Tara is the *NEW* TNA Knockouts Champion; Future of Division?

[It's Damn Real!]

As per Bound For Glory tonight, Tara picked up the three-count via roll-up to yet again claim the TNA Knockouts Championship.

Following the match, there was a moment of dissension between Madison Rayne and Tara that was eventually broken up by special guest referee Mickie James who ended up giving Rayne quite a shot — potentially setting up a feud between the two if Rayne doesn't go after Tara over the win.

Thoughts over the future of the Knockouts division after tonight? Concerns? Non sequitur insults?

 

[Whippersnapper88]

I am a big fan of the knockouts division, but I pray it doesn't become WWE lite. Tara was okay, Mickie James is pushing it, but we need the non WWE knockouts (Taylor Wilde, The Beautiful People, et al...) to stay near the top of the division...

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I think that its a smart move by TNA to put the title on Tara as she is one of the best workers in the Division. I think a Feud between Tara and Mickie James can be fantastic and one I am looking forward to.

 

[ABMorales787]

TNA did the best move here if the idea is to give life to the Knockouts. Over the next few months, one should expect Angelina Love with Velvet vs Tara and Madison Rayne vs Mickie James. After that, James vs the Champion and from there onward the sky 's the limit. I really hate that the belt has been jumping from lady to lady over the past few months, but I think that the direction is a lot more firm now in the Knockouts. The more 1 on 1 feuds the better.

My only complaint is that we've already seen Tara (as Victoria) vs Mickie James.

 

[JJohns]

I can see why they brought in Mickie James, she gives name value to the division, but I honestly think that the Knockouts division is really starting to lack. We are seeing pretty much the same few Knockouts every week from what I've read. Here is a division with some great talent (Sarita, Hamada, Wilde) but they aren't being used that often. This is also a division that has a history of losing some of their top talent because of bad decisions (Kong, Melissa).

There was a time where the Knockout Division was relevant, that that time has passed, and now it's becoming a lame facsimile of WWE's Diva division.

 

[SpecialFNK]

Tara winning is meh/OK. I hope this does not set up a feud right now with Tara/Mickie James.
there were some interesting potential feuds I think this could have started.
maybe Velvet wins, pinning someone other than Angelina. Angelina could have been upset that she lost the belt without being pinned. however they are now the BP/new BFF, so that was unlikely.
if one of Velvet/Angelina won, you could have had Tara turn on Madison(or vice versa) and set them up with a feud after Madison brought Tara back.
maybe Madison wins. that setting up a feud with Mickie, who called Madison the champion on ReAction.
IMO the top 3 women in TNA are Angelina/Velvet/Madison. the Knockouts only really get one segment on Impact, to have some other than those 3 doesn't interest me. to have Tara involved with Mickie and not have one or more of Angelina/Velvet/Madison on Impact sucks!

 

[Spicytunahandroll]

It was nice to see Tara win the TNA KO title tonight, she is one of the better workers in female wrestling, so she will be able to hold her own and carry the others.

As for the future of the division, I think it is actually in a good place now, because there is story to all the main players in the division.

All you see is complaints from "fans" that the knockouts division is all about the blonde bimbos but if you look at the division now it really is a pretty diverse group of women who unlike WWE Divas can actually wrestle baring LVE and Cookie. The division is not made up of blonde stick figures anymore there are all different characters going at the moment.

TNA's KO division is fine cause you have Tara as the champion and then you have Angelina Love and Madison Rayne who are two of the top 10 female wrestlers in the world today. Then you have the newcomer Mickie James who also is one of the top wrestlers in the whole of female wrestling and is a LEGIT contender fro the title. Also you have Velvet Sky and Hamada and Taylor Wilde in really good spots right now and you have others like Daffney and Sarita who can slide into spots when needed. So yeah the division is perfectly fine right now and is the best womens division in any of the notable wrestling organizations going today.

I'm sure Tna is also looking at other KO's to bring in as they have looked at Katie Lea and Christina Von Eerie and have others coming in for tryouts in November. So if you don't like what TNA is putting out right now you are expecting way too much out of the division cause while the division is not as good as the Kong, Kim era it is sure pretty darn diverse and unique compare to other womens divisions and to TNA earlier in the year when they had their rash of firings and injuries that depleted the division.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I'm just glad the knockouts division can focus on something besides the beautiful people for once. Tara fighting Mickie James or James vs. Rayne could be good. Angelina Love will probably have a title shot first though. Its hard to get excited about a knockouts title change since it happens every few weeks it seems. Tara is the best choice though.

 

[MB1025]

I like this move. I can see TBP going after the tag titles while Mickie and Tara fight over the Knockouts belt. Tara winning allows TNA to go many routes with this division now.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Whether we've seen this before or not is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned — all I know is that the title will finally no longer be focused (entirely) around The Beautiful People for the first time in over a year.

Tara/James may have happened before in the WWE (as Victoria/James), but it's a different time and a different era — I for one will actually look forward to the rematch considering how much I enjoy both performers.

