taylor wilde

Taylor Wilde Looks Back On Her TNA Debut Against Awesome Kong, Underrated Matches With Hamada

The Watch List takes a look at what matches you should be watching while you’re at home and they come recommended by your favorite professional wrestling stars.

WrestleZone recently spoke with Taylor Wilde, who has been eyeing a return to professional wrestling and recently started a new podcast. Wilde spent time in WWE developmental as Shantelle Taylor before she made a big splash in TNA under her current ring name, nearly beating Awesome Kong in a $25,000 Challenge. Wilde ended up beating Kong for the Knockouts Championship a few weeks later on IMPACT, then successfully retained the title in their rematch later that summer at Victory Road. Wilde’s career had some great moments and incredible firsts, including the first-ever female Monster’s Ball match.

“Oh gosh. I guess my debut match in TNA against Awesome Kong when I was a ‘fan’ in the audience. That was a massive moment. The Monster’s Ball match was another huge moment. I had one or two televised matches with Hamada and I think she’s an incredibly underrated female wrestler. I feel like we had some pretty epic barnburners that didn’t get a lot of attention, for one reason or another.”

Wilde also recalled her feud with The Beautiful People and “The Governor”, the Sarah Palin lookalike character played by future foe Daffney. Wilde said it was “a trip” to see how closely Daffney resembled the politician and that she had a lot of fun during that period of her career.

We added some free-to-watch recommendations to the list and selected a good mix of bouts from Taylor Wilde’s career, as well as some classic matches featuring some of his inspirations.

Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong ($25,000 Challenge)

TNA IMPACT — June 19, 2008

Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong (Knockouts Championship)

TNA Victory Road — July 13, 2008

Taylor Wilde vs. Madison Rayne

TNA Xplosion — February 23, 2009

The Beautiful People vs. Taylor Wilde, Roxxi & The Governor 

TNA Destination X — March 15, 2009

Taylor Wilde vs. Daffney (Monster’s Ball Match)

TNA Sacrifice — May 24, 2009

Check out our full interview with Taylor Wilde where we talk about her plans for an in-ring return, what’s she’s been up to since retiring nine years ago and much more. You can also listen to her new podcast, Wilde On, at this link.

Related: Former Knockouts Champion Taylor Wilde Reveals Original Plans For Her IMPACT Wrestling Return (Exclusive)


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