The following article was originally published with RealSport on April 18, 2018.
With Impact Wrestling preparing for their huge Redemption pay-per-view on April 22, RealSport got to speak with current Knockouts Champion Allie ahead of the event. With more than a decade of experience under her belt in Canada, Japan, and various independent promotions like Shimmer and Shine, Allie proved herself on the independent scene as Cherry Bomb.
Now, with Redemption looming, Allie will be up against “The Undead Bride” Su Yung in one of her biggest challenges since becoming Knockouts Champion. We got to speak to her about being ready for Redemption, working at WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend, her history with Rosemary in Smash Wrestling, and more.
On leading the Knockouts and working with Lucha Underground
RealSport: What’s it like being Knockouts Champion and getting to lead the division?
Allie: Well, I mean it’s pretty freaking awesome, but apart from that it’s really been a dream come true for me. I’ve wanted to be a Knockout since the beginning of the Knockouts Division. I remember seeing it when I first started wrestling. I’d been wrestling maybe a couple of years at that point, and I remember when I first saw the knockouts. Seeing these women competing, and it being taken seriously, was such a big eye opener for me, and I knew that I really wanted to be a part of that division one day. So, to be welcome into the locker room and now having the Knockouts Title, it’s really been a dream come true.
RS: At Redemption, you’ll have to defend your championship against “The Undead Bride” Su Yung. How has facing unorthodox characters like Laurel Van Ness and Rosemary helped prepare you to face Su Yung?
Allie: Well, I’ve been pretty lucky to have now made friends with a certain demon named Rosemary. I think my experiencing working with her- I don’t know if people know about this, but [we] had a very extensive feud in Smash Wrestling. We called that The Slayer vs The Demon. That feud, and obviously working with Laurel Van Ness, has given me what I need to step in the ring with Su Yung. I mean, she’s scary, but I’m definitely not afraid of her.
RS: While some companies have a live product, Impact has been taping far in advance lately. What has been the biggest challenge of that taping style for you?
Allie: I would say that probably the biggest challenge is when we do long shoots. So, for instance, I wanna say it was last year we did a 9-day or 12-day loop, and the biggest challenge of that obviously was the toll it took on all our bodies. You know, it’s not like we’re just actors and we’re on set for stretches of time. We’re actually getting in there and getting beat up. So physically, it is incredibly taxing to do long stretches like that. Thankfully, it seems like we’re going in a direction where we’re not going to be doing that, and so that is a nice change of pace for sure. But I think in terms of filming ahead of time, like this is not something that’s totally unheard of. Lucha Underground also films in chunks ahead of time, and I believe NXT also films in chunks. I hate to say this, but I feel like there’s a weird light that gets shone on Impact for that, and I really don’t think it’s that out of the box.
RS: Since Anthem has been in control of Impact Wrestling, there have been more shows held in Canada rather than exclusively having shows at the Impact Zone in Orlando. What are the differences to working a show in Canada compared to the Impact Zone?
Allie: Definitely when you’re at a live show and it’s just wrestling fans, the energy in the building is going to be completely different because those fans are there specifically to see a wrestling show. Whereas when we shoot in Orlando, it’s a mix of wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans. You know, the reactions are a little bit different. I mean, the Canadian fans specifically are just insane. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Smash Wrestling show or if anyone has been to them, but they’re crazy and they’re loud and they react to things. So yeah, it’s a totally different feel I think. And I’m crossing my fingers that we’re gonna be in Toronto specifically at some point soon, because I would love to wrestle in front of my hometown for sure.
RS: A lot of people say wrestling is about moments more than anything, and the wedding between Braxton Sutter and Laurel Van Ness, along with how it broke down, was an unforgettable moment. What was that moment like, including getting to unite with your real-life husband on television?
Allie: Yeah, that was hands down probably my favorite moment ever in wrestling. And I’ve said this in other interviews, me and [Braxton Sutter], we worked the indies together. We were a team. I managed him in CZW, 2CW, House of Hardcore, and [in] all of these companies we were together. And then we did tryouts at Impact together, and then we were signed [to Impact Wrestling] sitting down together. So we kinda went on this journey. We decided we were going to do this together. And so then to be standing in the ring with him during this wedding, I remember just looking across to him, and I actually did have tears in my eyes and I think he did too, it just felt like all of our hard work had finally paid off. Not only was it a really cool wrestling moment, it was a really cool personal moment for both of us.
On leaving behind Cherry Bomb and becoming Allie
RS: Your character Cherry Bomb was much different on the independent scene. I’ve actually described her as a Mean Girls version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer during your rivalry in Smash Wrestling with Courtney Rush (known now as Rosemary). What were the challenges of adjusting to such a different character in Impact?
Allie: Yeah, it was challenging. It was definitely challenging. Obviously, when you have stepped into a role and you’ve been in that role for a long time, and you understand the ins and the outs and the inner workings of a character, it can be difficult to step out of that into something new, something fresh that you don’t understand that well and you haven’t figured out yet. So it was definitely challenging, but I have to say, as a performer [and] as a wrestler, I’ve definitely grown a whole heck of a lot leaving behind Cherry Bomb and walking into Allie. I think I’ve progressed quite a bit over the last two years, not just as a wrestler but as a character as well.
