Velvet Sky Talks TNA Knockouts Not Getting Enough Credit For The Present Day Women's Revolution

Velvet Sky appeared on the Wrestling Epicenter to discuss what first got her into pro wrestling, Sable being her favorite back in the day, and if the original TNA Knockouts get enough credit for the present day women's revolution in wrestling.

Like for many fans, the Attitude Era first caught Sky's attention. The storytelling and larger than life characters were her initial draw into the world of wrestling. Sky made her debut in the indies in 2003.

"I got hooked on the Attitude Era!" Sky exclaimed. "I got hooked on larger than life characters and story telling. It was not just the wrestling, wrestling, wrestling that got me hooked. It was the characters that got me emotionally invested and made me want to see them wrestle."

In terms of her favorite women's wrestler, Sky went with Sable, someone she could relate to, especially as Sky built up her own persona in groups like The Beautiful People and The Allure.

"I loved Sable!" Sky responded. "I was obsessed with her! She was hot, she wore lipstick, she did her hair, she was gorgeous. But, she went out there and she kicked ass in the ring. I relate Mandy, Angelina, and myself to that. Just because we're hot girls doesn't mean we should be discredited as workers.

"If we were not attractive, would that make people go, 'Oh, okay. They're good wrestlers because they're ugly.' It's crazy! It is almost like [the view is] if you're pretty, you suck in the ring. It is crazy how the business has shifted. I feel like, what is wrong with wearing skirts and lipstick and embracing our sexuality while also kicking ass in the ring?"

While the women's evolution / revolution has been one of WWE's focuses in recent years, TNA's Knockout division was highlighting more in-ring action over a decade ago. Sky was asked if she felt like the original roster (Gail Kim, Awesome Kong, etc) in those years get enough credit for what's going on today. Sky wanted to be clear that she was not bitter, but she didn't think they received enough accolades for their achievements.

"No, I don't think we do, but I'm not bitter about it," Sky began. "Before this interview gets released and the fans start to say, 'Oh, she's bitter. She's bitter! She's bitter!' No, I'm not bitter. I was there when this whole kind of Knockouts Revolution thing was coming together. ... I feel like it did start with the Knockouts division. We were main eventing. We were featured in two or three matches on the show back then. That all came to be because there was such a void in women's wrestling. This was 2007, 2008, 2009. There was such a void in good women's wrestling.

"Vince Russo noticed that whenever there were women on the show wrestling, the ratings would spike. He realized that the Knockouts were the show's bread and butter. He gave us the ball and let us run with it. We were being praised by fans all over the world. Not only on our character work, each Knockout brought something different to the table. We were all so different. That is what made the Knockouts division work.

"So, I don't think the Knockouts from back then get enough credit. But, we don't need to be patted on the back. We were there. We know what we brought to the table. I'm so happy to have gotten to share that time with those group of girls. It was my favorite locker room, to this day, that I ever was a part of.

"We all worked so hard. Every single girl that was brought in to be a part of that starting Knockouts division? We were all starving independent wrestlers. When we all showed up, we had no idea back in 2007 what girls were going to be a part of the division. We just got a phone call and showed up at Bound for Glory in 2007. When I got there and saw the girls chosen to be a part of this division, we all knew one another. All those girls worked so hard. My heart was full when I showed up to Atlanta and I saw who was there!"

You can listen to Velvet Sky's full interview in the video above.