Awesome Kong and TNA Part Ways?

[Kenny Powers]

Awesome Kong has apparently been granted her release from TNA Wrestling.

She posted on Twitter that she wanted to thank Dixie Carter and all of the TNA employees for wishing her the best in her future endeavors.

She noted: I'd like to thank @tnaDixie and all of the employees at TNA for wishing me the very best in my future endeavors.

TNA has yet to confirm the release. However, she did ask for her release a while back, so it's possible that the company obliged that request. She is still listed on the TNA roster page at last check.

Source: prowrestling.net

I guess I'm not surprised that Kong has left since she has pleaded for her release from TNA for quite a while now. It's a shame too because she had a lot to offer the Knockouts division. We know that Bubba coming into TNA hasn't helped matters with Kong with the fights and harassment on Bubba's radio show. Recently Kong received some racist hate filled prank calls from a caller claiming to be Bubba.

Bubba stated that it was not the case. The last thing we heard was that Kong and Bubba patched things up and Hogan tried to convince Kong to stay. I guess that is not the case if this story is true. What do you think the future holds for Kong? What should she do next? Do you think TNA could of used her better? Why or Why Not?

 

[Poɘt]

Man this really sucks. As much as I've enjoyed TNA since Hogan, I'm really not liking his people (Bubba) messing up the chemistry within the locker room. Kong was a big part of the KO division, and now I'm beginning to wonder if the whole division is on life support, considering how much less we see of them (though than can change once they go Mondays).

I wonder where this leaves Hamada. I really hope this doesn't lead to her leaving as well. Though I had also heard that Kong wasn't happy with her pay, so maybe there's more to her leaving than just Bubba. I'd like to hope so.

 

[Lisa Kario]

I shorta saw this coming because Awesome Kong asked to be released and finally it happened. I will miss seeing Awesome Kong in TNA but the question is...where will she wrestle now?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

While Kong's conduct towards Bubba might seem unprofessional on the surface, I don't know what the whole story was. Bubba is a professional dick, it's what shock jocks are supposed to be, so who knows exactly what was said to set Kong off. Everybody does have their breaking point, however. Hogan and Bubba were joking about her on Bubba's show a while back and I think, though I won't say for certain, that one or both of them made jokes about Kong being on her period. Just some pretty disrespectful stuff really. If Hogan isn't all that fond of you, he's been known to say so on Bubba's show. As far as Dixie Carter goes, Hogan's word is all but law in TNA and Kong had to feel disrespected by Hogan. So, it was just a matter of time really.

It's a shame that it had to happen this way and I think this will just hurt the Knockout division even more. Kong really made the Knockout division stand out in my view. While I certainly have nothing against scantily clad women with great bodies, it's nice to see someone on the roster that doesn't look like a professional pole dancer. Kong gave some credibility to the Knockout division and her departure is going to knock TNA's women's division down further than it already is right now.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

She put her hands on another employee, and deserved to get fired for it – whether you agree with what Bubba said or not. You can't walk around punching everyone who you don't agree with simply because you don't agree with them – especially those you work with and then expect not to get fired for it (at the very least).

To be quite honest, I'm glad she's gone. IMO her character has run it's course anyway. I'm tired of watching "David v. Goliath" over and over every PPV when Kong goes after someone four times smaller than her.

This gives Tara and ODB the opportunity to become the top dog in the division.

The real question, IMO, is what happens to the TNA Women's Tag Team Championships now?

 

[GenMe]

WOW this really sucks, Awesome Kong had become a top KO in TNA. This really sucks but i guess that she is of better without TNA. She was having to much problems with them hopefully some how we could see her in the E. Do you think Kong will some how end up in WWE? If that will happend, now the Divas will have a tought females and some competition.

what will Hamada do now that Kong is gone, They were still the KO Champions hopefully they dont take the strap away from her. She should just find another KO to be her partner.

 

[Svengoolie]

Glad to see her go! All she really had going for her is being a big scary black girl, which is ok for a while but she already ran her course. She already dominated the women's division as champion and then they got to that point where they had to "screw" her to let other girls start winning. There's only so much you can do with a character like that. It's no different than people like Mark Henry or Khali.

