The Knockouts division has been one of the best things in TNA and Impact Wrestling for about fifteen years now. TNA didn’t originally have a women’s division, but the move to Spike TV on prime time opened more time for a deeper roster. The term Knockouts was used for branding purposes and is still the name of the division and title.Many of the greatest female performers of the past eras have found success in TNA and helped make their division thrive. An argument can be made that TNA has done more for women’s wrestling than WWE based on the talent that were not utilized in WWE. The following women deserve the most credit for being the best Knockouts in TNA history.
10 Angelina Love
TNA signed Angelina Love in the early stages of the Knockouts division to form The Beautiful People team with Velvet Sky. Love was the significantly better worker between the two and received a huge push due to it.
The total of six Knockouts Championship wins and one Knockouts Tag Team Championship makes Angelina one of the most decorated women in company history. TNA witnessed Love becoming a fixture in the division for many years as a reliable talent.
9 Taya Valkyrie
The recent WWE run of Taya Valkyrie ending in disappointment has fans hoping for her to rebound in other promotions. Valkyrie had a tremendous run in Impact Wrestling by setting a record to become the longest-reigning Knockouts Champion.
An argument can be made that Taya’s reign made the Knockouts division even more important than the male main event scene. The hope of Valkyrie returning to Impact Wrestling can see her rising further up the list with more success there one day.
8 Brooke Adams
One of the best instances of TNA allowing a talent to grow after a poor WWE run was Brooke Adams. The WWE Diva Search contest landed Brooke a contract with the biggest wrestling promotion, but she rarely received television time to develop a character.
TNA introducing Adams as an assistant to Eric Bischoff led to her eventually moving into the Knockouts division. Brooke beating Gail Kim to become the Knockouts Champion showed how much she improved and had a great run for the rest of her time in TNA.
7 Tara
Former WWE star Victoria was being phased out of the company, so she opted to leave when her contract expired. TNA came calling and added her to the roster under the new name of Tara moving forward.
Tara was as good as ever to win the Knockouts Championship five times. The in-ring work of was still good enough, and she showed new character development. Tara helped provide stability and veteran leadership to help the Knockouts division thrive.
6 Tessa Blanchard
The controversial nature of Tessa Blanchard saw her Impact Wrestling run ending poorly and her becoming blackballed from the company. Blanchard still accomplished a lot and made history for an all-time successful short TNA run.
The Knockouts division was dominated by Tessa with standout wins over Gail Kim and Taya Valkyrie. However, it was the historic moment of Blanchard winning the Impact World Championship that defined her success. The accusations of past racist tirades and refusing to show up for Impact shows led to her momentum falling apart.
5 Awesome Kong
The signing of Awesome Kong was tremendous for TNA to get the Knockouts division off the floor from the start. Kong had a lot of credibility for her work in Japan and instantly got over playing a monster heel in TNA’s new division.
The rivalry between Gail Kim and Kong helped put the Knockouts division on the map and was the best thing on the show at the time. Kong wasn’t always booked well afterwards, but she made her matches and segments important to remain an all-time great Knockout.
4 Madison Rayne
Madison Rayne has quietly developed one of the most decorated careers in TNA history. The recent return to Impact Wrestling sees Rayne finding more success teaming up with Tenille Dashwood and Caleb Konley in The Influence.
Rayne now has a total of five Knockouts Championship reigns and three Knockouts Tag Team Championship reigns in her career. The TNA Hall of Fame is likely going to be the ultimate success for Rayne one day down the line if the company keeps going.
3 Mickie James
The 2021 return of Mickie James to Impact Wrestling gave the company a huge boost after she was released from WWE. James already had a great stint for TNA when her first WWE run ended, as arguably the most over Knockout for many years.
The most recent Knockouts Championship run for Mickie saw it as the fourth of her career. Impact even got to have their title appear on WWE TV when James was announced for the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble match. Mickie is adding more to her legendary career in Impact today to continue breaking down barriers.
2 Deonna Purrazzo
Another recent instance of WWE releasing a talent to thrive in Impact Wrestling is Deonna Purrazzo. The improvement of Purrazzo came on the independent circuit when Purrazzo was signed to a WWE developmental contract to keep her off the All In PPV.
However, WWE barely did anything with Deonna to harm her name value. The 2021 run in Impact Wrestling saw Purrazzo having an outstanding Knockouts Championship reign. Deonna helped add more momentum to the women’s division and the overall company perception to have her status increase faster than most.
1 Gail Kim
No woman has been as important to TNA than Gail Kim over the past fifteen years and counting. Kim was one of the talents spending over a year convincing TNA to start a women’s division before they finally created the Knockouts Championship.
The title was won by Gail a record-setting seven times leading to her getting inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. Kim had classic matches with Awesome Kong, Taryn Terrell, Tessa Blanchard and many other names from every era of TNA as the GOAT of the Knockouts division.