Picking the ten best Impact Knockouts in the company’s history

The women’s wrestling brand exploded in the mid-2000s in the US. While many point to the Divas of WWE as the catalyst for successful women’s wrestling, Impact’s Knockouts played a huge part.

Here are the ten best Knockout Champions to grace Impact Wrestling (in no particular order)

10. Gail Kim

Let’s start with the very first Knockout champion in Impact history–Gail Kim. She courageously gave up a promising WWE movie and Diva career for the young company. Before Gail Kim became a Knockout Champion, women were only eye candy or “managers” to Impact wrestlers. Gail burst into the scene with strong strikes, a hurricanrana, and athleticism like no one had seen. Her flagship match in 2007 with Awesome Kong cemented the legacy of the Knockouts Division.

9. Su Yung

Su Yung may look like your average goth persona, but the American wrestler brought something exciting to women’s wrestling. She had a creepy style that made her opponents treat her like she was the Undertaker. Her macabre of Japanese-styled death was thrilling. To cap it off, she’s a gifted technical cruiserweight.

8. Sienna

Sienna (AKA Allysin Kay) was a very fun competitor to watch. She was a pure heel and she played it to the extreme. Though her two championships in Impact were short, Sienna was the one wrestler you wanted to get vanquished by the face. She was a stone in the shoe and made the lives of the aspiring heroines a living pain.  Her role as the rich heiress had echoes of early Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

7. Madison Rayne

Impact proves that not every wrestler needs to come from the WWE. Madison Rayne’s persona, The Queen Bee, was built from the ground up when she got her start in Impact. As a five-time Knockouts champ and a Knockouts Tag champ, she held the prestigious title more than a majority of Knockouts. She worked her tail off as a face, a heel, and a commentator, proving that Knockouts could have a promising career in Impact.

6. Taya Valkyrie

Though she only won the Knockouts title once, Taya should be honored for carrying Impact on her shoulders when the company was crawling in the mid-2010s. When Impact was scraping along trying to make Johnny Impact and Alberto El Patron a thing, Taya and Tessa were having some killer matches. Unlike Tessa, Taya stayed with the company until she was ready to pass the torch to future Knockouts.

5. ODB

ODB became a Knockouts Champion in 2009, but before that she represented so much more. Knockouts and Divas were expected to look like models in the early 2000s. ODB flipped the script and became a surly, grunge-spitting, bad girl. She may not be welcome as a centerfold in Maxim, but she deserves a spot as an amazing wrestling personality in our hearts. As one of the early way-makers for the Knockouts Division, she created a path for women of all shapes and personalities.

4. Awesome Kong

Awesome Kong was a key player in the birth of the Knockouts Championship. She was considered the “Big Show” or “Brock Lesnar” of the division. She destroyed everyone who got in the ring with her, playing the chief antagonist against Gail Kim. Much like ODB, she normalized that Divas and Knockouts could be powerhouses that scared off jobbers. She is now destroying the competition of AEW, but Impact was her first big break.

3. Deonna Purrazzo

One might say it’s too early to put Deonna on the best list for Knockouts. She is just getting her feet wet in the company. Her mention on this list is important because she made an amazing rebound in her career. She was released by the WWE, but she flourished in Impact. Her first big match won her the title and it did not feel rushed at all. She would win the title again in a No DQ match against Su Yung. Just because the WWE didn’t see your talent it doesn’t mean your best years aren’t ahead of you.

2.  Laurel Van Ness

Laurel Van Ness? Are you crazy? She only held the title once for less than three months. Even though LVN would not make a lot of top ten lists for Knockouts, I think she deserves a place on this list for one reason. Her character work as the crazy jilted bride was the most entertaining Knockout arc I have seen. From the inception of the character at her wedding with Braxton Sutter to the matches that ensued, she has carried the character phenomenally. She was unpredictable, a walking hurricane, and very funny. Her bit was also proof that women wrestlers could have a wide variety of creative roles. Not every Diva and Knockout has to be catty and vain as their default setting.

1. Rosemary

Rosemary is to the Knockouts what AJ Styles was to the X-Division. Her dedication, hard work, and fresh brilliance created a whole new era in Impact women’s wrestling. Not only has she been a strong member of Decay, but she also elevated Taya, Allie, Jade, Jordynne Grace, and Su Yung in their careers. Impact let her shine and she rewarded the company with main event level matches. Look at the top 5 moments video below and you will know why she is one of the most coveted talents in women’s wrestling.

As women’s wrestling continues to take over the wrestling world, it’s important to remember that Impact has a talented and deep roster, that is putting on some of the best angles and matches the industry has to offer.