Gail Kim Says Watching Other Wrestlers in Pain Made Her Realize It Was Time to Retire

Gail Kim knew it was time to hang up the boots—not because of a single injury or one final match, but because she started feeling the pain of others.

In a new interview with the Toronto Sun, the TNA Hall of Famer reflected on the exact moment she realized her body had changed and her time in the ring was coming to a close. After years of feeling invincible, her reactions while watching backstage were her first real sign.

“I wish that my body felt like what I felt like in my 20s or even my early 30s because I remember feeling invincible, as a lot of them do. You know, you see them doing crazy stuff and then as the years go your body starts — that’s how I knew I was going to retire,” she said.

“Right at the very end, in the last couple years, I would watch, say, the monitor of someone else wrestling and I go, ‘Oh [grimaces]’ and I’d react like I felt the pain. I was like, ‘Why am I reacting like that? I never had that reaction before.’ So once I started to feel the pain of other wrestlers watching them do something that looked painful, it was kind of my first red flag, you know, ‘Why am I reacting that way before?’”

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While Kim hasn’t completely ruled out another match, she admitted that the physical preparation would be a major hurdle.

“Of course, I miss the sport of wrestling. I miss having that adrenaline rush. And I don’t mind doing some physicality spots here and there if I’m ever booked for anything. A full match is something entirely different.”

She added that even though she’s not slamming the door shut, a return would take something extremely meaningful.

“I guess I would say ‘never say never,’ but it would have to be something really, really special. And for me to get conditioned for a full match, I don’t think people realize how hard it is to train for the cardio of a professional wrestling match.”

Kim recalled the brutal cardio sessions she endured to prepare for her last singles match in 2019 against Tessa Blanchard—and even that didn’t feel like enough.

“I was climbing 60 flights of stairs multiple times and I still felt like it wasn’t enough.”

Gail Kim remains one of the most respected figures in women’s wrestling, and her legacy in TNA is unmatched. But as she made clear—just watching the action was enough to feel it in her bones.

Do you think Gail Kim should return for one last match—or has she already said goodbye on her own terms? Share your thoughts in the comments.