Though women’s wrestling has taken a bit of a hit the last few years due to injuries and absences in WWE and AEW’s inconsistent love for the division, it is still enjoying some of its best days. Charlotte might be on hiatus and Sasha Banks may have left, but WWE is still strong, with physically strong women like Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. Thunder Rosa may have had to drop her title in AEW, but the company still has powerhouses like Jade Cargill and the up-and-coming Jamie Hayter.
WWE and AEW don’t hold all the weight in the women’s division though. As they have for years, Impact Wrestling has a stellar women’s brand, known as the Knockouts. Mickie James is there. Mia Yim is there. Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green hold tag team gold. The queen of the Knockouts, however, is their champion, Jordynne Grace. If you haven’t heard of her, it’s time to pay attention.
Jordynne Grace’s Physique Stands Out
Many women wrestlers fit the same mold. They’re thin, blonde, and petite, with varying levels of wrestling skills. Some set themselves apart, and some fit no mold at all, but create their own. Rhea Ripley is imposing to the level of scary. Bianca Belair seems like she could suplex Roman Reigns. Jade Cargill looks as if she’s carved out of granite. And then there’s Jordynne Grace. She’s only 5’3” but she’s built like a tank. Only the late, great Chyna could match her muscularity.
That look comes from Grace’s background. Before she was a wrestler, Jordynne Grace was a powerlifter. She still competes today, having just last year set three Georgia state and national powerlifting records at a competition for the World Natural Powerlifting Federation (WNPF). No 165 pound woman in America has squatted, benched, or deadlifted more than Jordynne Grace.
Jordynne Grace Becomes Impact Wrestling’s Knockouts Champion
Grace joined Impact Wrestling in 2018. In four short years she has had a huge, well, impact. She started off tagging with Kiera Hogan, before becoming a singles competitor, where she beat another physically impressive women’s wrestler in Tessa Blanchard to become the number one contender for the Knockouts Championship. She would lose her title match against Valkyrie, but months later, in February 2020, she would finally prevail, beating Valkyrie to become the Knockouts Champion at just 23 years old.
Jordynne Grace would hold on to her title for an astounding six months, before losing it to Deonna Purrazzo. History would be made two months later when Grace and Purrazzo would battle it out in Impact’s first ever 30 Minute Iron Woman match. Grace would lose the rematch, but she wouldn’t stray far from the title scene.
Grace’s next title hopes would come in the tag team division. After trying and failing to capture tag team gold with Jazz, Grace found success with Rachael Ellering, where they became Knockout Tag Team Champions. The duo would only hold the belts for a week though, before dropping them. This past June, at Slammiversary, Jordynne Grace would reach the mountaintop again, literally, becoming a two-time Knockouts Champion by winning Impact’s first ever Queen of the Mountain match.
Jordynne Grace Even Wrestles The Men
As much success as Jordynne Grace has had wrestling women, it may not be what she’s most known for. Like Chyna before, Grace has become a standout in intergender wrestling, with her power and strength making her more than believable in matches against the men.
Grace has competed against men even before her days in Impact Wrestling. Her indie days saw her wrestling several soon-to-be AEW stars like MJF, Anthony Bowens, John Silver, and Wheeler Yuta. She even competed against her now husband, former Ring of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham.
Grace’s love for and success with intergender wrestling saw her compete in a battle royal for the ROH World Championship at the inaugural All In PPV. She has tag teamed with the likes of Scott Steiner, Petey Williams, and W. Morrissey. She’s even battled it out for the X Division Championship. Most recently, she was part of a long and entertaining feud with Matt Cardona (the former Zack Ryder) for the Digital Media Championship.
It doesn’t come across as unrealistic or a play for attention to have Grace in the ring with men. As a fan, you buy it when she outmuscles a male competitor. You don’t cringe, thinking that she’s too delicate, when Matt Cardona hits her with a chair. You don’t see limitations when you watch Jordynne Grace. You see a wrestler. Tessa Blanchard was once the Impact World Champion. It didn’t work, but for reasons that had nothing to do with her gender. If Jordynne Grace can stay humble, there’s no reason why she can’t be not just a women’s champion but a world champion too.