 

[MrHashasheen]

This is a good thing in my opinion. Tara versus Madison Rayne versus Mickie James could be a good feud for the Knockouts Championship while the BP could do something with the tag titles on Xplosion and Reaction. If they managed to pick up a couple more decent female workers from SHIMMER or wherever to help boost the division, it would go a long way to rebuilding what used to be one of the greatest things for TNA.

 

[D-Man]

I actually really enjoyed her title win. To me, it was the 2nd most shocking thing that occurred during the PPV that made total sense.

I agree with most here that we can finally focus on something besides TBP all the time in the KO division. That division has been the lowest form of dogshit and had the biggest fall from grace that I had ever seen in pro-wrestling and it appears that TNA management has noticed.

I also see what they're doing here. In order to revitalize the division, it must all start with GOOD WRESTLING. Tara vs. Mickie James basically guarantees you the best female wrestling that you could ask for in TNA, hands down. Plus, they're both gorgeous. So you've got two beautiful women (that AREN'T the Beautiful People) with very above-average wrestling skills that will be squaring off in a promotion that is not the WWE for the Knockout's title belt. Not to mention the fact that the bigger, money-making storylines come from babyfaces chasing a title instead of defending one. Tara is the heel and Mickie is the babyface so the formula is followed perfectly. Basically, it's taking the best of every aspect of the division and pumping life into it.

It's very good booking. Am I excited about it? Not really. It's hard to give a shit about a pro-wrestling women's division these days. However, at least I'll be able to watch their matches without cringing.

 

[hatehabsforever]

This was one of the few matches for me last night that wasn't a total disappointment. I liked the fact that there was a title change (hardly shocking in the knockouts division). I liked the fact that this occurred without splitting up TBP yet again. I imagine they will stay together and probably go for and win the knockout tag team titles.

Tara getting the title was surprising, but unlike other events later in the evening, it was a surprise that actually made sense, rather than being a shocking swerve just for shock value without a semblance of logic or common sense. Now there can be friction between herself and Madison Rayne. I imagine we'll see a program between Rayne and Mickie James, which is better than fast tracking another WWE reject directly to a title.

I have to say, though, for anyone who thinks that the knockouts division is superior to the divas, I really don't know what they are watching. While I liked the outcome and the potential storylines that can evolve from it, the action itself was sloppy and certainly of no higher quality than we see on any given week from the divas division of the WWE.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I think maybe I'm in the minority when it comes to watching the Knockouts. I don't care at all if they can wrestle, I watch them because they are hot! I could watch Angelina/Velvet/Madison week after week after week after week. throw in some others like Tessmacher and Chelsea and that's all I care about.

 

[MrHashasheen]

I think maybe I'm in the minority when it comes to watching the Knockouts. I don't care at all if they can wrestle, I watch them because they are hot! I could watch Angelina/Velvet/Madison week after week after week after week. throw in some others like Tessmacher and Chelsea and that's all I care about.

I don't believe you're in the minority, but if that's the case, then why not head onto the Divas? Sex Appeal is the only reason they exist.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Seeing Tara win last night was kind of a shock to me. I thought Madison was going to walk away with the belt. Tara can still go in the ring, and you can tell that a feud with Madison is coming in the near future. It's very hard to predict who will be her next challenger. I would say Angelina or Mickie, but I wouldn't count out Velvet either, because TNA might do another match with multiple challengers. All of The Beautiful People are involved in everything as far as the women's division in TNA goes now a days. I'm just glad that the Beautiful People drama is over. Now maybe we can see a different type of feud.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I don't believe you're in the minority, but if that's the case, then why not head onto the Divas? Sex Appeal is the only reason they exist.

I don't watch WWE. if I knew exactly when the Divas would come on, I might turn it on.

has anyone heard of wrestling promotion Wrestlicious? it's an all female wrestling promotion created by some guy who won $35.5 million on power ball, also along with Jimmy Hart. it had 2 current TNA Knockouts in there, Lacey Von Erich(same name) and Madison(different name). I don't know what channel/network it is on in the USA, but in Canada it is on Bite network. it has 30 minute shows called TakeDown. there are a lot of females in the company. they all have different characters. I have only seen a few episodes and admit I haven't been watching for their wrestling ability.

sometimes I'm a little surprised at some people's reaction to the Knockouts. I have seen more people(males I assume, and multiple websites) that have no interest in watching the Knockouts at all. no interest in watching half naked women getting involved with each other?

I don't think it really matters that Tara is the champion now. she probably wont have the title that long, nor will the person who beats her.
bringing in another female in Mickie James along with the return of Tara, can only be good for the Knockouts.

 

[MrHashasheen]

I don't watch WWE. if I knew exactly when the Divas would come on, I might turn it on.

