The following article was originally published with RealSport on January 16, 2017.
It’s been just over a year since a macabre woman appeared on the ramp in the Impact Zone and began talking about riddles. We didn’t know it at the time, but that woman was Rosemary. She aligned herself with “The Monster” Abyss and Crazzy Steve, and the trio became the devastating force known as “Decay.”
While Abyss is a veteran of Impact Wrestling and Crazzy Steve plays his part well, it is Rosemary who is the true star of the group, and could be one of the most talented female competitors in wrestling today. I say that not only because of her in-ring ability and athleticism, but especially because of her charisma and command of her character.
Wrestling’s Women’s Revolution
The Divas Revolution began in WWE in late 2015, and it reached a pinnacle at WrestleMania 32 when the WWE Women’s Championship was revived and Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Sasha Banks fought for it at the biggest show of the year. However, women’s wrestling wasn’t an endangered species. It wasn’t some lost art that had to be fabricated out of thin air. It’s been alive and well outside of WWE, and Impact Wrestling is a prime example of that.
TNA’s Knockouts Division really took off back in 2007 when they introduced the TNA Women’s Championship. The title was later renamed the TNA Knockouts Championship, knockout being a term that TNA uses to refer to female competitors similar to how WWE used to refer to female competitors as divas.
When the title was introduced, a gauntlet match to crown the first champion was won by Gail Kim. Before her time in TNA, Gail was also a one time WWE Women’s Champion. She has become synonymous with the Knockouts Division to the point that she was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame last year at Bound For Glory.
Since the title’s introduction, it has been held by names such as Awesome Kong, Tara (known in WWE as Victoria), ODB, Angelina Love, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, and Maria. Of the many champions, only Angelina Love and Gail Kim held it six different times. Kim was the champion in October of last year when she made her way to the ring for what was touted as a huge announcement.
Rosemary’s Quest for the Knockouts Championship
Just as Gail looked ready to reveal her news, Decay made their way to the ring. Rosemary made her way into the ring and hit Gail Kim with a mist to the face. Jade, who was also in the ring, was subsequently beaten down by Rosemary and hit with a coast to coast dropkick that drove a trash can into her head. It was a chaotic moment, but it was the culmination of months of build for the unpredictable Rosemary. “The Demon Assassin” as she likes to be called.
As a result of the attack, Gail Kim was injured and forced to relinquish her championship. The match for the vacant title took place within Six Sides of Steel between Jade and Rosemary. What followed was utter brutality, but in the end Rosemary blinded Jade with the Mist of Transformation which let her hit The Red Wedding for the pinfall to capture the TNA Knockouts Championship.
As she stood triumphant, clutching the title like a trophy from a deadly hunt, it was clear that the guard had shifted. Gail Kim may have intended to pass her torch at the head of the division to Jade, but it was Rosemary who swept in and took it by force. Now, the division remains in the control of the matriarch of Decay. On the surface, such an unorthodox champion may not seem ideal as Impact Wrestling looks for a new beginning, but there’s more to Rosemary than meets the eye.
What sets Rosemary apart?
Since premiering on Pop TV, TNA has shifted towards a new start over the last year. While we saw the rise of Decay, we also saw the creation of “Broken” Matt Hardy. If ever there was an example of commitment to character making something spectacular, “Broken” Matt is definitely it. While portraying an odd character is not new to Rosemary, as her competition on the independent scene as Courtney Rush took a similar twist, it is clear that the last year has brought her to a new level.
One of the things that helps that is the feeling that TNA is mastering the art of collaboration. This is something WWE has struggled with in recent years. When wrestling gets too predictable, annoyingly illogical, or boring, nine times out of ten you can probably trace the issue back to a disconnect between the creative team, writers, and the performers. Some of TNA’s worst moments in the past likely came from that same issue.
When wrestling is at its best, things just seem to click between those teams. Rosemary has managed to create a character utterly unique, but the stories she’s been involved in have complemented it perfectly. In an interview with Channel Guide Magazine last July, she talked about the influence that Matt Hardy has had on her since arriving in TNA.
“He is on fire. He is my favorite thing on television right now. I find inspiration from him. I loved the ‘Final Deletion.’ What is so great about that whole thing and any over-the-top character is to make it work, you have to stay at it. You have to train the audience to show that this is the character. They aren’t going to get it right away. So the only way to make something like that work is to go balls out.
“You can’t hold yourself back. If you hold yourself back, it doesn’t come across well. You literally have to throw everything out there. If you don’t believe it, they won’t believe it. For me personally, I go out there and as soon as I go out on that stage, I fully believe I hear voices in my head. I’m a schizophrenic sociopath who does not care about people’s life or death, right or wrong. I want to hurt people. I believe that, and I think everyone else believes that too. If there is any self-doubt, it’s so visual on television.”
That’s the key. That’s the secret ingredient that takes good wrestling and makes it great. Think about the legends of this industry. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and so many more. What made them so perfect was that the characters felt so real. Sure, it’s a show, but that’s not the point. You want it to feel like a real character, not “an act.” It can fall apart the same way that bad acting in a movie or television show can pull you out of the performance.
What does the future hold for Rosemary?
Later this week, Rosemary’s first reign as TNA Knockouts Champion will hit a length of 100 days. It seems like a long time, but it’s only the beginning for a competitor as unique and talented as Rosemary. One question that comes up when competitors shine outside of WWE is how they would do upon arrival in the flagship company of the industry.
While I can’t deny thoughts of seeing her square off with NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, my hope is that Rosemary digs her heels in and stays in TNA for the long haul. The company announced back in the summer of 2016 that Rosemary had signed a new contract, which was reported by other sources to have been an exclusive deal, but it’s unclear when her contract is set to expire, or if she’d even be interested in leaving.
As Impact Wrestling dives headlong into the “Anthem Era,” there is no better representative of the Knockouts Division than Rosemary. She’s the perfect package of character and skill, and if you want to know what makes TNA special, look no further than characters like Rosemary. She’s set to defend her title in the future against Jade in a Monster’s Ball Match, which will surely be a spectacle.
Be sure to tune in to Impact Wrestling on Pop TV on Thursday nights, and if you’re in the U.K. or Ireland, check out their new all-access app to stay up to date with the company.