Gail Kim: Difference between revisions

After obtaining her degree from Ryerson University[http://www.ryerson.ca/index.html], Kim decided to become a professional wrestler and joined Ron Hutchinson's "School of Pro Wrestling" in Toronto.  She received supplementary training from Rob Etchevarria at the "Squared Circle Pro Wrestling Gym".  She debuted in December 2000, wearing a mask and wrestling as "The Queen of the Cats" La Felina in the Southern Ontario-based Apocalypse Wrestling Federation. She, however, was eventually unmasked by Tracy Brooks in a "Mask versus Hair" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling_match_types]match.  Kim worked on the Canadian independent circuit for two years, wrestling for promotions such as Border City Wrestling.

Kim was introduced to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) employee Nora Greenwald (known on-screen as Molly Holly) by Jason Sensation in 2001; Greenwald encouraged Kim to send her videos and tapes to WWF officials, which eventually led to her contract. In October 2002, she was hired by the WWF, now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).  She spent eight months training in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)[http://www.ovwrestling.com/] and appearing in house shows and dark matches before being called up to the main roster.  After several weeks of vignettes showcasing Matrix-like effects aired on Raw, Kim debuted on June 30 as a fan favorite, with a Matrix-inspired outfit.  Her first televised WWE match was a seven-woman battle royal in Buffalo, New York on the June 30, 2003 episode of Raw with the WWE Women's Championship, then held by an injured Jazz, on the line.  Kim won the match by lastly eliminating Victoria.  Kim held the title for four weeks, before losing it to Molly Holly on the July 28, 2003 episode of Raw.  On the August 25 episode of Raw, Kim turned on Trish Stratus and subsequently formed an alliance with Holly to take on Stratus, defeating her and various partners on several occasions, until she was later assisted by Lita.  At WWE's Unforgiven PPV event on September 21, 2003, Stratus and Lita defeated Kim and Holly in a tag match.  The four women continued to feud until November, when Kim was sidelined with a broken right collarbone.  Kim returned to Raw in April 2004 and immediately reforged her alliance with Holly.[11] At WWE's Bad Blood PPV event on June 13, 2004, she faced Lita, Stratus, and Victoria in a Fatal Four-Way for the WWE Women's Championship, which was won by Stratus.  Kim participated in a battle royal on October 19, 2004 at WWE's Taboo Tuesday PPV event, which was won by Stratus.  She, however, was released by WWE on November 3, 2004 as a result of cost cutting.  Kim was caught off guard by her release and was told that management wanted to take the women's division in a new direction.