Mia Yim made her return to wrestling after two years at WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow on March 31.

SEScoops’ Ella Jay caught up with the “HBIC” to discuss a variety of topics, such as her wrestling return, Keith Lee’s AEW debut, gaming, and more.

You can watch our exclusive interview with Mia Yim below:

Here are some highlights of what she said about:

Her Return to Wrestling

Mia went against Athena on her return to wrestling and came out on top. Mia was asked what she thought about returning to the ring and the outcome of that match.

“I am very happy about the match. It’s been years since I’ve wrestled Athena and it’s also been over a year since I had my last match anyway, so it was a lot of mental blocks in my head because, you know, I wasn’t in a good mental space. So, getting into this match with a friend, and having her help me through it, kind of gave me back that confidence that I lost. So, the match was good, you know, I got to win, but aside from that, I feel like I’m slowly becoming myself again.”

It was a very emotional moment for Mia to come back to wrestling and win her first match. She clarified a while back that due to her recent wedding and move, she decided to handle everything at home first.

Mia promised us that we can expect her to see in the ring as much as she can be, and she also told us that she will meet everyone that she missed out on the last few years.

Keith Lee in AEW

Mia Yim’s husband, Keith Lee, was released from his WWE contract in November 2021. He made his debut in All Elite Wrestling on the February 9 episode of AEW Dynamite after radio silence on his next venture. Mia was asked how hard it was for her to keep Keith’s AEW a secret.

“Very hard, because of course, he doesn’t tell anybody anything. So, everyone’s coming to me and it’s like, what? I don’t know what you’re talking about. So, I don’t know. People always think they could get scoops from me and especially with Keith it’s like, that’s his business. Don’t come to me with that.”

Keith Lee made his surprise AEW debut to a massive crowd reaction. Fans in the arena were ecstatic to see “The Limitless” walk down the ramp towards the ring to face Isiah Kassidy. Keith won the match and went on to qualify for the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match at Revolution. Mia said watching this moment made her feel really proud.

“I was so proud. I knew it. I knew the reaction he was going to get was going to be authentic and loud, but just to see it as it was happening gave me the chills. And I was like, this is what he deserves.”

Disney Wedding

After being engaged for a year, Mia Yim and Keith Lee got married in February of this year. The couple tied the knot after spending several years together with a Disney-themed wedding. Mia described her wedding as a perfect day.

“Keith was able to give me my dream wedding of a Disney wedding. It was just having Mickey and Minnie there, having the carriage, it was picture perfect. Just marrying my best friend, the love of my life, that was something years ago that I never—like, I quit dreaming of because I never thought I was gonna get married or find ‘the one’. He came out of nowhere and it was just a perfect day having all of our friends and family under one roof, people I haven’t seen in years. It was just such a perfect day.”

Their wedding also had a Star Wars cake, as according to Mia, Star Wars is the only thing Keith loves about Disney. Mia isn’t a fan, but she described how the cake had a custom topper with the couple dressed as Star Wars characters.

“So, Keith is a big Star Wars person That’s the only Disney thing that he loves. I don’t care about Star Wars, but our cake. I got a custom cake topper that had me and him as—what the hell was I—he was Darth Vader and I was a Stormtrooper or whatever. Shana [Baszler] and the girls love Star Wars so all of their entrance music, like coming out to the ceremony and the reception was all Star Wars soundtrack.”

Gaming & Twitch Streaming

Aside from wrestling, Mia also plays video games on her Twitch and YouTube channel. Mia was asked what is the most difficult video game she has played, like ever. The frustration on Mia’s face was clear as she recalled struggling with Elden Ring and Sifu.

“Oh my God, I think right now, it’s Eldin Ring when I don’t have Jay Duke, helping me—or Sifu. Sifu is a rage-inducing game and I’m pissed off just thinking about it.”

Mia Yim doesn’t quit any game in rage, instead, she decides to not stop until she can beat a frustrating game. Admittedly, Mia did have to stop herself from breaking the controller a few times.

Memories of Wrestling in Texas

WrestleCon took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Mia was asked what her favorite memories from the state are.

