Awesome Kong discusses her time with All Elite Wrestling.
Kong debuted at the inaugural AEW Double or Nothing event in 2019, and she later joined forces with Brandi and Luther to form the Nightmare Collective. The stable was panned by fans and critics, and it disbanded a few months later. Kong last wrestled on the January 1, 2o20 episode of AEW Dark, and the former TNA star worked in a backstage role until she left the company in June 2021, when her contract expired.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, when asked about her time in AEW and specifically her run with the Nightmare Collective, Kong explained that, at the time, AEW was still in its infancy, so the higher-ups were still figuring everything out. The veteran noted that she felt like she heard and she wasn’t in control, though she tried to get into the room where final decisions are made. Eventually, she stopped pushing because she realized that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Here’s the thing. We have a lot of leaders that have an idea of a perception, they have a vision, and everyone only gets a piece, a little piece of that vision into the picture, into the art piece. Sometimes it don’t work. And the thing is, I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the crew over there at AEW, especially since we were just up and running. We are all new executives, and we are trying to think outside the box, and really give it to y’all, you know what I mean? Give you something new, something that hasn’t been seen.
“We were trying to give you something you hadn’t seen. But I feel, for me I felt unheard. I wasn’t in control, you know what I mean? All I could do is say hey I have this idea of X, Y, and Z. And I couldn’t get in the room where final decisions are made. And believe me, honey, Kia stalked that room. I would stay there after the big meetings, like pick up the water bottles and the cups like, ‘Huh, Y’all need…you need me to go? Okay.’ I tried to get it to the last meeting where decisions were made. But [I] never had a chance to. And after a while, I’m like okay, so that’s just not gonna happen, so I’m not gonna push it. You know what I mean?”
Kong also described how she could tell that there was a select group of people in AEW that made the decisions. If it was up to her, she wished she got 15 minutes to go out and steal the show.
“When you obviously see that this is who they’re comfortable making decisions, and that’s not a read, that’s not a critique, but that’s who was comfortable making decisions. And so it’s like what do you do? It’s out of my control. If I had control, give me 15 minutes of Kia hour. Kia’s 25 minutes of fame. Go out there and steal me the show from them boys. You, you, and you. Nyla [Rose], go steal the show from the boys.”
Kong retired from the ring at NWA EmPowerrr on August 23, 2021. TNA/IMPACT Wrestling inducted her into their Hall of Fame at Bound For Glory on October 23.
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