The One and Only Gail Kim.......

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

In 1998 a fitness trainer, Joanie Lauer, entered into wrestling.  She became one of the more effective women wrestlers because of her size and athleticism.  A shame she didn't become the Aja Kong of the WWF/E, but ahh well.  Many fitness trainers followed her in pro wrestling.

 

When in 1999 a young lady named Nora Greenwald came in, no one non-joshi, not even Madusa, that young ever came in with such a polished, wide array of skills, both flying and mat, so much so that she became co-trainer to the many fluffers in WCW.  Her antics as Miss Madness was topped (and some say just poorly imitated) by Lita in the WWF/E.  Others soon adopted the Nora hybrid style, including Kim.

Thing is that Molly just appeared one night on PPV and started proving herself, and Chyna came in purely in a bodyguard role and actually gained some fame with DX despite her less-than-marketable looks. Regardless, fans cared about her because they cared about DX.

 

Kim was hyped up before fans even saw her.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

When in 1985 came around and Hisako Uno renamed herself Akira Hokuto, no one sacrificed his or her body as much as she has--she is the anti-harley Race. Many later followed her suicide style.

How about Dynamite Kid, who may have sacrificed more (and did it before she even started) considering how he can't walk now.

[Guest wildpegasus]

I still can't get over the bumps Dynamite took in Japan and in Stampede. A lot of those Stampede matches weren't short either.

 

*still wondering how he survived that bump at the end of the Wreslemaia II tag match.*

[Guest wildpegasus]

Quote

"The whole point of a highflying woman is that a man's gotta (literally) carry her during a match for her offence to be believable."

 

This isn't true. The joshi stars of Japan can fly against each other and their offence looks as believable as any man's highflying offence. Check it out!

[Guest deadbeater]

Ok, forgot about Dynamite and how he influenced Akira's style. But Dynamite was sane compared to Akira. She finished her final match with a broken rib, and she was probably at her healthiest in 18 years. Imagine if she had Manami Toyota's luck regarding injuries, with Manami now having to resort to doing the 'snap the dislocated shoulder back into place during the match' schtick just to show she can get injured and is vulnerable. Just insane.

 

Vickie and Jazz did programs going one on one with guys.

 

Problem is that Gail Kim was advertised as the American-made Toyota. And she is definitely not, yet. To be fair, if Manami had to do a 3 minute wrestling poetry slam* as opposed to ring epics she does night after night, and get penalized for taking 18 seconds too long, we would probably wonder "Who the hell is she?"

 

 

* Nothing wrong with poetry slams, I was a judge of one, and am thinking of being in a few myself! I was just emphasizing the shortness of match.

Edited July 16, 2003 by deadbeater

[Guest wildpegasus]

Quote

"...with Manami now having to resort to doing the 'snap the dislocated shoulder back into the place during the match' schtick just to show that she can get injured and is vulnerable."

 

Are you talking about Manami's rescent injury against Satomura? I heard that was legit.

 

Quote"But Dynamite was sane compared to Akira"

 

I think you're underestimating Dynamite's insanity here. This is the guy who'd do a diving headbutt to the concrete.

[Guest Korgath]

This isn't true. The joshi stars of Japan can fly against each other and their offence looks as believable as any man's highflying offence. Check it out!

No doubt, but I refuse to compare joshi puroresu with the WWE. It's like comparing pressed latinum with pennys.

 

I'm just mentioning that the WWE has yet to learn how to book women properly. I believe that Victoria could have pull off the Matrix schtick better than Gail, though I mark out for both.

[Guest Ripper]

Maybe Kim will be the one to do the deserved smakdown on Test. If I am booking I am having that happen at once.

Yeah, Test got Lita over.

 

I can't remember a week of Lita not doing a rana on Test. His size made the move look REALLY impressive which got Lita over with the fans.

[Guest Randy Pan]

If someone could PM me the link with the training footage, I would greatly appreciate it. I did have it, then my PC Crashed.

 

As for Gail, No doubt, she can wrestle. She is just being moulded into the WWE mentality where she can wrestle but doesnt have to because the WWE is a monopoly and its not worth risking injury.