“I just moved here. So, moving is not a favorite because I miss Orlando and it was a long drive. I haven’t had any—The favorite moment I have here in Dallas, is buying my first house with Keith and actually settling down. That’s a favorite memory thus far but there are going to be plenty more memories to make. We just moved like a month ago, so. [laughs]”

The “Head Baddie In Charge” was asked if she would like to have her own posse, who would she pick to be part of the group with her as the leader. She quickly answered the BRE—which stands for “The Best Roommates Ever” and includes Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Dakota Kai.

Wrestlecon held the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The event was a part of the FITE Fest bundle and WrestleCon SuperShow.

The main event saw the Briscoes vs. The Rottweilers(Homicide & Low Ki). The Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow also had Mia Yim’s first match since WWE released her on Nov. 4, 2021. She competed against Athena, who also wrestled for WWE as Ember Moon. The event can be watched on FITE’s video on demand for $14.99, or wrestling fans could buy the FITE Fest Bundle/WrestleCon bundle for $74.99.

Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow Quick Results

1. Bandido defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey
2. Mia Yim defeated Athena
3. Tomohiro Ishii defeated Timothy Thatcher
4. Taya Valkyrie defeated Johnny WrestleCon in a Dirty Dishes Match
5. Michael Oku, Rey Horus & Laredo Kid defeated Josh Alexander, Ace Austin & Black Taurus
6. Minoru Suzuki defeated Biff Busick
7. Team Onita(Atsushi Onita, The Rock N Roll Express, Juice Robinson & Colt Cabana) defeated Team PCO(PCO, NZO, Jimmy Wang Yang, Barry Horowitz & Dirty Dango)
8. The Briscoes defeated The Rottweilers(Homicide & Low Ki)

Overall Thoughts on Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

The Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow delivered a great wrestling show. The event did have some audio issues and spoiled a surprise appearance by Bret Hart at the start of the show. In the main event, Homicide and Low Ki confronted a fan for being disrespectful. The incident went on for almost 5 minutes before the match started. However, it may not hurt a fan’s overall enjoyment of the event.

Bandido vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey set the tone for the event and could be considered the best match on the card. However, the rest of the card also delivered exciting and fun matches. Yim looked in great shape and seemed happy to be wrestling again in her return. The show may be worth watching for $14.99 on VOD for fans who didn’t see the event live.

Mia Yim recently took to social media to comment on why she’s hasn’t wrestled since being released by WWE. Yim was released from the company on November 4th, 2021.

She clarified that due to her recent wedding to AEW’s Keith Lee, she opted not to take any bookings until March.

“To those wondering why I’m not back in the ring yet.. February is a busy month. With the wedding and the move, I decided to not take any bookings until March to focus on getting everything handled at home first. So don’t worry, I’ll see you all in the ring in March,” Yim Tweeted.

The 32-year-old hasn’t wrestled a match in over a year. Her last actual match was a loss to Nikki Cross on Main Event on December 28th, 2020. This was under her “Reckoning” gimmick along with Retribution. Her only ever victory on the main roster came the week before on Main Event, when she defeated Cross.

Yim is a former 1x Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. She also previously held the SHINE title as well.

It’s not clear where Yim could end up in the future. She might be signed by AEW, where her husband made his debut last week. Yim could also return to Impact Wrestling, where she has spent much of her career thus far.

Congratulations to Keith Lee and Mia Yim on getting married.

The couple tied the knot on Feb. 5 after spending several years together. It’s unclear when Mr. and Mrs. Lee began their relationship, but WWE fans knew they were together in NXT.

Mia Yim commented on her magical night. She thanked all the guests who attended their “Disney” wedding and feels proud and lucky to finally be Mrs. Lee.

Several past and present WWE stars were in attendance for the ceremony, including Shelton Benjamin and Damien Priest.

Keith Lee and Mia Yim

Mia Yim and Keith Lee are free agents after being released by WWE on November 4, 2021.

However, Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer speculates that Mr. Lee already agreed to a deal with All Elite Wrestling. “Keith Lee is on that list, and we’re told that he’s been talked about for [AEW] if not has already agreed to a deal here,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

After his 90-day WWE non-compete clause expired, Lee posted on Twitter that he is looking forward to wrestling again. His last match was on Oct. 25, 2021, when he defeated Cedric Alexander at Monday Night Raw.

Wrestling fans are awaiting his return to competition. Based on Meltzer’s report, AEW wants Lee on their roster. However, AEW hasn’t shared if they have signed Lee or spoken with him. AEW President Tony Khan revealed on Busted Open on Sirus XM that the “forbidden door” would open again and expect more free-agent talent signed.