Besides that, she really seems to have lost her mind. The attack on Bubba was completely ridiculous and can't just be swept under the table. You gotta have some issues to attack a coworker like that rather than bitching them. She could have made an ass out of Bubba in front of everyone and instead she ruined her career.

I don't know where this video is, but Bubba played something on his show that was her lying on her bed and rambling like a psycho. I guess it was after her grandpa (I believe) passed away and she talked about how he was always there to get her out of trouble and now after this incident, he's not around. We only heard audio of course, but it was pretty disturbing the way she was talking. Maybe someone else knows where to find it.\

Then to file a lawsuit against Bubba and claim that he called and threatened her while being racist is the last straw. You know it didn't happen. Bubba may be a redneck but he's no idiot and he would never do that. It's just the race card thrown in because it's hard to battle against that.

I think it's best for TNA trying to find a new audience and for her own mental health that Kong gets out of it for the time being.

 

[Poɘt]

what will Hamada do now that Kong is gone, They were still the KO Champions hopefully they dont take the strap away from her. She should just find another KO to be her partner.

I heard a rumor that Dixie Carter liked Sara Del Rey (of RoH/Shimmer). Del Rey would be a suitable replacement for Kong since she's pretty powerful herself. I'm with you in just hoping this doesn't lead to Hamada being stripped or worst, gone altogether.

 

[psykohurricane]

First of all if that's true, i'm sad to see her go since she was bringing something different to the knockout division. Now having said that, i'm happy for her in a way, sure am going to miss her but let's face it, the isn't a place for the knockout division in this version of TNA and there isn'T a place for somebody like Kong. Ever since she won the Tag title belts with Hamada, how many time have you seen them wrestles on IMPACT. I think once and it was a six woman tag and Kong barely got any ring time.

So the time where the knockout division was a use deal and was getting as much exposure as the men's division is over, Kong will be better off going back to Japan or the independant scene, at less her paid will be better then what she had in TNA and she not going to be disrespected like she was the last couple of month.

 

[wrestling fan 666]

Kong will definitely be missed. I wasn't sure if the whole Bubba thing was a shoot or was it controversy equals ratings type things. It all seemed too strange and it's sad that Kong's career in TNA had to end on such crappy terms. The Knockouts will definitely be effected by such a major talent gone.

As far as Hamada, I'm not sure if her tenure with the company is coming to an end as well. Last I heard, she was out with an injury. I just don't know if the writing staff have any story lines for her. I hope they don't lose her, but you never know.

 

[Mr Jones]

She put her hands on another employee, and deserved to get fired for it – whether you agree with what Bubba said or not. You can't walk around punching everyone who you don't agree with simply because you don't agree with them – especially those you work with and then expect not to get fired for it (at the very least).

To be quite honest, I'm glad she's gone. IMO her character has run it's course anyway. I'm tired of watching "David v. Goliath" over and over every PPV when Kong goes after someone four times smaller than her.

This gives Tara and ODB the opportunity to become the top dog in the division.

The real question, IMO, is what happens to the TNA Women's Tag Team Championships now?

Let's be real.

You're happy that Kong may be released because you will do anything to protect Bubba the Love Sponge. It's all good when he says that type of garbage on the radio, but when someone calls him out on it, you want to pull the "She shouldn't put his hands on a fellow employee card."

As far as ODB goes, her character had ran her course. TNA waited too late to put the Knockouts title on her when Gail Kim walked and Tara's time in the sport has came and went.

Your boy Hogan ruined the woman's division by sticking up for your man-crush as opposed of doing what's right for the business and he's about to ruin TNA with the blessing of Dixie.

Oh, it's real.

IT'S DAMN REAL!

 

[fromthepit]

Not to be cold hearted or ill willed but, maybe the fact that Kong has seemingly lost her mind in reality. Maybe she was not released and just wanted to thank everyone due to having plans of moving on to the suicide option. I have read posts she has made in various forums on the net and she is genuinely disturbed in her head. People that live, love and breath the wrestling business can become fatally devastated emotionally when they realize they were dumb enough to screw up their career by resolving an issue by being a child about it. I would have fired her on the spot and black listed her. She was on thin ice and very lucky to be around as long as she was after she went childish on Bubba. BTW fuck Bubba he is a bitch ass punk so I am not sticking up for him or what he said. Bye Kong you deserve to be fired if you didnt do the cowardly thing.