[Guest deadbeater]

Test also helped Molly in that regard--taking an off the top rope hurricarana!

 

Manami also said that the shoulder separation happened to her several times.

 

One guy does knows how to book--Fit Finlay. If he can tell the writers to mind their business, and give him 8 minutes, then we can have well-booked matches.

[Guest Trivia247]

um how did you go from Bashing Kim to having a Debate on the Dynamite Kid??

[Guest AndrewTS]

I was never expecting her to be great in the ring. She's no Gayda but she's not decent yet.

 

However, for the very reason that she looks sloppy and limited in the ring is the reason why booking her as champion already is stupid. They are trying to get her over by her wrestling, and that's something she's not equipped to do yet.

 

So no, she's not great, but the WWE is heavily to blame for pushing her so heavily and booking her so stupidly simultaneously.

[Guest Lilly]

Gail hasn't impressed me at all either. She reminds me of Lita Lite without the charasima and the ability to connect with a certain fan base.

 

I don't like the idea of her getting cheap pops by doing her moves on guys, We've been through this. Lita getting her move on a guy twice her size but then when she's wrestling women she can't really do the same thing and couldn't work a match, one of the reason they focused more on Trish inring then because she had the ability to work a match with females and had pretty good basics

 

Her training video is just spots of her doing on guys twice her size. Can she even work a match, does she know how to. I'm not even that paranoid about seeing all her moves, just show me you can work a match and put some thought into it instead of just going from armdrag spot to hurricarna spot.

 

I like deadbeaters post when he/she said that everyone brings something different to the table. I agree with that, Trish is like the underdog bumping machine who brings in some flashy kicks and video game type moves, Victoria is the high impact moves, Jazz is like a pitbull who will twist you up in submissions and throw you around the ring. Molly is pure skill, Ivory can take it to the air and has an oldschool feel to her as well. Gail seems very one dimenstional and her act is just not as spectacular or eye catching as Lita in 2000

[Lil' Bitch 0]

The fact that Gail Kim was given the title through a battle royal by making it seem like her win was a fluke hurts credibility on both her and the title. Monday night's main event didn't show me this greatness I was expecting to see.

[Guest deadbeater]

Lilly, good post, but I am a little more he than she.

 

I love the discussion of women's matches going on here and in other boards. I had a conversation with a friend and the first thing us two large guys talk about was Gail Kim. You know, I can't help but thinking they shortness of the women's matches is creating the "Boba Fett" effect among the fans.

[Guest AndrewTS]

You know, I can't help but thinking they shortness of the women's matches is creating the "Boba Fett" effect among the fans.

Pardon me, but can you please explain to this non-fan-of-Star-Wars?

 

Star Wars, right?

[Guest nWoScorpion]

I'm not going to say she sucks...YET...but the facts are that out of all 3 matches, I don't remember shit that she did in any of them. And I'm usually Mr. I remember pretty much everything the second time I watch.

 

Whoever said shes the female version of REY MYSTERIO, is either drunk, stupid, high or a combination of all three.

 

Last I checked Rey Mysterio was able to have ****+ matches with Smackdowns best, some ***+ with the not so best, and still have decent enough matches with the crap. Plus he is the greatest CW on the roster (Ultimo DRagon in a close second, if not first)

[Guest deadbeater]

Boba Fett was a full-suited, full-helmed merc who caught smuggler Han Solo and delievered him to Jabba the Hut, the slimy promoter. He appeared just for a few seconds in "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back", and a few minutes in "Return of the Jedi". Thanks to RoboCop, whose design was obviosly inspired by Fett, Boba gained a cult following. Lucas plopped some Boba footage in his "New Hope" director's cut.

 

The effect refers to the coolness of Fett due to his mystery, as well as his short time on screen. Goldberg has some of that too.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I still can't stand 99% of WWE womens matches. It's amateur night.

[Guest AndrewTS]

I'm not going to say she sucks...YET...but the facts are that out of all 3 matches, I don't remember shit that she did in any of them. And I'm usually Mr. I remember pretty much everything the second time I watch.

 

I can remember: arm drag, hurracanrana, monkey flip, headscissors. That's pretty much it.

