star Mia Yim is rediscovering her love for the business again and reflecting on some of the wildest moments she’s had in the ring.
The former Knockouts Champion – who worked in as before she was in November 2021 – made her name on the independent scene starting her first stint with IMPACT in 2015, and it turns out anything really can happen in wrestling.
She exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I mean, as far as embarrassing stuff, I wrestled a match – this was many, many years ago and it was on the independents – where a girl peed in my match, and it was weird. Yeah, that was really weird. But it’s okay!’
Mia and her opponent – who she didn’t name during our chat – took it in their stride, and focused on the job at hand.
‘It happens, you know? It happens. It’s one of those things where you just don’t bring attention to it, just don’t think about it, let’s get through this, and then let’s clean ourselves up,’ she laughed.
It’s certainly not an ideal situation in front of a live crowd, but the unpredictability of wrestling – when it doesn’t involve pee – is something to embrace.
‘The first time that I wrestled in IMPACT coming back was a six-woman and Tasha twerked, and then I twerked after and it was the most purest [moment],’ she beamed, clearly loving being back in the company after a five-year absence.
‘I’m like, we’re just having fun at this point and I didn’t even think that it would be this big gif on social media, but it became a thing. Of course you’re gonna have haters, but it’s like – dude, I’m just having fun!’
For Yim, realising how muchand her longtime friend Gail Kim wanted her back in IMPACT made it easy to return, particularly after a tough couple of years in WWE.
‘The past couple of years, wrestling has felt like work. Thankfully with IMAPCT, I’m starting to fall in love with it again, I’m starting to enjoy wrestling again,’ she smiled.
‘This is the first time I’m able to just not worry about having to make sure to do this, this, this and this, and be micromanaged. I’m like, I’m just having fun and it’s so nice to not worry about anything.’
Before returning to IMPACT, Mia wasn’t sure how the fans would react to her after her more recent WWE appearances, but any fears were immediately shrugged off with the incredible response she received.
‘Legit, maybe the last hour or two when I was supposed to go out, that was when it was like, “Oh man, I don’t know if the crowd’s gonna, one, remember me, two, if they’re just gonna troll me and just make fun of me,”‘ she said.
‘But the minute my name came up on the tron and the crowd – oh my goodness, I will never forget the sound! It was like… holy crap! They know who I am, they remember and they’re happy to see me.’
Now, Mia is ready to embrace the fun side of wrestling and throw herself back into what she does best as she chases the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Championship in the first-ever women’s Queen of the Mountain match at Slammiversary later this month.
‘I’m ready to go,’ she said with obvious passion. ‘This is where I belong and I’m ready to go to work.’
IMPACT Wrestling: Slammiversary airs on June 19 at 1am on Fite TV.
