These days, there always seems to be an interesting name of some sort backstage at a WWE or AEW show, especially as contracts season has become more important, and more and more wrestlers/producers have jumped from one promotion to another. So it comes as no surprise that there was another interesting name at "WWE NXT" this past Tuesday. What may be a surprise is that this wasn't a former AEW star, but instead a former TNA Knockout, perhaps the greatest Knockout in history.
Fightful Select reports that wrestling legend Gail Kim was backstage at this week's "NXT" episode, and that this wasn't a new occurrence for her, as she has also been spotted backstage at past "NXT" events, despite WWE's attempts to keep "her presence at shows very quiet." All signs would seem to point towards Kim having signed a contract with WWE, but those close to the situation insist that there is no deal between the two sides, at least for now.
The record holder for most Knockout Championship reigns at TNA history, Kim seemed to be a lifer for the promotion, first as a worker and later behind-the-scenes, where she was actively involved as a producer and member of the creative team. That came to a shocking end earlier this year, when Kim was fired from TNA as part of a backstage overhaul. Much like with the firing of Scott D'Amore a year earlier, the news received a largely negative response, especially from the TNA locker room.
Kim made clear she would continue with wrestling after her TNA departure, and reports at the time suggested she could draw interest from both AEW and WWE. Kim had previously worked for WWE twice, first from 2002 to 2004, and again from 2008 to 2011.