RS: Early in the character’s portrayal, one aspect of Allie was that she didn’t know how to wrestle. As someone with over a decade of experience in the business, what was it like portraying that kind of character?
Allie: It was very challenging. I mean, I’ve been doing this now since I was 18. So, you know when you’ve been doing something for such a long time it becomes second nature to you. Even the way you move in the ring and your footwork and your bumps and all these things, and that is like- it’s home to me inside the ring. So to then have to portray a character who can’t even step through the ropes, yeah [it was] very challenging. Very, very challenging. And I remember at the beginning there were so many fans that were fans of Cherry Bomb that would tweet at me and DM me and ask me, “what are they doing? Why are they making you this character that can’t wrestle?! We know you can wrestle! We know you can do stuff!” And I totally totally empathize with them, because it’s difficult to see someone that you know is capable of doing something and then pretend like they can’t, I’m sure is very frustrating. But it was a good challenge. I learned a lot about myself, and what I was capable of. And I learned to put my trust in the writers. And I’ve said this a million times, Dave Lagana, not only did he trust me with Allie, but I really had to trust him with Cherry Bomb.
On her favorites, partnering with other promotions, and intergender wrestling
RS: After Ronda Rousey’s debut in WWE and her clash with Triple H during their mixed tag team match, the conversation around intergender wrestling has picked up once again. What’s your opinion of intergender wrestling, and do you think we’ll see Impact Wrestling lead the charge much in the way the Knockouts helped lead the women’s revolution?
Allie: Yeah, I mean I think that intergender wrestling can be really, really well done. If you look at Lucha Underground for instance, I mean they’ve welcome intergender wrestling. And on the indies as well, I was just in an intergender match against Joey Ryan two days ago with Smash Wrestling. So yeah, absolutely I think there’s definitely a place for it, and I would love Impact to expand and to dabble with it. Absolutely, I think it can be done really well.
RS: With Impact constantly forming partnerships with other promotions like Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and others, would you like to see them join forces with an all-women promotion like Shimmer or Stardom?
Allie: Yeah, I mean absolutely. Well we are partnering with Rise [and] it’s very exciting. Not only is it exciting for us as the Knockouts, but I think it’s really cool to be able to work with other indie wrestlers because there are just so, so, so many good female workers on the indies. So yeah, it’s really exciting and of course we’d love to expand our Knockouts Division.”
RS: If a new partnership was made, is there someone from another promotion that you’d really like to face off against in Impact Wrestling?
Allie: Oh my gosh. There’s so many good female wrestlers right now. I mean, like, I’ve never wrestled Madison Eagles, so that would be a dream match of mine. I would say she’s probably number one, because we were in Japan together back in 2010 but we were on the same team. We never actually got to wrestle each other. So I think that would be a really fun match. I would love that. I would say she’s probably number one.
RS: During your independent career, you teamed for a long time with Kimber Lee as the Kimber Bombs. Considering she was released by WWE only a month ago, is there any chance we could see the Kimber Bombs back together in Impact Wrestling?
Allie: I mean, I don’t know. There are parts of me that kind of feel like that chapter of my wrestling career kind of closed, and now I’ve sort of shifted focus and me and Rosemary are Demon Bunny, and we’ve been working a lot on that. We have a website now, we have comic books in the works, so that’s sort of where my attention is at the moment.
RS: Before we wrap up, I have a few rapid fire questions. First off, who has been your favorite opponent to work with throughout your career?
Allie: Rosemary.
RS: What is your favorite gimmick match type?
Allie: Last Knockout Standing.
RS: What has been your favorite match in your career thus far?
Allie: Me and Rosemary’s No DQ Match at Smash Wrestling is up there as one of my all time favorite matches for sure.
RS: If you could choose one legend of women’s wrestling to face at least once, who would it be?
Allie: Trish [Stratus], 100%.
RS: Finally, Impact Wrestling got to do a co-branded show with Lucha Underground during WrestleMania weekend. What was that experience like?
Allie: Oh my gosh. First of all, any wrestler that wrestles on WrestleCon weekend will agree with this. The fans at WrestleCon are amazing. Like, the energy inside that building was just like I walked through the curtain and it instantly just felt like this is home to me, you know? This is what makes wrestling so special. All these fans that are die hard wrestling fans in one building together, and everyone’s experiencing this awesome surge of energy all at the same time. And I know that sounds so like, I don’t know maybe I sound like a hippy saying that, but it [was] really, really cool. And to face someone like Taya [Valkyrie], who I’ve wanted to work with for such a long time. We’re in the Knockouts Division together, but we haven’t really crossed paths, so to be able to have that match on that stage against Lucha Underground was really, really cool. And I just felt lucky that they trusted us to have a strong singles match.
That wraps up RealSport’s exclusive interview with Impact Wrestling’s current Knockouts Champion Allie. Be sure to catch Impact Wrestling this Thursday on PopTV (Friday on Spike UK) to see the final episode before Allie has to defend her title this Sunday at Redemption!