Youtube then. Every episode of Raw, Smackdown and Superstars is on Youtube. Just type in the show name, date and you'll find it pretty quickly.

has anyone heard of wrestling promotion Wrestlicious? it's an all female wrestling promotion created by some guy who won $35.5 million on power ball, also along with Jimmy Hart. it had 2 current TNA Knockouts in there, Lacey Von Erich(same name) and Madison(different name). I don't know what channel/network it is on in the USA, but in Canada it is on Bite network. it has 30 minute shows called TakeDown. there are a lot of females in the company. they all have different characters. I have only seen a few episodes and admit I haven't been watching for their wrestling ability.

Yeah, I've heard of it. Not quite to my tastes when it comes to wrestling, but still amusing.

sometimes I'm a little surprised at some people's reaction to the Knockouts. I have seen more people(males I assume, and multiple websites) that have no interest in watching the Knockouts at all. no interest in watching half naked women getting involved with each other?

Its not quite like that. You want porn, easy on the internet. You want serious female wrestling? Then TNA was where that was on show, the only major fed in the USA in the last 20 years to book it. Not the WWE (though Stratus and Lita changed that for a few years), not WCW, not WCCW, not CWA, not AWA and not the USWA. Its the same reason we (and specifically female/gay fans) expect actual wrestling from guys. Sure, half-naked sexy people is fun and all, but that's not why we're watching wrestling.

 

[Brainbustaaaaahhhhh!!!!!]

I'm not a fan of the Knockouts. However, Tara, James, and Hamada have talent.

 

[shattered dreams]

I was not that surprised that Tara won but I was surprised that she won without turning on Madison. I like this because it puts them in a good place to continue with what has been working recently in the KOs division, compelling stories. If I had to guess what is next I would guess Tara costs Madison a win in a number one contenders match with Mickie James. Tara can have some good matches with Madison, Mickie and Angelina, so I like this move even though I am fast becoming a Madison mark.

 

[LSN80]

I dont see Taras reign ending long, in fact, my guess is, it ends Thursday.

Madison is the one who retired Tara, so in essence, shes in charge of Tara's career. I could see an angle where Madison insists she'll have Tara fired, or Tara can lay down, and Madison becomes the new KO's champ once again. Really, is there any other way this can go down? They really backed themselves into a corner if you think about it, unless they're going to break up the Tara/Madison pairing already.

It wouldn't be the worst thing either. I think theyve set up Mickie as an IMMEDIATE challegenger based on Bound For Glory, and could see her challenging Madison for the belt. Madison has become the top heel in the division, and this could position Mickie as the top face chasing the belt with the odds stacked against her. After that, hopefully we'll get a Tara/Mickie feud, because they really are the two best workers in the division.

My only complaint is that we've already seen Tara (as Victoria) vs Mickie James.

Yeah, but that ended at New Years Revolution 2007, making it almost 4 years ago. Weve seen the same 3 women wrestle each other over and over in TNA for the past 6 months, so this is like your best fresh home-cooking in comparison. They had a good series of matches as I can remember too.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I dont see Taras reign ending long, in fact, my guess is, it ends Thursday.

Madison is the one who retired Tara, so in essence, shes in charge of Tara's career. I could see an angle where Madison insists she'll have Tara fired, or Tara can lay down, and Madison becomes the new KO's champ once again. Really, is there any other way this can go down? They really backed themselves into a corner if you think about it, unless they're going to break up the Tara/Madison pairing already.

It wouldn't be the worst thing either. I think theyve set up Mickie as an IMMEDIATE challegenger based on Bound For Glory, and could see her challenging Madison for the belt. Madison has become the top heel in the division, and this could position Mickie as the top face chasing the belt with the odds stacked against her. After that, hopefully we'll get a Tara/Mickie feud, because they really are the two best workers in the division.



Yeah, but that ended at New Years Revolution 2007, making it almost 4 years ago. Weve seen the same 3 women wrestle each other over and over in TNA for the past 6 months, so this is like your best fresh home-cooking in comparison. They had a good series of matches as I can remember too.

have you seen spoilers for Impact?
not going to go any further there.
I guess people can assume that Mickie is going to get right into contention for the title. I think that's a little unfair. even if she is well known by fans, shes brand new in TNA. Mickie should not get a shot right away.

 

[goodlay]

I like it. Finally there is some emphasis on the actual wrestling part of the division instead of just having all the girls calling each other bitches and ****es.

I don't know if Tara's reign will last long, but Mickie/Tara will definitely be the best KO feud we've seen in a while.

 

[Superstar77]

The reign didn't last long. Really proving that Tara is the queen of pointless KO title runs in TNA. That was so stupid how she just layed down for Madison who hasn't done anything herself lately to even receive a title shot. Tara had no reason to do that since she got her job and was champion again. Seriously they really made the KO title worthless.

I guess that means Mickie win the title from Madison at Turning Poiont then.

What kills me is that they would rather give Tara another pointless run as KO champion instead of finally elevating a home grown talent in Velvet Sky. It would have been a fresh idea and great to see Velvet win her 1st KO championship at TNA's biggest PPV.