TNA Bound for Glory 2011: Why Winter Will Reign in the Knockouts Title Match

At TNA’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view, current Knockouts Champion Winter will defend her title in a four way match against Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Madison Rayne.

Notably, all the challengers qualified for the bout during new Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett’s “Queen’s Qualifier” tournament, seen by many as an attempt from the new booking regime to endow the much-beleaguered TNA women’s division with some desperately needed credibility

Facing off against the division’s top competitors, it’s a tough test for Winter (real name: Katarina Waters) who regained the belt from perennial foe Mickie James in a good match at last month’s No Surrender event, after some sneaky shenanigans (in a rather eye-rolling segment, which marred what had until that point been decent in-ring action, Winter blinded Mickie’s by spurting some ridiculous fake blood into her eyes, leading Winter being able to take get the pin on her fallen opponent). 

Regardless of how bad this may look on paper, though, we reckon everyone’s favourite vampire lesbian will defy the odds and emerge triumphant from TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the year.

You may ask, Why?

Well, firstly, there’s the fact that the charismatic, mysterious Winter happens to be the most wacky, interesting female villain in wrestling in ages, and her character is only just starting to get into her groove. 

An invisible ghost, a lesbian stalker, a vampire, a time-traveller, a voodoo drug-peddler—yes, whatever the manic TNA creative team throws at her, Katarina Waters can do it all. No matter how crazy or downright bizarre.

In part thanks to her dexterity as a performer, Winter is a three-dimensional personality and is absolutely bursting with personality unlike most of the beauties in WWE and TNA who are marketed mainly on their sex appeal and often come across as vacuous and bland as a result. 

Interestingly, while her lack of breast implants and Barbie-doll good looks greatly damaged her career in WWE (who reportedly refrained from pushing her during her stint with them because she didn’t fit the diva mold), in the more open-minded TNA, her unique look and posh English accent has greatly aided her and ensured she stands out from the pack.  

TNA management, mindful of the success they have had with her, may be reluctant to switch the title to any of the more one-dimensional performers in the women’s division (Let’s be honest: apart from parading around in skimpy clothing and bitchily hurling offensive and sexists insults at every other woman in the division, what exactly do Velvet Sky or Madison Rayne do these days?) 

There’s also the fact that KO belt desperately needs to be kept away from the perpetual Karen Jarrett drama. Since taking over as VP President of the KO Division—a highly prestigious and coveted job, we’re told—the conceited Karen has been sucking up airtime that could be going to actual female wrestlers (like ODB or Jackie, neither of whom have been seen in weeks) and been engaging in petty cat fights with Traci and Velvet. Madison Rayne, TNA’s most pushed female star of 2010, has been reduced to the role of sidekick, and she constantly sucks up to her new boss in various cringe worthy backstage and in-ring segments. Make no mistake about it: these days, the division is all about Mrs Jarrett as her ego overshadows everyone around her and takes centre stage.  

Indeed, in recent weeks the bookers seemed to have been building up to a Karen vs. Traci grudge match at Bound for Glory, which would be fine—except that match isn’t even on the card.

Winter has, for the most part, managed to step out of the long shadow Karen is casting over the division (she’s probably just too damn weird for Karen to attempt to boss around). Indeed, the KO title is best left out of The Karen Jarrett Show, and for this reason, if nothing else, Winter retaining on Sunday is the correct choice. Hopefully the new booking team, led by Bruce Prichard, can figure this out, too.