Sky is the limit in TNA
TNA Knockouts anniversary at Bound for Glory
BY JIM VARSALLONE
jvarsallone@MiamiHerald.com
Jamie Szantyr could gloat, but she doesn't.
This one-time WWE Diva search contestant has found her niche in TNA Wrestling, helping lead a very strong TNA Knockouts women's `wrestling' division.
``We've proved ourselves enough to the fans that they tune-in specifically to watch our matches,'' said Szantyr, better known as Velvet Sky, one of The Beautiful People, literally and figuratively.
``If you look around at the TNA Knockouts, each one is different. We're all different shapes, heights, sizes, races, hair colors. Each one has a different look. Each one has a different in-ring style. No one looks the same, wrestles the same, moves the same, talks the same. We have variety here in TNA. Elsewhere everyone looks the same, and everyone does the same thing.''
In 2007, Szantyr auditioned for the WWE Diva search contest but did not make the final eight. She was disappointed but continued to pursue a career, working the indies and Women's Extreme Wrestling where she received some syndicated television exposure. Prior in 2005 and 2006, she garnered TV time in a match and a segment for WWE.
It wasn't long after the WWE diva door shut in 2007 that another one opened. TNA announced the creation of its women's wrestling division, and Szantyr, as Talia Madison, competed in a 10-woman gauntlet match to crown the first TNA women's champ at the TNA Bound for Glory pay-per-view.
Sky said: ``When I came to TNA in 2007 and judging by the group of girls TNA brought in for the pay-per-view, I knew immediately we were going to be taken seriously, and we weren't going to be doing bra and panties matches or pudding, jello and whatever else was being done [in WWE].''
That historic gauntlet match in October 2007 also featured Awesome Kong, Traci Brooks, Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, Roxxi Laveaux, Shelly Martinez (Salinas), Jackie Moore (Jacquelyn), ODB and Angel Williams (Angelina Love).
``All the girls have worked so hard in TNA. We have a good group,'' Sky said. ``When the Knockouts division started, we had six or seven girls, and we've grown. In two years, there's 15, 16, 17 of us. We really worked so hard to get to where we are now -- with that many girls and a women's title and now tag team titles, too.''
Another step forward
TNA recently created tag team titles for women. A tournament to crown the first TNA Knockouts tag team champs concluded at the TNA No Surrender pay-per-view in September at Universal Studios Orlando.
Sky teamed with Madison Rayne, who replaced Angelina Love, in the finals. Rayne rejoined The Beautiful People, and then Love's working VISA issues forced her to stop working in the United States.
``Madison and I are going to keep The Beautiful People going strong,'' Sky said. ``Angelina helped create it, and the two of us are just going to continue to take the ball and run with it.''
It would have been fitting for Love and Sky to become the first TNA Knockouts tag team title holders.
``I keep in contact with [Angelina]. She is doing OK, and she is going to be just fine,'' Sky said. ``There was a lot of negative stuff that was said about her on the Internet like why she got fired, what's going to happen. You can't always believe what you read on the Internet.''
The incident caught everyone off guard.
``It came out of the blue,'' Sky said. ``We did three TV tapings. She was supposed to go to [TNA's] Germany tour. The travel was booked, and the pay-per-view match was booked. It was supposed to be her and I against Sarita and Taylor Wilde.
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