 

Whoever said shes the female version of REY MYSTERIO, is either drunk, stupid, high or a combination of all three.

 

She's not even a female El Colibri yet.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

Actually, now I think about it, there is nothing wrong with Kim.

 

She can hit a hurracanrana, armdrag, headscissors, monkey flip, that running up the ropes armdrag thing and she doesn't blow any of it. That puts her ahead of Trish, Ivory, Gayda, Jackie, Lita, Chyna, Sable, Steph. Really, for a women, she is alright.

[Guest SP-1]

She's cute.

 

But I don't care about women's wrestling anymore (or RAW), so other than that I can't offer much.

 

But she is cute.

[Guest TheGame2705]

Actually, now I think about it, there is nothing wrong with Kim.

 

She can hit a hurracanrana, armdrag, headscissors, monkey flip, that running up the ropes armdrag thing and she doesn't blow any of it. That puts her ahead of Trish, Ivory, Gayda, Jackie, Lita, Chyna, Sable, Steph. Really, for a women, she is alright.

Now I not to take anything you say seriously but when was the last time Trish blew a spot because of her own fault? Also by that logic Gail Kim is better than Jericho, as Jericho had that habit of blowing spots back in WAR and in 2000-2001.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

The whole Battle Royal was fucking retarded. It had no build-up whatsoever, it all just seemed to happen at the last minute kinda deal.

 

Granted, I'm glad they changed the outcome from Jacqueline to Gail winning, but if anything (if that was the time for Jazz to lose), in my opinion, fuck Trish, and give the belt to either Victoria, Ivory, or Molly. God damn bookers are fucking gay!

[King Cucaracha 0]

Well I never bought into the hype in the first place. Female Rey Mysterio...OVERHYPE~!

 

But then again, I'm not gonna say she sucks so soon after debuting. Basically, she's a spot wrestler from what I've seen. I actually like women's wrestling on Raw(Smackdown's 'version' doesn't count as wrestling). Victoria is all round great. Always been a Jazz fan since ECW, and Trish and Molly are good too. There's no reason Gail Kim can't fit in. They can make a go of the division if they give Finlay the reign. And Kim can do well in it.

 

It's just the overhype has worked against her.

[Guest The Grand Pubah of 1620]

That clumbsy chick just keeps sucking.

 

I laughed my ass off when she blew that move tonight.

[Guest deadbeater]

Ahhh! Since Gail just came into the match, she should have been allowed to establish a rhythm by doing more of the basics before she tried that type a move. Look at Angle, Benoit and Gurrero. They take a few minutes before they do their spots.

 

This is a function of being forced to rush matches. And by the way, joshis and the likes of Rey Mysterio slip too. It happens.

[Guest Trivia247]

Gail Kim was just given a Lousy debut..and never got the chance to hone her skills in OVW they just throw her right in the Lions mouth of Raw...and Worse let her WIN the womens title

 

Jazz had a similar Debut at SS 01 she came out, had a few good moves but then was basically ineffective throughout the match. They later pushed her properly as the Female Phenom after the invasion bullshit

 

Gail needs to lose the title... play up some Injury angle...then go down to OVW for 4 or so months, then return Crisper and with better honed abilities..

 

Gail needlessly is very sloppy out there and is making rookie mistakes... they may as well have sent her through Tough enough

[Guest Adrian 3:16]

Its interesting how all the Gail groupies who for months beforehand were talking about how she "is such a step up from all these blond bimbos!" and "finally someone who combines looks AND wrestling ability!" are either now changing their story or nowhere to be found.

 

Gail's lucky this isn't ECW, or the "you fucked up!" chants would've been deafening. Mind you the crack announce team could've tried covering it up as a mistake by an overzealous rookie, so she saves a little face and the explaination makes sense in the context of the match, but instead we get Lawler pining over his burnt soulmate JR the whole match.

[Guest Korgath]

I'm glad some people do understand the myriad things going against women in the WWE today. You can't just blame the workers themselves for not doing a "good" job if all they get each week (if at all) is 4 minutes of ring time and an announcer who couldn't care less about them. If WWE employees don't give a flying f*ck about a worker, why should the crowd?