“…Just in the last several weeks, we’ve made some big one, and I plan to make some more big signings and not in the long term future. I mean in the short-term future,” said Khan.

While it’s unclear when Mr. or Mrs. lee will wrestle again, they seem to be enjoying this new chapter in their lives.

Mia Yim recently commented on the rumors about her absence from WWE programming. The former NXT star confirmed that she is not suffering from any kind of injury. The former Reckoning of retribution took on her Twitter earlier yesterday to comment on her health. While she didn’t provide a lot of update on her status, she wrote: “I’m not injured”

After working as an enhancement talent for WWE in 2014-15, Mia Yim returned to the company to compete in the Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017. She then impressed the officials with her performance in the second Mae Young Classic as well. The female star was signed to a development contract back in September 2018.

Following a couple years in NXT, Yim made her main roster debut as part of the Retribution stable in September 2020. Though she hasn’t been seen on WWE TV in a regular capacity since walking out of the group at Fastlane in March this year.

She was moved to the Raw roster in July but has yet to make an appearance for the brand. There is no word yet on why WWE has kept the former NXT star away from the programming. Though it could very well be another case of the creatives having nothing for her.

• Original Idea For Mia Yim/Reckoning’s “Possession” On RAW

Mia Yim, also known as Reckoning, was set to make her SmackDown debut last week, which was the throwback edition. 

There were rumors that Yim had been pulled from the show due to unknown reasons. Fightful Select reported today she was slated to start a feud with Carmella but it was cut for time as WWE had to add in throwback content to fit the theme of the show.

The throwback idea came from FOX and WWE quickly accommodated their request. It was said that time was added to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns’ segment, but it’s unknown if this added to the time cut directly affecting Yim’s delay.

Dave Meltzer reported in the daily update on F4Wonline.com that Yim is slated to make her debut on the blue brand this coming Friday night. 

She was moved from Raw to smackdown after WWE broke up the Retribution group. Yim hasn’t worked a match since dropping a loss to Nikki Cross last December during a Main Event TV taping. 

A new Aleister Black vignette was also scheduled to air this past Friday, but that was nixed due to time as well.

While MACE and T-Bar are still on RAW, they are no longer being led by Mustafa Ali as members of Retribution. They are also no longer flanked by Reckoning, the Retribution character portrayed by Mia Yim. With Yim now no longer part of the group, some fans have been wondering what comes next for her.

According to a report from PW Insider, Mia Yim is expected to become part of the Smackdown roster. Details such as when she’ll debut and if she will be keeping the Reckoning persona are not immediately available, however.

Yim was originally called up to the main roster in the fall of 2020 with Retribution.

Mia Yim In WWE

32-year-old Mia Yim signed with WWE in late 2018 after performing in the Mae Young Classic. She would spend the next two years in NXT, which included a shot at Shayna Baszler and the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Toronto II in 2019.

Mia Yim Championship Statistics:

• 1x Knockouts Champion (Impact/TNA)
• Queen of the Knockouts Winner (Impact/TNA)
• 1x Shine Champion
• 1x Shine Tag Team Champions w/ Leva Bates
• Shine Tag Team Title Tournament Winner (2014)
• 1x DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion

Yim celebrated her 32nd birthday recently on April 16th. According to her post below, she couldn’t have asked for a better birthday celebration:

Mia Yim has tested for COVID-19. The wrestler also known as Retribution member Reckoning says she tested positive for the first time this afternoon. In a statement issued on Twitter, she wrote:

“This morning at around 10:30am, I debunked a rumor stating I was positive with Covid. For that, I must make a statement. I have been getting tested every week for several months now, all have been negatives. I was negative last week, I got tested this afternoon less than an hour ago and it came back positive. Please respect my privacy. Please stay safe, wash your hands, and wear a mask. See you all soon!”

Evidently, there had been some rumors going around this morning that she had tested positive. This may have been a result of both her and Keith Lee having missed RAW lately. Reckoning hasn’t wrestled in WWE since December 28th on Main Event and Lee hasn’t wrestled since January 11th’s RAW.

Based on this news, it is likely that Yim will not participate in tomorrow’s WWE Royal Rumble. The news also makes it unlikely that Keith Lee will be on the show either. Neither Keith Lee nor Reckoning are currently advertised as participating in the event.

We will post an update when more details become available.