 

[jaxx]

Mr. Jones I couldn't agree with you more. Its funny how all these Bubba marks are glad that kong is gone or making excuses for his behavior. What kong did by beating Bubba's ass was wrong, but understandable, and she was suspended for it, rightfully so. Now, from a business standpoint this is a huge loss and if you love the k.o. division this is not a good sign.

Like or not kong is a top talent and once again a whole has been left in the k.o. division with a top talent leaving. Yes i know the division has Tara, but honestly at 39 and wanted to do mma, you can't really focus the division around her. We also don't know hamada's situation, how much longer is she gonna be with the company? These two women are the top 2 talents left with daffney, sarita, taylor, angelina. This is what happens when you once again let top talents like kong and Alissa flash walk away.

I am very afraid for the k.o. division, because at least with kong and even alissa it wasn't your typical womens division. One k.o. i did forget about is Roxxi, who i know is hurt, but she can also carry the divison imo, but tna will screw her over again or let her walk just like the others. I'm really gonna miss awesome kong and the diversity she brings to the ring.

 

[Mr Jones]

Not to be cold hearted or ill willed but, maybe the fact that Kong has seemingly lost her mind in reality. Maybe she was not released and just wanted to thank everyone due to having plans of moving on to the suicide option. I have read posts she has made in various forums on the net and she is genuinely disturbed in her head. People that live, love and breath the wrestling business can become fatally devastated emotionally when they realize they were dumb enough to screw up their career by resolving an issue by being a child about it. I would have fired her on the spot and black listed her. She was on thin ice and very lucky to be around as long as she was after she went childish on Bubba. BTW fuck Bubba he is a bitch ass punk so I am not sticking up for him or what he said. Bye Kong you deserve to be fired if you didnt do the cowardly thing.

Here comes another BTLS fanboy.

You're not fooling anyone with those comments, much less me. You're just trying to justify Bubba's "Fuck Haiti" comments, but at the same time slam him for being, in your words, "a bitch ass punk." Then, you try to be slick and say some garbage about Kong being a child. That's the type of condescending garbage that Bubba says on his radio show every week. There is no doubt in anybody's mind that Bubba is the problem and Hogan protected his friend. Dixie is no better. She will not stand up for her employees and let Hogan and Bischoff run amok.

As I stated earlier, It was all good when Bubba said that crap on the radio, but when he was confronted about it, he bitched out.

 

[info62]

Let's be real.

You're happy that Kong may be released because you will do anything to protect Bubba the Love Sponge. It's all good when he says that type of garbage on the radio, but when someone calls him out on it, you want to pull the "She shouldn't put his hands on a fellow employee card."

As far as ODB goes, her character had ran her course. TNA waited too late to put the Knockouts title on her when Gail Kim walked and Tara's time in the sport has came and went.

Your boy Hogan ruined the woman's division by sticking up for your man-crush as opposed of doing what's right for the business and he's about to ruin TNA with the blessing of Dixie.

Oh, it's real.

IT'S DAMN REAL!

I know that this comment was not directed for me, but now there's two comments you replied to and claimed that these people were just marks for BTLS, simply because they both said that Kong was not in the right.

Kong had every right to call him out on it... but not by assaulting him! You're trying to justify her assaulting a coworker. She deserved to be released right there, screw the suspension. You cannot go around punching people because you don't like what they say. I thought what Bubba said was very dickish too, and I hate the guy, but I wouldn't have attacked him because I would want to keep my job.

And I'd also just like to add that I agree that I was getting bored of the David vs Goliath feuds that always came with Kong - not necessarily her fault, but that's what we were seeing over and over again, since she was the only 'monster' of the women's division. As much as I appreciated her unique look, I did not enjoy the feuds Kong was in, so I'm not too upset with her departure

 

[Pepe Silvia]

I have a slight problem with Kong in singles action. No woman should be able to beat her. EVER. She's like a female version of Bam Bam. She's fast, strong as hell, her moves seem so fluid and strong, and she's just bigger than her opponents... Disregarding calling her fat. Chick's tall too.

This is why I was thrilled to see her in the tag team division. In a 2 on 1 situation, if Kong loses it doesn't look like she's weak. If Hamada lost, Kong wouldn't look weak. The comparison would be that of Morgan losing to Alex Shelley, or Khali losing to Zack Ryder. It's nothing against the other talent, it's just... so unrealistic.

