Gail Kim Talks TNA Bound for Glory, WWE Dream Matches and Long-Term Future

At the 2016 edition of the TNA Bound for Glory pay-per-view, one of the biggest stars to watch will be wrestling legend Gail Kim.

Not only will Kim be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame—the first woman to receive the honor—but she will also be challenging Maria Kanellis-Bennett for the Knockouts Championship in an effort to tie the all-time record of six title reigns.

In a recent interview promoting Bound for Glory on Oct. 2 and Impact Wrestling each Thursday on Pop TV, Kim spoke to Ring Rust Radio about the upcoming PPV, possible dream matches she’d love to participate in against current WWE Superstars and her long-term future in the wrestling industry.

Bound for Glory is TNA’s biggest PPV event of the year, and Kim is involved in one of the most important storylines heading into the show. After months of Maria doing everything in her power to keep Kim away from the title, the TNA legend finally gets her chance at payback:

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In terms of my match with Maria, casual fans may know us from our WWE days even though she hasn’t really wrestled a lot since then. I think the people who have been watching the storyline will be so looking forward to the moment when I finally get her in the ring. It honestly has been almost eight months in the making to finally get in the ring with her. To have the title has always been special to me, and I would love to win the championship. For me it’s more about getting her in the ring on that day, and I think everyone just wants to see me give her a major beatdown. I am really looking forward to it.

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Kim has faced some of the most talented women in the world during her run with Impact Wrestling, but there is a whole new generation of female athletes coming up right now who would make for interesting opponents for the veteran.

TNA has some of the brightest young stars in the world, but the women’s revolution in WWE led by the four horsewomen—Charlotte, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks—is making serious waves and catching the attention of people like Kim.

When asked about who she would most like to step in the ring against in the future, Kim spoke honestly about the mix of veterans and new Superstars who would be ideal challengers:

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Most of them are from my past like Beth Phoenix. She is probably—from my recollection—the best person I have been in the ring with from a worker’s point of view. She is always so calm and collected and really knew what she was doing in the ring. She was a great leader as well. Beth, Nattie and Alicia Fox are probably my top three. There are so many girls that are really talented like Sasha Banks and Bayley. I have been lucky enough to work with many generations of girls, so every time you see someone really talented you get that urge to make some magic with that girl. There are definitely a couple of girls I would still like to work with.

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At 39 years old, Kim’s long career in the wrestling industry is inevitably coming to a close, so there isn’t much time left to make all of these dream matches happen. Fans would love to see her square off against a whole new generation of female performers, and an eventual return to WWE for one last run would be a dream come true for many people.

As for where Kim sees her career going moving forward, she is aware of the time she has already spent in the business and the impact it had on her body. Like many of the top stars, Kim wants to walk away before her age begins to impact her performance.

Kim was very candid about retirement and her plans after she steps away from the ring:

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A lot of people have been asking that. I am almost 40 years old. I am grateful to have been in this business for 16 years, which not a lot of women can say they have been fortunate to do that kind of run that many years in a row. I would say in the next couple of years, I will have to retire. I have always said that I will retire when my body starts giving out on me. I would never want the fans to see me deteriorate in performance at any time. I am such a perfectionist that I wouldn’t want them to see me lose a step. I always said when that day comes, I am going to retire. In terms of future plans, I would like to work behind the scenes and help the girls build their division even more. I want to see the next generation be as successful as I was.

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With Kim’s career in its twilight, wrestling fans should be tuning in to Bound for Glory to see her likely capturing her sixth Knockouts championship and being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.

There are several new knockouts in Impact Wrestling who can still push Kim to her limits—namely Jade, Sienna, Allie and Marti Bell—and the remainder of her time in TNA should be filled with elite matchups and entertaining storylines.

Even when she does eventually hang up her boats, Kim’s impact on the wrestling industry will not stop, as she will likely make an amazing coach for the next generation of female Superstars making their impact on the industry.

Regardless of when her career is over, Kim still has plenty left in the tank and will look to steal the show at Bound for Glory by winning the Knockouts Championship and becoming the first female inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).