ODB Discusses Her Impact Return, Greatest Knockout of All-Time, What She Wants Her Legacy To Be

ODB is back in Impact Wrestling, and she discussed her return to the company as well as her legacy and more in a new interview with Inside the Ropes. You can check out some highlights below:

On how her Impact return came about: “Well, it took me by surprise too, actually! I’d just been food trucking away, you know, and I never said I was done with wrestling. Never, ever. I’d just been busy with my food truck. Then, of course, Scott D’Amore, I see the phone call come in, I’m like, ‘Oh boy, here we go.’ I hadn’t been to the ring in over a year, he’s like, ‘We’d love to have you back. Door’s always open for you.’ I’m like, ‘Do you know what? Let’s do it.’ And I love all the girls. They’re all they’re going to be huge stars, and then having Jazz there and stuff and no-one’s ever seen me and Jazz go at it. It’s been cool, and I’ve still got it, you know, so it’s good!”

“And I’ve actually doing the wrong thing here, because I’ve started positive! I always like to start a bit negative then we can only go upwards… You’ve been dipping in and out of IMPACT for a long time as one of the true legends of the company, so I want to go back a little bit to, for me, one of those lower points. A lot of good came from the introduction of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff when Dixie Carter brought those two in back in 2009 – but it seemed to hinder the Knockouts Division. Is that something you felt as part of the company, and what are your memories overall of that period?”

One of my fondest memories now, particularly looking back at the insane talent. Main Event Mafia. You were in a faction that opposed them with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed AKA Xavier Woods, Petey Williams, Eric Young and MCMG. That is SOME list of names. What a list of names! Did you know, even back then, those guys were destined for greatness?

On who the greatest Knockout of all-time is: “Oh, boy, it’s so like… We’re all so different, and that’s what I loved about the Knockouts Division. I would have to say Gail Kim, because she was basically there… And Traci Brooks, because those two were kind of like the start of it when there wasn’t really much wrestling, and Gail was just managing, and she’s like, ‘I want the women to come in.’ And that’s what got it. Then Traci Brooks is also a big part of that. So the two Canadian girls, two of my best friends, helped pave the way for us Knockouts. And I thank those girls, I talk to them every day, too, so yeah. And it’s good to see Gail helping the younger girls at IMPACT, so it’s awesome to still see her around doing what she loves.”

On the changes in Impact since she last worked there: “Yeah, I mean, even when I’ve been back, the locker room’s awesome, because they’re bringing back the old school guys, the people that really care about it. You have D’Lo Brown, Scott D’Amore, they’ve been there since the beginning and they have passion and love for everyone there. It’s just… It’s so cool. I just love going back. It was awesome to see some of the guys I’ve even known from my OVW days there and then also the younger guys coming up. And, yeah, they got something there and it’s good to have good people in the office, too, that you’re not afraid to go and talk to you know, you can hang out and have a beer with them and be fine.”

On what she wants her legacy to be: “Oh, boy, I just want to be known as like – I was a character and I was smart, I was a worker, I was a true worker. Like, I knew my weaknesses, I knew my strengths, and I did it, and I was always a little diamond in the rough and it worked out. I mean, I expanded my brand and do frickin’ BBQ World. I’ve got a food truck. I’ve got a lot of stuff going on because of my ODB brand and I kept true to myself. Yeah, I would love people for, to say, ‘You know what? ODB kept true to herself, she did her own thing,’ and TNA let me be me and that was frickin’ badass, and no other company would have let me do that at all.”