Tara leaving TNA
TNA Knockout Tara wrote on her MySpace that she is leaving the company when her contract expires next month.
Here is an excerpt:
I came to TNA last year because I still had a lot of wrestling left in me. I was paid a fraction of what I thought I deserved. But I wanted to show I was still at the top of my game. Now my contract is up in May. I want a modest pay increase. They don't want to pay me what I think is fair. I have no problems going my own way."
But about 12 hours after the conversation where we didn't agree on pay, unnamed sources claim that I am hard to work with and that I don't give my best effort. My only response is that TNA made an aggressive effort to re-sign me, among other things saying that they want to build the women's division around me. And I think wrestling fans see, both on TV and at live events, that I always give 100%. I take pride in that. Smearing me on the way out the door is an act of second-rate character.
This news might explain why her character was suddenly turned heel. I expect her to be booked to put over Angelina Love several times before she leaves.
Tara has contemplated getting into MMA in the past, and she mentioned that she may purse that after she is done with TNA. WWE is probably not an option since she left there because she was unhappy with the way her character was consistently jobbed out.
Tara’s departure is another blow to TNA’s women’s division, which has lost talented workers such as Awesome Kong, Alissa Flash and Roxxi in recent months.
If the following call hasn’t happened already, I bet it's going to: “Hello, Mickie James? Terry Taylor from TNA. Let’s talk.”
Comments
I can't think of a single entertaining match or segment Tara was involved with during her entire TNA run.
Posted by: Elevation | April 28, 2010 7:05 PM
Maybe Tara will finally get her much needed knee surgery performed?
Posted by: wrzesien | April 28, 2010 7:12 PM
Disappointing, but not unexpected.
Victoria is a great worker and she seems like a lovely girl but since developing an interest in MMA she does seem to whinge and complain an awful lot, first about WWE and now about TNA.
I wish her all the best and hope that she's lost to the wrestling business but i don't think her heart has been in it for quite a while.
Posted by: John | April 28, 2010 7:35 PM
"If the following call hasn’t happened already, I bet it's going to: “Hello, Mickie James? Terry Taylor from TNA. Let’s talk.”
_________________________________
You forgot to add the next part: "Vinny Ru already has some great ideas for you. How do you feel about a pork-on-a-pole match? Or mud-mayhem heaven? ... Mickie? Are you there?"
Posted by: Christopher | April 28, 2010 11:24 PM
Tara/Victoria is a good worker. She did give her best from what I always saw. Alissa Flash is an awesome performer who fell victim to the Hogan/ Bischoff regime. But Tara, who cares about womens mma?
Posted by: jj | April 29, 2010 12:53 AM
I thought she had real potential to be a modern day Sheri, but her mic/promo work was just never consistent enough. She'd cut a great promo one week and then stumble all over her words the next. I've even heard her mess up lines that were obviously supposed to be "catchphrases" for her.
TNA starving for the type of women's talent they had a couple of years ago also hurt her.
Aside from staring at Velvet Sky, there's no real point to the Knockouts Division these days.
Posted by: MechanicalBull | April 29, 2010 1:02 AM
The thing that I liked about Tara is that outside the ring, she was a class act. At Bound for Glory she was hands down one of TNA's nicest people to meet. Super gracious and beyond willing to take that extra second to make a fan happy. One of the few people in the biz who, honestly, is a down to earth person.
Posted by: el scotto | April 29, 2010 6:07 AM
She's one of the most talented female wrestlers on television today, possibly one of the most talented female wrestlers in the world period. TNA's decision to let her go instead of giving her a bit of a raise is idiotic. If they really don't have the money to spare, they could free it up by releasing somebody less talented from their bloated roster like Scott Hall or Rob Terry.
Posted by: Rob Brown | April 29, 2010 7:49 AM
I used to love the Knockouts Division but with the release of the likes of Kong, Roxxi and Alissa Flash (Melissa Anderson) who is one of the best wrestlers out there, male or female, it seems as if the TNA Knockouts are becoming more and more like WWE Divas each week. I guess there's no room for women like Tara or Mickie James who can actually work when the likes of Lacey Von Erich and Kelly Kelly have jobs for some reason. Oh well, at least Shimmer still has great women's wrestling. . .
Posted by: Barry | April 29, 2010 9:44 AM
Figures, just when they figure out that she makes an awful face and should be turned heel, she leaves.
Posted by: Don | April 29, 2010 12:37 PM
so in a random blurb that i feel i have to get off my chest that i'll admit has nothing to do with this article; what happened to the comment of the week thing? did you abandon it to further your heel turn eck?
RESPONSE FROM KE: It was time consuming so something had to give (it's why I stopped doing my weekly radio spot as well). I', going to try and get back to Comment of Week, although I may not do it every week
Posted by: indeed | April 29, 2010 1:33 PM
"Smearing me on the way out the door is an act of second-rate character."
Isn't that how it works for the majority?
Posted by: Benjajin | April 29, 2010 6:01 PM