout," which sees her swearing and acting tough.

Management dropped the ball on pushing Roxxi when the fans were the most behind her. The least they can do now is let her have a run with the belt, even if it is a little too late.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 90 percent

Taylor Wilde

Taylor Wilde burst onto the TNA scene as part of Awesome Kong's open fan challenge, and she made an instant impact.

Wilde challenged Kong for the Knockouts Championship and $25,000 and took Kong to the limit, but in the end, she joined the list of others who fell to the beast. But Wilde showed resiliency, showing up again and again until Kong accepted another challenge.

Wilde eventually beat Kong and captured the title. Her victory was predictable, but it was still exciting to watch a newcomer capture gold.

She showed skills in the ring, but never managed to really get over with the audience, possibly due to her sudden thrust to the top rather than being built up. Wilde dropped the belt back to Kong and has been mixed around since then.

Management needs to focus on building Wilde back up before giving her another run with the title. She could even be paired with a male wrestler or turn her into the "princess in distress" character and have Suicide be her masked hero. He looks like Spiderman, so he might as well have his own Mary Jane, right?

It's likely Wilde will find her way back to the top, but let's hope it's with the proper build this time. There are plenty of other babyfaces who can hold the top spot while she climbs.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 85 percent

Angelina Love

There was a time not too long ago that the Knockouts title would have seemed perfect around the waist of Angelina Love.

After a brief stint as a babyface upon joining the company, Love and her partner Velvet Sky were soon turned into heels and dubbed The Beautiful People. They drew unrivaled heel heat in women's wrestling, and Love seemed to be on top of the world.

She's put on good matches with Gail Kim, Taylor Wilde and Roxxi, and played a major role in Roxxi's loss in the "Makeover Battle Royal" at Sacrifice last year. She had all the momentum she would need to have a successful heel title run.

But it never materialized, and the next thing we knew, she and Sky were chasing around a fake Sarah Palin impersonator. As noted in the last edition of Knockouts Korner, that dropped the Beautiful People down quite a few notches.

But it wouldn't be hard to build Love back up into a legitimate heel contender and champion. Once the belt naturally finds its way to ODB, Roxxi or Wilde, Love needs to be back in contention. She deserves that much.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 75 percent

Christy Hemme

Christy Hemme may have been pushed a bit too hard after making a babyface turn, but don't count her out completely as a legitimate title contender.

After breaking apart from the Rock and Rave Infection (the now-released Jimmy Rave and Lance Rock), Hemme was pushed as the top babyface knockout on the roster, even earning a shot at Awesome Kong's title at Final Resolution last year.

She won by disqualification after being attacked by Rhaka Khan and Raisha Saeed and earned a rematch at Genesis. Both Kong and Hemme were injured and that match got put on the sidelines, to the joy of many fans who believed Hemme did not deserve the push she was receiving.

Hemme's push may have been a little rushed to try to use her recognizable name to replace Gail Kim as the top babyface. While she has improved her skills by training with A.J. Styles, Hemme still needs work and needs to be built up more.

When she returns from injury, she should seek further revenge against the Beautiful People, who were the people responsible for the attack that turned Hemme face to begin with. After some time feuding with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, she could enter the title hunt, but not win the number one contendership immediately.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 60 percent

Velvet Sky

Velvet Sky has benefited from her alliance with Angelina Love, but she has not been able to reach Love's level as of yet.

But don't get me wrong, Sky plays the role of sidekick to Love perfectly. It's exactly what she needs to be doing right now. She gets in the benefits when she needs them, earns the heel heat and helps grow the Beautiful People gimmick. Some may even go as far as to say Sky is the superior of the duo on the microphone.

Sky doesn't need to be competing for the Knockouts title; she should be helping Love win instead. But nevertheless, she stands a better chance that many of the women on the roster.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 50 percent

Madison Rayne

Madison Rayne just joined the TNA roster full-time, but she's already in a better position than some women to capture the Knockouts title.

Rayne's future will depend on what management decides to do with her from her. She could be given a slow build, with a chance to develop a character. In her first official Impact match this past week, it became difficult to distinguish between her and Taylor Wilde, an observation Mike Tenay and Don West even noted.

Rayne needs to opportunity to grow her fan base before she's rushed into the title hunt like Wilde was when she entered the company. She even has the looks that could make her a third female member of the Beautiful People if TNA wanted to turn her heel.

Maybe she could be used as a love interest of Cute Kip, which would introduce her to the group and make it clear that he's straight (if his character is even supposed to be).

