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| ROXXI |
The Hardcore Knockout made her TNA debut under the bizarre guise of Roxxi Laveaux, a voodoo priestess from Congo Square in New Orleans. Roxxi was originally brought in as an associate of BG and Kip James who, at the time, were performing as the Voodoo Kin Mafia. Based on the real life Marie Laveaux, the voodoo queen gimmick didn't really catch on and it was only when Roxxi started to stray away from the stranger aspects of the character and showed some of her own personality that she started to get over in her own right in TNA. A dedicated performer, Roxxi always did whatever was asked of her during her TNA tenure whether it was brawling, bleeding or having her head shaved (an act of dedication that she received a standing ovation for). These signs of commitment to the company are a few reasons why I think Roxxi should've had more commitment shown to her from TNA. In my opinion, Roxxi is one of the best Knockouts never to have held the Knockouts title. For that and her body of work in TNA, Roxxi makes the top 5.
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| ALISSA FLASH / RAISHA SAEED |
Whether she was being billed from California or from Syria, Melissa Anderson never quite got the push or the matches that she deserved to have in TNA, but anyone who has seen her perform on the independent scene as Cheerleader Melissa will attest to just how talented and capable this woman is of having classic matches against a wide range of opponents. Raisha Saeed and Alissa Flash were two very different characters and just how well they came across is a testament to how good Melissa Anderson is. While I didn't mind the Raisha character, I much preferred Alissa Flash (partly because anyone that pretty shouldn't have her face covered up). So if a return is possible, and it could be due to her work in Ring Ka King, I would like her to come back as Alissa. Melissa Anderson has the ability to bring out the best in her opponents and right now, that would be a good thing.
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| TAYLOR WILDE |
The Canadian cutie was intoduced to the Knockouts division in a strong way. Right from the start, Taylor Wilde was positioned as a challenger and threat to then- Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong. TNA portrayed Taylor as having Kong's number and it culminated in the feisty blonde winning the Knockouts Championship in the summer of 2008. Taylor had an uneventful title reign and dropped the belt back to Kong a few months later. Although she hung around the title picture afterwards and eventually would move on to achieve more success winning the Knockouts tag titles with Sarita and Hamada, Wilde never again reached the heights she did just after her debut. Now retired and living in the UK, Taylor Wilde has left behind her days as a Knockout but the mark she left on the division is still remembered today.
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| TRACI BROOKS |
I have a soft spot for Traci Brooks. Maybe it's because when I think of TNA Knockouts I always think of Traci. She was the first and they always say you remember your first! Even though I understood the times she was released by TNA, I was always a little bummed. For outright dedication to the product and love for the company, I'm not sure there has ever been another Knockout that comes close to Traci Brooks. While she was never the best wrestler or the best talker, she had a certain something, a certain attitude. Every time Traci performed in a TNA ring, you could tell that it meant something to her, whether it was managing Shane Douglas, Matt Bentley or Robert Roode, being Knockout Law, feuding with Trinity or being a referee. I understand totally that you need to make room for new girls by getting rid of the older ones, but I would love for TNA to always have a spot for this Ontario native. For someone who has followed TNA from its inception up until now, I got to see every Traci Brooks appearance she made for the company on TV or PPV and I have very fond memories of her. The original Knockout will always have a place in my heart and has the #2 spot on this list.
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| AWESOME KONG |
What can you say about Awesome Kong that does justice to just how much she contributed to TNA during her time there? Maybe the best thing I can tell you is to go back, dig out her TNA matches from late 2007 to early 2010 and witness for yourself just how good this woman really was during her time in the promotion. To me, the competition for #1 spot on this list wasn't even close; it was Awesome Kong and no one else. When TNA signed Kong in the fall of 2007, what they got was a female performer unlike anyone else on television in any promotion at that time. The Knockouts division remained strong because of her presence and when she left in 2010, it pretty much became worse. I miss having Awesome Kong in TNA and I miss what she brought to the division and women's wrestling as a whole. I hope that someday, we get to see Kong return and claim her throne as the most devastating, destructive and yes, awesome TNA Knockout ever.
