The Great Eight: Top 8 TNA Knockouts World Champions

When TNA debuted the Knockouts division in 2007, it quickly set itself apart as the place to be for women’s wrestling outside of Japan. And while NXT probably takes that place now, TNA/Impact has always been a great place for women to prove themselves on a semi-national scene.

The Knockouts World Championship has a lot of prestige and has been held by a who’s who of the best women’s wrestlers. From the early days of Gail Kim, The Beautiful People, and Awesome Kong. To the weirdness of Rosemary and the strength of Jordynne Grace. The Knockouts World Championship has been one of the calling cards for TNA.

So, let’s take some time to celebrate some of the best women to hold the title!

Fun Facts:

Since its debut in 2007, there have been 70 reigns across 32 champions.

Taya Valkyrie has the longest reign at 377 days.

Gail Kim holds the record for the shortest reign at 18 hours, and the most reigns with 7.

Ranking Explanation:

As with most championship rankings, the length and number of reigns are the biggest factor. The more you’re a champion, the more the company has faith in you. After that, it’s in-ring quality and memorable moments.

A quick note that Masha Slamovich and Tessa Blanchard won’t be on this list. While Blanchard has seemingly done work to make amends for her past. I just don’t feel right about putting her on this list, and Slamovich is currently dealing with domestic abuse allegations.

Plugs

I don’t use social media, but you can follow me on Spotify, where you’ll find playlists covering every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s. As well as several genre-specific playlists.

Disclaimer:

This is my list; if you don’t like it or have a different list, awesome! Please share your own list and opinions in the comments section. I welcome open discourse about this wacky art we all love. It is an art form, so it is subjective; we all have our opinions on it, and all of them are valid. So, if you want to share your thoughts and opinions, don’t insult others for their opinion. There is already enough negativity in the world; let’s not add to it. And with that, on to the list!

The List

Honorable Mentions:

Rosemary, ODB, Tara, Trinity, and Su Yung

8: Madison Rayne

Madison Rayne worked her way up from a Beautiful People lackey to being a five-time Knockouts World Champion. And she is in fifth place for most days as champion with 404 days. Rayne was all over the early days of the Knockouts division. Her pairing with and eventual feud with the Beautiful People propelled her to the top.

Rayne would win her titles against Angelina Love, Tara, Winter, Miss Tessmacher, and Gail Kim. And while some of the other women often overshadow her during her time. I think she is vastly underrated and more than deserving of a spot on this list.

7: Taya Valkyrie

The longest reigning Knockouts World Champion is a big accomplishment in what has always been a highly competitive division. Her matches against Jordynne Grace, Madison Rayne, Su Yung, Havok, Rosemary, and Tenille Dashwood helped to carry the division during COVID.

Like Awesome Kong, Valkyrie’s size gave her a power advantage over most of the division. And she also had her husband, Johnny Wrestling, as back-up when needed. These things combined helped to carry her to a 377-day reign, and that is enough to get her the seventh spot on this list.

6: Angelina Love

Strong faces need strong heels, and Angelina Love was that strong heel in the early days of the division. Acting as a foil to Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, and ODB, Love’s antics as the leader of the Beautiful People helped to make the Knockouts division one of the best in the world.

Not only was she a great heel, but her combination of character work and in-ring abilities carried her to six Knockouts World Championship reigns. That puts her second for most reigns with the title.

Love was such a great heel; The Beautiful People were so influential that the WWE used large parts of their gimmick for LayCool. I can even see some of her influence in The Elagance Brand and Jacy Jane. That influence and her legacy in laying the foundation of the Knockouts division are more than enough for her placement on this list.

5: Deonna Purrazo

After spending two years in NXT, Purrazzo was let go due to “not being TV-ready”. But a call from Madison Rayne would see her land in the Knockouts division with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove.

And prove she did. The Virtuosa showed the world that the WWE missed out on her. With a combination of power and technical skill, she rose to the top of the division three times. She is currently number three for most days as champion, having held it for 531 days over 3 reigns.

It’s only a shame that AEW isn’t using her more on their weekly shows. But she has been tearing it up in ROH as the inaugural ROH Women’s Pure Champion. Her lack of standing on a bigger stage aside, her time as Knockouts World Champion helped to carry the division during Impact/TNAs’s resurgence. And her contributions during that time are more than enough to get her fifth on this list.

4: Mickie James

Mickie James has had a few runs in TNA over the years. And she has never failed to entertain. Lending her in-ring talent, charisma, and veteran status to the Knockouts division has helped it grow at several key points in its history.

Her five reigns as champion are remembered for good matches and James giving it her all to elevate the division and her opponents. In 2022, she was a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble, coming down wearing the TNA Knockouts World Championship. This is probably the highest profile appearance of any TNA Knockouts World Champion at the time.

Her legacy as a champion and trailblazer for women’s wrestling in the United States is unquestionable, and she has earned her spot here.

3: Jordynne Grace

Jordynne Grace won her first Knockouts World Championship by ending Taya Valkyrie’s historic reign. That in itself gives a place on this list. More than that, though, Grace was the face of the Knockouts for the first half of the 2020s.

She led the division alongside Deonna Purrazzo and was a major part of the resurgence of Impact/TNA. Her matches with Trinity, Mickie James, Havok, Kimber Lee, Mia Yim, Gisele Shaw, Tatum Paxley, and so many more show how versatile Grace is as a wrestler.

Using her power, she was able to win the championship three times and hold it for a total of 677 days. That puts her behind only Gail Kim in terms of time spent as champion. Which is more impressive, since Gail Kim needed seven reigns to top that list.

And like Mickie James before her. In 2024, Grace would enter the Women’s Royal Rumble while still the Knockouts World Champion. I can’t think of any other modern Knockouts who could top her. And if it wasn’t for the historic importance of 1 and 2 on this list, Grace may be at the top of it.

2: Awesome Kong

You can just think of Kong as 1a. Because the feud between Kong and Gail Kim set the entire foundation of what the Knockouts division was going to be. Kong was unlike anything you’d see on WWE at the time. She wasn’t some bombshell or bikini model that Johnny Ace found in a catalog.

Kong was a monster who had honed her skills in Japan and was set to take TNA by storm. While she would only have two runs as champion, the division wouldn’t be where it is without her. Before Grace and Valkyrie were using their power to control the division, there was Awesome Kong.

She was the Goliath to Gail Kim’s David. The monster threat that is always looming in the background. I remember when she first showed up in TNA and was blown away. Getting to watch women actually being allowed to wrestle was a breath of fresh air. It’s a shame it took almost a decade for the WWE Main Roster to catch up.

Kong’s importance to the division can not be overstated, and her spot on this list cannot be denied.

1: Gail Kim

And I don’t think this was in any doubt. All other Knockout World Champions stand on the shoulders of Gail Kim. After being cut by the WWE, due to them wanting to “move in a different direction.” Kim showed up in TNA with something to prove. And prove it she did.

While she would return to the WWE for a brief stint, TNA is her forever home. The company treated her with the respect she deserved. And while I would have loved to see Kim mix it up with Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Charlotte Flair. I’m more than glad she chose to go back to TNA because if she hadn’t, we would have missed out on so many great matches.

With a record-setting seven reigns and 711 days as champion, as well as being one of the founding members of the Knockouts division, Gail Kim is the greatest Knockouts World Champion ever. And it will be a long time before anyone threatens her spot.

Preview:

Tune in next week when we present the top eight TNA World Tag Team Champions!