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Mia Yim dropped a ladder match to Io Shirai on NXT this Wednesday night. The match was to determine which team would gain the advantage in the upcoming War Games match in Chicago on Saturday. The 30-year-old sat down with Lillian Garcia recently for the “Chasing Glory” podcast and spoke about being a domestic abuse survivor, being bullied during her childhood, and more.

Near the end of the interview, Garcia asked Yim about her experience as a domestic abuse survivor and how she got through the experience.

“I moved down here (Florida) in 2013 and the first couple of months was great but they always are,” Yim said on the show. “There were flags there.”

She mentioned that she moved to Florida both for her partner at the time and also to chase her dream of being in WWE.

“So, (my family) could see the flags,” she continued. “The stuff that he was saying, the stuff that he was promising, they could see the flags and they were like ‘you’re an adult, you can make your own decisions, but this is not healthy and we just want to let you know that this is not right.'”

Yim would then say she continued in the relationship feeling like it would be alright.

“It always starts out small and gets bigger and bigger,” Yim continued. “It was the arguments that turned into just being called different names. The competition between our careers, I was doing more traveling, I had the WWE tryout. I was just about to get into TNA. In my opinion, he probably felt like he was in competition. He would bring me down mentally at first verbally.”

At this point, Garcia confirmed with Yim that the partner being spoken about is also a wrestler.

“The first time, I was drinking a protein shake,” Yim recalled. “He slapped the protein shake out of my hand and then put me in a headlock, like a real headlock. And after that happened, I’m looking around and I’ve never been in that kind of position before so I didn’t know what happened but the first thing that I did was clean up the protein shake. I immediately just started cleaning and as I’m cleaning it’s like ‘what just happened?'”

“I know this is wrong but he loves me and apologizes happened,” Yim spoke regarding what she was thinking at the time.

“Then it just came more consistent and more extreme,” Yim continued. “There was a point when I got locked in a closet. There was a point where I’d hurt my knee at a show, so it was kind of tender, and he – I got pushed against a wall and he kneed the inside of my knee.”

Yim would continue to say she was in the situation for approximately 2 years. The conversation would get so honest that Yim even admitted that she and Shelton Benjamin don’t really hate each other as is often presented on social media as being the case. Benjamin played a role in helping Yim escape the situation she was living in.

“He is my big brother, I love him so much,” Yim said on the show. “He pretty much offered up his home for me. The minute he found out, immediately he said ‘I’ll get you a plane ticket, you get out of there, I got you’ and at this point, I wasn’t ready yet.”

After more episodes of abuse, Mia said she found the courage to escape.

“You’re not going to be the reason why the police is going to call my parents telling them that their daughter has passed away,” Yim said through tears. “So, I finally left.”

Garcia then mentioned that there are numerous people listening to her story who are going through the same thing. She asked Mia what advice she has for them.

“I’ve tried my best to be an advocate and to say that silence is the abuser’s weapon,” Yim said.

The full conversation can be viewed in the player below:

WWE has released its NXT injury report this week that has caught the attention of mainstream media outlets. 

The media includes The New York Post, which has an article up. The injury that Mia Yim suffered happened on this week’s episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida.

She battled Io Shirai, who went over, in a ladder match. Because of this win, Team Baszler will have an advantage come the night of NXT TakeOver: WarGames III. 

Yim suffered damage to her nose when she was holding a ladder to her face and Shirai launched a drop kick that forced the ladder smashing into her face and busted open her nose. She started to bleed as a result. 

Moments later, she climbed the ladder only to have NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray tip the ladder over and sending her crashing through another ladder that was outside of the ring. 

5 Takeaways From WWE NXT (11/13)

It was noted that Yim suffered a nasal fracture, which will be examined by a plastic surgeon Yim also suffered what were believed to be rib fractures.

Rhea Ripley, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, and Kay Lee Ray will take place in the Women’s WarGames Match at this show on Saturday, November 23, 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.

WWE released this video that shares the injury report in this video posted on their YouTube channel, which you can watch here: 

WWE NXT General Manager William Regal had little time for Mia Yim following last night’s episode of NXT. 

In case you missed it, Yim was confronted by NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler and her Horsewomen, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. She was offered a spot under Baszler’s “dragon wing,” and was invited to join the three of them. Yim refused their invitation, instead launching an attack before the numbers game caught up with her. 