I look for big things from this girl to come in the coming year or two.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 40%

Raisha Saeed

Stuck behind the mask and overplayed gimmick of Raisha Saeed is a Knockouts Champion waiting to be unveiled, but as long as the burka is in place, the hopes for gold are basically non-existent.

Saeed exists to be the mouthpiece of Awesome Kong and to do the job to babyface knockouts in tag team matches featuring her employer.

The sad thing is that the woman under the mask—who wrestles on the independent circuit as Cheerleader Melissa—is a Knockouts Champion in the making. She worked one match on Impact as the unmasked Melissa, and the internet wrestling community has been asking for more ever since.

In order to obtain gold, Saeed is going to have to convince TNA management to remove the mask and let he be herself. It would be great to see an angle where Saeed turns on Kong, unmasks as Melissa and wins the title, but that might seem a little far fetched considering how long the duo have been together.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 25 percent

Sojourner Bolt

Right now, Sojourner Bolt has been named the number one contender for Awesome Kong's Knockouts Title, but it's highly improbable that honor will translate to anything other than a generic face turn or a decent storyline.

The last edition of Knockout Korner featured an idea for how to proceed with Bolt's number one contendership, so if you'd like to see the idea, check out that column.

Being the number one contender may help give Bolt a rub, but it will not mean high-profile success for the young talent. She just needs to stick it out, learn what she can and improve. That's going to be her best way to the top, even if it is years away.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 10 percent

Rhaka Khan

At this point, Rhaka Khan should be happy to have a contract, let alone the Knockouts title.

Since debuting as one of Scott Steiner's "freaks," Khan has had a very unnoticeable tenure in TNA. She broke away from Steiner and then ally Petey Williams and even had a brief run as a babyface.

After less than a month as a face, she returned to being a heel, this time associating herself with Awesome Kong as part of the Kongtourage.

Khan can only hope she's getting a rub from being involved with Kong because she's not doing much on her own. She might be lucky to still be with TNA by December.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 10 percent

Traci Brooks

Traci Brooks seemed to have found a role that fit her well, but lately, TNA management appears to have forgotten that all together.

After being involved in a decent angle with Robert Roode and Payton Banks, Brooks found herself out on her own, not doing much of anything. Then came the cryptic talks between her and Jim Cornette.

The next thing we knew, Brooks was the "Knockout Law," assigned to keep order in the division. This position showed potential for Brooks, a veteran among the relatively young roster. She clashed heads with Awesome Kong, Raisha Saeed and the Beautiful People, but then she got lost in the shuffle.

The best thing for Brooks would be for a resurgence of the Knockout Law role and some heels who could stir up trouble that needs managing. Right now, the title should not be a focus for Brooks, even though she would be a worthy contender.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: 5 percent

Jacqueline

Jacqueline, a two-time WWE Women's Champion, is exactly where she needs to be in TNA.

While she could provide a veteran's guidance in the ring, Jackie is getting over well as the manager for Beer Money, Inc. Helping Beer Money defend their Tag Team titles is doing much more for her than floundering around in the Knockouts division would.

As long as she continues her heel tactics to help Robert Roode and James Storm win, she'll be doing us a service as a great valet and manager for a classic tag team.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: Less than 5 percent

So Cal Val

Last year, So Cal Val was the centerpiece of one of the hottest angles in TNA, but since then, her and her new lover have disappeared from television.

"Black Machismo" Jay Lethal and his best friend Sonjay Dutt engaged in a feud over Val's love. Lethal and Val were set to be married when Dutt ruined the wedding, expressing his love for Val.

The feud started out hot and ended up cold and dead, including a black tie chain and brawl match. After the feud, television segments were shown with Val and Dutt together in bed and gloating over their money, but since then, both have seemed absent from television.

Val's role in TNA has always been that of a valet, so she's not really in the title hunt, but she still needs to be more involved on television.

Chances to Hold Gold in 2009: zero percent

Sharmell

Much like Val and Jacqueline, Sharmell is in TNA to be a valet and a manager, a role she's played very well.

Recently, Sharmell also had a shot at backstage commentary when the Main Event Mafia took over Impact. She was surprisingly good on the microphone, and blew away her husband's over-exaggerated attempt at mocking Don West's commentary.

Sharmell continues to add another level to Booker T, and that's exactly what she needs to continue doing.

Chances of Holding Gold in 2009: zero percent