Did you know that TNA tried to low ball Gail Kim?
Back during the days when TNA was building their knockouts division, Awesome Kong and Gail Kim were both pioneers who helped moved the needle forward. The knockouts division was a massive success early on and that incredible feud between Gail and Kong was a huge reason for that.
During Gail’s recent appearance on the HUGE POP! Podcast, she revealed her negotiations with the company during that time and despite the uptick in viewers that Gail and Kong were bringing in, TNA only offered her a small pay of $36,000.
“I actually had this conversation with Vince Russo, probably two weeks ago I think now, ‘cause he was the head of creative when I left TNA, right after the success of me and (Awesome) Kong, and I didn’t wanna leave TNA, but they offered me $36,000… we were pulling in the highest ratings, and that was the Spike TV days…
And not saying I’m a Kurt Angle, I’m not saying I was Dudley Boyz. But, we were the highest-rated segments consistently, and all I wanted was a fair pay day, and I was offered $36,000. I was like, ‘I owe more money than that, Vince,’ you know? And he didn’t know the number at the time…”
Gail Kim left TNA in 2008 due to this very reason. The TNA Hall of Famer also cited that she felt under appreciated for her efforts within the company.
Her second stint in WWE didn’t necessarily work out too well as Kim found herself miserable for a good portion of it and she ultimately returned to the promotion in 2011. It’s unclear how much Gail got in her return in 2011, but it would be shocking if TNA even tried to offer the same lowball amount that they did the first time around. The 48-year-old would stay with TNA for a decade plus until she was unceremoniously fired by the company in March.
But that isn’t the only time that Kim’s been lowballed. During the same podcast, she revealed that promotions actually didn’t want to pay her because they believed she had a rich husband.
“I’ve had promoters literally admit to me that they didn’t wanna pay me because they thought my husband was rich,” Kim said. “When I met my husband, he wasn’t rich, okay? He worked his ass off to get where he is in his successes, to this day, and I’ll say, I used to resent it so much.
“Now, I’m so grateful, and I’m like, you know what though? Because he is successful now, I’m not in a place where I can be pushed around or accept less than my value and all those things, so it’s kind of a double-edged sword in a sense, but, it’s just mind-blowing. It’s either — I don’t know.”