After the show, Mia Yim caught up with a preoccupied William Regal, who was on the phone. She demanded a matchup against Shayna Baszler, highlighting that she was just beaten down in a three-on-one assault.

Regal’s response lacked any sort of sympathy, however:

“Listen, you had your opportunity at TakeOver,” he said. “You attacked two of them, what do you expect?”

He then resumed his phone call and walked off, leaving Mia Yim visibly frustrated.

The matchup Regal referred to was Mia Yim’s recent bout at TakeOver: Toronto. She competed in a losing effort for the WWE NXT Women’s Championship, submitting to Baszler.

Given the fallout of this match and her rejection to join Baszler and her cohorts, it appears this storyline has yet to run its course. 

As expected, Shayna Baszler’s reign on top of the WWE NXT women’s division as NXT Women’s Champion continues. 

In her latest title defense, Baszler successfully retained the strap to remain as champion over Mia Yim at Saturday’s (August 10, 2019) WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto II event in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena on the WWE Network.

It will be interesting to see where WWE goes from here as they put on one heck of a match that delivered.

• NXT TakeOver: Toronto II Results & Live Coverage

This was a key match in the women’s division as Baszler has been a top champion since winning the title back at the Evolution pay-per-view event in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in October.

The next special for NXT comes during Survivor Series weekend with the NXT TakeOver: WarGames special on November 23, 2019 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

WWE will reveal her opponent at this show in the coming months. 

What are your thoughts on Shayna Baszler retaining the NXT Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Who do you want to see feud for the title in the division? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE NXT star Mia Yim recently did an interview with Byron Saxton of WWE.com to talk about various topics. During the interview, she was asked how she’s settling into her role as an official member of the NXT roster. She stated that it’s a dream job but it doesn’t feel like a job and wakes up every morning thankful for her life and being able to train at the WWE Performance Center. She brought up how she has a bunch of friends in WWE both ones she made since signing and those who she has known from the indy scene.

When asked about the opportunity to compete in the Mae Young Classic came about, she brought up how she was invited and was able to wrestle two friends from the indies, Sarah Logan and Shayna Baszler.

“It was kind of a full-circle moment because I wrestled both of them when they first started and then we got to showcase our skills on the big stage. I caught up with Nattie, Charlotte and Maria Kanellis, who continue to give me motivation and advice. I got overall good feedback from the coaches and agents. I received another invite to the second Mae Young Classic, but I was nervous because it would be my first big showing since my injury. After the numerous tryouts, extra work and the last Classic, I was determined to land a full-time spot on the NXT roster.”

She continued, “I was lucky to be among all the great talented women in both Mae Young Classics, and even luckier to have the support of my fans at Full Sail and all over the world. They made sure to be heard and they made my dream come true.”

Finally, she talked about her goals in WWE NXT. This is where she stated that her goal in NXT is to become the next NXT Women’s Champion and to become a champion on either Raw or SmackDown Live. She added that she wants to have a moment at WrestleMania. 

The WWE Network will present an episode of 205 Live and NXT tonight. 205 Live could get moved back to their live Tuesday night timeslot next month, however, as the Mixed Match Challenge is scheduled to finish at the TLC PPV.

NXT 11/28 Preview

Tonight’s episode of NXT was filmed at a San Jose house show on the 15th. WWE will be back in San Jose next month for TLC.

Keith Lee vs Lars Sullivan

A battle of heavyweights tonight. Sullivan is main roster-bound but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll lose to Lee tonight. Lee is someone who could have a big future ahead of him in NXT and WWE as well so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out looking stronger in this clash tonight.

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs the Mighty

The NXT tag-team division will see Burch and Lorcan take on Australia’s the Mighty tonight. The Mighty have seen better results since they started breaking the rules but tonight they’ll be in tough against the hard-nosed team of Burch and Lorcan.

EC3 vs Marcel Barthel

EC3 could use a win after being bounced out of title contention before the last Takeover. He was also the target of an attack by the Undisputed Era which took him out of action for a few weeks. You can’t keep the top 1% down for long, however, and EC3 starts his road back to the top of the men’s singles division tonight.

Mia Yim vs Vanessa Borne

Mia Yim took a loss to Bianca Belair her last match out. In fairness, only Nikki Cross has faced Belair in NXT and managed to avoid taking a loss. Vanessa Borne has been progressing as of late, however, and won’t let Mia Yim get back in the win column so easily.