I really hope this is one of those Russo swerves. I want to see Kong come back and wrestle some guys. If people can put aside the sexism it'll lead to some great matches.

 

[[email protected]]

I have two things to say about this..1 if Bubba the douche bag hadnt have let his crocodile mouth override his hummingbird ass we probably wouldnt be having this debate and 2 if kong doesnt like whats going on now,imagine how shes gonna feel in a wwe locker room especially with their divas ,more back stabbing,dealing with more clique members as well as mcmahons latest member of his kiss my ass club Dave Batista...Bubba doesnt even belong anywhere near a TNA card especially if all he does is look down on everyone because hes Hogans buddy...Well look at it like this Hogan,If you truly care as much about Tna as you profess and truly represent it,then everytime your lame ass DJ disses the wrestlers that work there hes dissing you right along with them..with friends like bubba,who needs enemies..P.S. Kong,avoid WWE like its the great plague

 

[Matrix]

Neither Bubba or Kong are innocent in this mess, Bubba made the comments that obviously caused Kong to lash out, Bubba then made other comments, and by the looks of things TNA wanted to try and make it an angle...It is a shame Kong is gone, if she is indeed gone, but I also believe that Bubba making the comments should have earned a punishment to him, if they have indeed done so.

Kong shouldn't have put her hands on him, and she probably realised she was in the wrong for doing so, and asked for her release, but if Bubba has been indeed harassing her like her lawsuit claims he should be let go as well. Friendship and free promotion aside you cannot keep that up.

I admit I do not like Bubba, but, as a fan of Kong's work I do know she did wrong in touching him like she did, and believe a suspension might have been the way to go with that, unless she has had a history of wanting to knock out people in the company that pissed her off.

But she was also pissed off about the fact two other women were getting better pay in the company then she was as well. That could have also been a reason she wanted to leave. Who knows? It's a crazy sad tale.

 

[Pedro08]

I know that this comment was not directed for me, but now there's two comments you replied to and claimed that these people were just marks for BTLS, simply because they both said that Kong was not in the right.

Kong had every right to call him out on it... but not by assaulting him! You're trying to justify her assaulting a coworker. She deserved to be released right there, screw the suspension. You cannot go around punching people because you don't like what they say. I thought what Bubba said was very dickish too, and I hate the guy, but I wouldn't have attacked him because I would want to keep my job.

And I'd also just like to add that I agree that I was getting bored of the David vs Goliath feuds that always came with Kong - not necessarily her fault, but that's what we were seeing over and over again, since she was the only 'monster' of the women's division. As much as I appreciated her unique look, I did not enjoy the feuds Kong was in, so I'm not too upset with her departure

Let's be real and not act like this is the first time there has been an altercation backstage between 2 wrestlers. What Kong did WAS wrong and she was suspended for it, but she should not have been fired for it. If that were the case, then The Big Show should have been fired last year for getting into a fight with The Great Khali backstage at an event.

There are tons of stories of wrestlers getting into fight backstage and rarely are people fired for it. The same this happens in sports all the time. Teammates are always getting into fights and they are usually fined, or suspended, but are rarely kicked out. That usually happens when there has been some serious bodily injury, which apparently Bubba did not suffer.

Now if this were a regular office situation I would probably feel different, but it wasn't. Does this mean that there is a double standard, probably, but each situation is different and to throw a general blanket over everything is just wrong. That's how you end up with cases where grade school kids are suspended for bringing a toy gun that belonged to a Lego figure to school

 

[K_VonFong]

Why the TNA Knockout Division Will Soon Become Irrelevant

If TNA loses Awesome Kong then TNA loses the Knockout Division. It's as simple as that.

Kong was really the glue that held the division together. She is the real draw in the Knockout Division. ODB, Tara, the Beautiful People....they're all great, but they only add depth to a division that's built its strength through Awesome Kong. She helped to give legitamcy to women's wrestling in TNA. She actually puts on good matches and makes the Knockout division watchable. The Knockout Division was FAR superior to the WWE Divas and it gave TNA at least one sure-fire competitive advantage, something they desperately need.

