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UPDATE: TNA has decided to release Awesome Kong following a review of the physical altercation involving Kong and Reby Sky on the U.K. Tour at the end of January.
“We conducted an investigation and determined releasing Awesome Kong is the appropriate action in this case,” said TNA executive John Gaburick in an announcement on Friday.
“Kong has been a great contributor to TNA and helped solidify the Knockouts as the best female division in professional wrestling. We thank her and wish her well.”
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Jan. 30 UPDATE: TNA executive John Gaburick issued a statement on Saturday noting that TNA is reviewing whether “any additional disciplinary action” should be taken against Awesome Kong after she was sent home from the U.K. Tour following an incident with Reby Sky.
Prior to the Impact Wrestling TV taping at the Manchester Arena, Kia Stevens was involved in an incident involving Rebecca Hardy (1/3)
— John Gaburick (@JohnGaburick) January 30, 2016
Subsequently, Kia was removed from the tour and returned to the United States. (2/3)
— John Gaburick (@JohnGaburick) January 30, 2016
The matter is being reviewed to determine if any additional disciplinary action will be taken. (3/3)
— John Gaburick (@JohnGaburick) January 30, 2016
A conflict three years in the making apparently boiled over at TNA’s U.K. event on Friday night.
Awesome Kong was reportedly sent home from the tour after getting into an altercation with Reby Sky, the wife of TNA Hvt. champion Matt Hardy.
Kong got into an altercation with Sky in the Knockouts locker room area, as reported by PWInsider.com. How much the altercation escalated is subject to eyewitness accounts as more information surfaces.
Kong, as a veteran of the wrestling scene and one of the original TNA Knockouts, views herself as a locker room leader. She views Reby Sky as an outsider. According to the report, Sky tried to dress in the Knockouts locker room after accompanying Hardy to the U.K. for the tour. An altercation then broke out.
Another piece of the story is Hardy and Sky’s infant son was reportedly nearby when the altercation occurred. TNA has allowed the infant to be part of television during Hardy’s heel turn storyline, exposing the child to the wrestling environment.
The issues between Kong and Sky go back to 2013 before Sky was married to Hardy and when Sky was getting her feet wet on the independents.
During a “YouShoot” interview, Kong accused Sky for not showing respect to legends and not understanding her place. She called Sky “not one of my colleagues” and a “peon.”
Sky shot back with a profanity-laced Twitter tirade calling Kong every name in the book. Now, they share the same roster in TNA after Sky became a regular part of television at the start of this year.
With people paying attention to Matt Hardy’s Twitter account, Hardy took to Twitter early Saturday morning in the U.K. to stir people up by using Kong’s “peon” label in the context of a tweet from his heel persona.
Because wealth & greatness like ours is unattainable, these common peons can only express their envy through hatred. https://t.co/3lj0dAV9ln
— ICONIC Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 30, 2016
Way to go TNA..You let go one of your biggest draws and ratings producers. People tuned into TNA to see Kong, Nobody gives a horses rear end about Reby Sky. When TNA sees their knockout division ratings drop they will bring Kong back. Kong needs to control her temper, she is lucky she didn’t get arrested. If I had tickets to a TNA event that had Awesome Kong on the card I would demand a refund.
@Pat
You, sir, are a peon.
If someone is out of line and causes that much of a disturbance, I HIGHLY doubt they’re gonna say “Well, she IS one of our biggest draws. We’ll tell her to behave herself”. Kia is an adult and should know how to conduct herself. End of story.