205 Live 11/28 Preview

Hideo Itami Returns

Hideo Itami has not wrestled since being defeated by Mustafa Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere match to blow-off their rivalry. Itami will be in single’s action tonight but his opponent has yet to be named, likely meaning they are enhancement talent.

Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander vs Tony Nese & Buddy Murphy

Things are tight atop the Cruiserweight division at the moment. Murphy’s reign as champ has included just the one title defense against Mustafa Ali thus far but a new challenger could emerge in this match here. Alexander has never received a rematch from his loss to Murphy in Australia and Alexander had previously defeated Murphy in a title defense as well. Their trilogy bout could be upcoming. On the other hand, Tony Nese recently defeated Alexander, so he could be in line for a shot at his training partner’s belt.

The future looks bright as ever as WWE welcomes the latest class of recruits to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Matt Riddle: The “Super King of Bros” is a former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler. He’s been a standout performer on the independent scene for the past several years. Riddle made his first appearance for WWE at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend and is now a full-time member of the NXT roster. Click here to learn more about Matt Riddle.

Mia Yim: Mia Yim has competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament two years in a row. She’s a former Impact Wrestling Knockout and is set to make her NXT debut on next week’s broadcast.

Chelsea Green: Another former Impact Wrestling Knockout, Green was trained at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. She was a participant on the 2015 season of Tough Enough and is dating Zack Ryder.

Humberto Carrillo: Third generation luchador from Monterrey, Mexico. Carrillo is the latest product of the famed Garza wrestling dynasty and is best known for his work as the masked superstar Ultimo Ninja.

Luis Martinez: Formerly known as Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor, Martinez was trained at the Monster Factory wrestling school in in New Jersey. Raised in New York and Puerto Rico, he won last year’s ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament.

Daniel Vidot: Vidot is a former professional rugby player from Queensland, Australia. He’s been in talks with WWE since 2014 and has received several tryouts throughout the years.

Jordan Omogbehin: Big J.O. is a 7-foot-3, 370-pounder from Nigeria. He played  played college basketball at the University of South Florida and Morgan State University in Baltimore before getting into wrestling.

Visit WWE.com for more information about each new recruit.

– As seen this past Wednesday on the WWE Network, Mia Yim sent Kaitlyn packing from the Mae Young Classic by beating the former Divas Champion in a Second-Round Match. Yim scored the victory by forcing Kaitlyn to submit to the kneebar.

Following the match, Kaitlyn — real name Celeste Bonin — took to Instagram to reflect on her WWE comeback.

“My match with @miayimofficial was one of my favorite of all time. The match itself was so dope and Mia is such a powerful woman in so many ways,” Kaitlyn wrote.

“But For me, it was exceptionally meaningful to come back after so many years and to leave it all out there in the ring and offer my contribution to the evolution of women’s wrestling. The evolution of the division is parallel to my evolution as a person and as a competitor/performer. Man I love wrestling. Congrats to @miayimofficial. She deserves it. Much respect to her.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Boyz2TAlZis/

– Although Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil have not appeared together on television since the night after SummerSlam, they’re still a unit.

Crews and O’Neil teamed up for the first time in four weeks at last night’s WWE live event in Syracuse, New York. Titus Worldwide teamed with Tyler Breeze to beat The Ascension and Mike Kanellis in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.

This was also O’Neil’s first match since September 15 (teaming with Crews at a live event), and Crews’ first since September 24 (beating Breeze in a match taped for WWE Main Event). Crews and O’Neil have not wrestled together on television since losing to AOP on Raw on August 20. It was also their last appearance on Raw.

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Mia Yim made her NXT live event this weekend. As advertised, the Mae Young Classic competitor wrestled at Saturday’s NXT live event from Fort Pierce, Florida. In her first match for NXT, Mia Yim defeated Aliyah in singles action.

I’m living the best life. 💙

— Michin 미친 (@MiaYim) September 30, 2018

Mia Yim has wrestled on and off for Impact Wrestling between 2013-2017. She was expected to sign with WWE after last year’s Mae Young Classic tournament, but was sidelined with a leg injury. During a recent interview with TVInsider, Mia revealed the hardest part of her recovery was the mental aspect.