Do you really have any interest in watching Tara vs anyone? Can Angelina Love or ODB carry an entire division by themselves? TNA is trying to prove that, but in my eyes they're only headed towards failure. I understand that the "David vs Goliath" angle was getting repetitive, but also understand that a majority of wrestling angles are essentially variations of the "david vs goliath" or "underdog vs topdog" plotline.

They could have (and would have, hopefully) done a lot of stuff to keep Kong fresh. For instance, an angle where Kong develops a romantic crush on someone (perhaps Borash would be comical), but doesnt know what do about it. Afterall, Kong is a killer, not a lover. So, the Beautful People take Kong under their wing and give her an Awesome Makeover. Essentially the Beautiful People soften up Kong (much like Abyss), and suddenly she's not interested in killing people in the ring anymore or winning matches, just trying to look pretty. Meanwhile, the Beautiful People put their plan into effect, distracting Kong and taking all the titles. This would give Kong heel/face heat at the same time, as people would dislike her change, but also root for her to become the "monster" again. And when she finally does revolt against the Beautiful People it would be a huge face turn, not to mention a fun, creative, and interesting angle for their KO division.

Alas, sadly this day will never come. TNA is making a huge mistake by not doing all they can to keep Kong. When I first began paying attention to TNA a couple years ago (I took a small break from wrestling, missing the first few years of TNA) one of my biggest surprises was how I actually enjoyed watching their KO division. Gail Kim vs Kong - those were great, entertaining, matches - and not just for women, they were fun matches to watch, better than a lot of the matches put on by their male counterparts. I ACTUALLY DIDNT FEEL COMPELLED TO TURN THE CHANNEL WHEN A WOMEN'S MATCH CAME ON. I ACTUALLY BEGAN TO LOOK FORWARD TO WATCHING THE WOMEN WRESTLE AND WATCH THEIR SEGMENTS. I COULD BARELY BELIEVE IT, BUT IT WAS TRUE. Now? It's back to channel surfing when the women are on. Too bad.

Here's what it boils down to I think. Are the current Knockouts good enough wrestlers that you actually want to watch their matches? Are the current Knockouts SO compelling in the ring that the WWE Divas cant compete with them by simply using their pretty faces and good looks? Without Kong there is no competive advantage. The Knockout Division will simply become a copy of the Diva division, but with slightly better wrestling, instead of actually being a viable, legit, and superior alternative. Again, too bad.

Oh, and one more thing. I understand that Kong shouldn't have sucker punched Bubba (should have hit him with a chair instead) and that it wasn't an appropriate response to what Bubba probably said to her. BUT come on, it's the pro wrestling industry. Shat happens, its a physical environment, they're not working at a daycare. I'm sure there have been many instances in the industry where two wrestler get into a physical altercation over some disagreement, but we probably don't hear about it and it just gets swept under the rug. We only hear about the big ones, like if somebody stabs another person with a pair of scissors or some crazy thing like that.

The main thing is that Bubba is a moron and he's only hurting TNA. By choosing Bubba over Kong, TNA is making a big mistake. But I'm sure it won't be the last mistake we see them make.

 

[info62]

Let's be real and not act like this is the first time there has been an altercation backstage between 2 wrestlers. What Kong did WAS wrong and she was suspended for it, but she should not have been fired for it. If that were the case, then The Big Show should have been fired last year for getting into a fight with The Great Khali backstage at an event.

There are tons of stories of wrestlers getting into fight backstage and rarely are people fired for it. The same this happens in sports all the time. Teammates are always getting into fights and they are usually fined, or suspended, but are rarely kicked out. That usually happens when there has been some serious bodily injury, which apparently Bubba did not suffer.

Now if this were a regular office situation I would probably feel different, but it wasn't. Does this mean that there is a double standard, probably, but each situation is different and to throw a general blanket over everything is just wrong. That's how you end up with cases where grade school kids are suspended for bringing a toy gun that belonged to a Lego figure to school

I would agree with you on that she only should have been suspended, IF this really were an altercation between two wrestlers. It was not. BTLS is not a wrestler. As far as I know he is not an athlete at all. To me that makes it a lot more serious, especially since BTLS, even though I strongly dislike him, had no real way of fighting back since it was a woman that attacked him.

