Gail Kim Explains Why She Walked Away From Wrestling

Gail Kim is opening up about one of the hardest decisions of her career — and she’s not sugarcoating anything.

While speaking on the Krazy Train podcast with Jasmin St. Claire, the former TNA Knockouts Champion gave an honest explanation of why she stepped away from in-ring competition, making it clear that this wasn’t about losing passion, but about listening to her body and protecting how fans remember her.

The topic came up when the host suggested that nobody ever truly retires from wrestling. Gail immediately clarified that while she still loves the business and remains connected to it, her desire to actually wrestle is gone.

“I don’t wrestle anymore. And for me to wrestle… I really don’t. And you know, I get this question every interview. ‘You know, is this your last match?’ I really, if I’m being honest, I have no desire to wrestle anymore because there is a switch that turned off. At least for me, there was a switch that turned off. I’m not saying that it couldn’t be turned back on. It would have to take something very special for it to be turned back on, but I have a lot of reasons why I wouldn’t step back in the ring.”

One of those reasons was the physical toll wrestling had taken on her after years at the top level.

“My body, you know, I retired. Part of the reason I retired was because I couldn’t walk after matches. So for me, I just thought, you know what, I better retire now. I’m very content with what I’ve accomplished.”

Gail also explained that a big part of her decision came from wanting to preserve her legacy and not let fans see her at anything less than her best.

“I don’t want the fans to see me slow down. I don’t want the fans to see me not at my prime. I want them to remember the best of me.”

She then shared a deeply personal story involving Christy Hemme, revealing that her close friend had tried to gently prepare her for retirement years before she was ready to hear it. At the time, Gail admits the suggestion hurt.

“I remember Christy Hemme, who is one of my best friends… two years prior to when I retired, she asked me, she goes, ‘Maybe you want to start thinking about your retirement.’ Because she wanted to plan it perfectly for me, you know, have a nice out.”

Her immediate reaction was emotional and defensive.

“And I remember being very offended and being like, ‘Wait, I don’t want to talk about this. Like, I can’t believe you’re bringing up retirement to me. I’m not ready.’”

But that moment planted a seed that eventually led her to accept reality.

“And then it kind of parked the little idea in my head. And then it took two years from that point for me to go, okay, you know what? You’re right. It’s time. It’s time.”

Even now, Gail isn’t bitter about how things ended. Instead, she comes across as grounded, proud of her career, and realistic about what it cost her physically. Her perspective feels earned, not dramatic — just brutally honest.

Gail Kim didn’t walk away because she stopped caring — she walked away because she cared enough about herself and her legacy to know when to step back. In an industry that often celebrates pushing through pain at all costs, her honesty cuts through the noise and forces a real conversation about longevity, health, and respect for the craft.

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