Also, the difference from the Show/Khali situation and this one is that, as far as I know, they had an actual fight over something like stealing each other's wrestling moves. BTLS got attacked by Kong out of nowhere (according to him at least), for comments he made OUTSIDE of the Impact Zone. Imagine just walking into work and getting attacked because of something you said on the internet. I still stand by what I said that BTLS is a jerk, but he still shouldn't have been attacked like that. Because of this I think Kong was definitely in the wrong in this situation. I wouldn't hold negative feelings against her since she did apologize for it and I can understand why she was so angry, but ultimately I think it was right for her to leave the company for what she did.

 

[Mr Jones]

I know that this comment was not directed for me, but now there's two comments you replied to and claimed that these people were just marks for BTLS, simply because they both said that Kong was not in the right.

Kong had every right to call him out on it... but not by assaulting him! You're trying to justify her assaulting a coworker. She deserved to be released right there, screw the suspension. You cannot go around punching people because you don't like what they say. I thought what Bubba said was very dickish too, and I hate the guy, but I wouldn't have attacked him because I would want to keep my job.

And I'd also just like to add that I agree that I was getting bored of the David vs Goliath feuds that always came with Kong - not necessarily her fault, but that's what we were seeing over and over again, since she was the only 'monster' of the women's division. As much as I appreciated her unique look, I did not enjoy the feuds Kong was in, so I'm not too upset with her departure

C'mon, son.

Do you actually read posts or do you skim through them?

I simply said that it was all good when Bubba was saying that garbage on the radio, but when he is actually confronted about the things he says, he backs down and here you are again trying to play the "She shouldn't put his hands on a fellow employee card" and you're still trying to protect BTLS.

And it's only in wrestling to do the right thing and put Bubba in check for that bullshit.

Something that doesn't happen today....mofos don't want to be seen as haters...so nothing gets critiqued.

BTLS was a marketing scheme that backfired for TNA and Hogan is trying to save face instead of doing the right thing.

Which is firing his ass.

 

[info62]

C'mon, son.

Do you actually read posts or do you skim through them?

I simply said that it was all good when Bubba was saying that garbage on the radio, but when he is actually confronted about the things he says, he backs down and here you are again trying to play the "She shouldn't put his hands on a fellow employee card" and you're still trying to protect BTLS.

And it's only in wrestling to do the right thing and put Bubba in check for that bullshit.

Something that doesn't happen today....mofos don't want to be seen as haters...so nothing gets critiqued.

BTLS was a marketing scheme that backfired for TNA and Hogan is trying to save face instead of doing the right thing.

Which is firing his ass.

I don't understand why you think it's a "She shouldn't put his hands on a fellow employee card"... I didn't know that it was a "card" to have the common sense to not create a hostile environment at work

There's nothing wrong with people critiquing each other. There is something wrong with attacking each other. There's a major difference between those two things.

I agree with you that BTLS is a failure, and that the fans dislike him, and that he should leave... but that is for a different thread. I still think TNA should have not kept around a wrestler who decides to repeatedly punch someone for inappropriate comments he made, no matter how much of an asshole he is.

She did apologize though, so maybe some time in the future she could make a return to the company. Hopefully not until after BTLS is gone though

 

[eurunks]

Ok for a disapproving comment like hey Kong your ass is fat in them jeans that would be overboard if she hit him. The dude said fuck hatiti! now they are very few words that can lead to automatic ass whipping that's one of them. Fuck a nation that our bums in the US compared to them are probably middle class? For me the only problem I have is that Kong sucker punched him so he says. Suspended hey even if I was running the company I would have to do it to her. Let's remember she asked to be released bubba makes to love goats. Really who in the hell is he??? Not being funny just don't knwo who he is.

 

[Tastycles]

Enough has been said about the Kong-Bubba situation, and I don't really care, and none of us were there, so I'm just going to talk about Kong. This could be a blessing in disguise for TNA. Kong suffered from monsterheelitis. This is when a monster heel comes along and crushes everyone, only to be stopped. When that happens, you don't really have anywhere to go with them, so they get turned face. If they succeed, then Undertaker and Kane happens, if they don't, and they usually don't, then Yokozuna happens.

Kong had an abortive face turn, so they had to turn her heel again, but then what? She's already been the dominant diva, so now what? This is why they kept Chyna away from the women in WWE. Kong could have proven to be a real creatie headache for TNA, and while they have lost a good worker, it certainly isn't going tocause any real problem for them.