“The hardest part of the recovery was the mental,” Yim said. “Going to physical therapy, learning how to walk again and run again, rolling around in the ring — it was all easy compared to the mental part.”

She recently signed a developmental deal with WWE and has been training at the Performance Center. Here are some photos from her NXT debut from this weekend:

@MiaYim #NXTFtPierce pic.twitter.com/WSviamX5Xz

— 👑 Queen Gigi 👑 (@772DIVA) September 30, 2018

https://twitter.com/DemetriThomasX/status/1046220686614810626

Watch: Mia Yim talks about her dream to wrestle for WWE

WWE recently confirmed the signing of Mae Young Classic competitor, Mia Yim. They have now announced the former Knockouts Champion will make her NXT debut on the house show circuit this weekend. She’ll debut on September 29th at NXT’s house show in Ft Pierce.

The NXT Twitter account was the first to break the news:

#WWEMYC competitor @MiaYim will make her #NXTLIVE debut this Saturday 9/29 at #NXTFtPierce! Tickets available at https://t.co/YRoxXRhxbY. pic.twitter.com/g26nER2Y12

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 27, 2018

Speculation regarding Yim’s signing began last week when the 29-year-old appeared in a video filmed at the WWE Performance Center. It was later reported she had indeed signed with the company and reported to the Performance Center on September 16th, 2018.

Mia Yim WWE

Many expected Yim to sign with WWE after last year’s tournament but a leg injury set her back. Yim spoke to TV Insider in August about overcoming her injury last year and moving forward with her career.

“The hardest part of the recovery was the mental,” Yim said. “Going to physical therapy, learning how to walk again and run again, rolling around in the ring — it was all easy compared to the mental part.”

Yim also spoke about the competition in this year’s Mae Young Classic:

“There are a lot of good girls in this year’s competition. I’m actually happy for that people may think they know what to expect, considering what I did last year. I learned so much new stuff… I don’t want to be specific with it. I’m hoping people underestimate me and have an expectation of me from last year, so I can surprise them that much more.”

WWE has signed 29-year-old former Knockouts Champion, Mia Yim. There had been speculation WWE had signed the 2-time Mae Young Classic competitor last week but a recent report has confirmed the news.

Yim appeared in a video filmed at the WWE Performance Center and then posted from NXT’s social media accounts.

According to a recent report from PW Insider, Yim reported officially started with the company on September 16th. She was victorious in her first-round Mae Young Classic match against Allysin Kay (Sienna) which aired last week. She was eliminated in the second round last year by her roommate, Shayna Baszler.

Mia Yim Career Highlights

Despite still only being 29, Yim is a 9-year pro. From 2013-2017 she was a featured performer for TNA Wrestling. Along with Marti Belle, Yim was part of the Dollhouse faction for part of her run with the company.

Yim won the Knockouts Championship on March 17th, 2016 in a 3-way match featuring Gail Kim (who was champion at the time) and Madison Rayne. The victory ended a nearly 9-month reign as champ for Kim.

Additionally, Yim is a former Shine Champion, Shine Tag-Team Champion (with Leva Bates). She was ranked 16th on the 2017 PWI top-50 female rankings. She was ranked 6th the year prior.

Yim is also a former Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion in Japan’s comedic DDT promotion, having defeated Joey Ryan for the honors.

The 3rd episode of the 2nd Mae Young Classic will air on the WWE Network tonight. Matches 9-12 of the tournament will be featured as we roll into the second half of the 1st round.

Mae Young Classic Preview 9/19

Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2FXOKziAV4

These two former Knockouts Champions will clash inside a WWE ring tonight. Kay once won the Knockouts Championship from Yim in a triple threat match also involving Gail Kim. That match took place at Slammiversary in 2016.

They’ve only met in single’s action once before, however. That was on an episode of Xplosion when Yim defeated Kay in October of 2016. Yim wrestled in TNA as Jade and Kay as Sienna.

Kaitlyn vs Kavita Devi

Former Divas Champion, Kaitlyn returns to the ring tonight. She made an abrupt exit from the business 4 years ago despite only being 27 at the time. Kaitlyn got back into wrestling earlier this year in preparation for the tournament. She’ll be in tough tonight with the gigantic Kavita Devi though, one of WWE’s top prospects from India.

Toni Storm vs Jinny

It is Australia vs England in this match as Toni Storm takes Jinny. With the NXT United Kingdom brand starting to take shape, it seems as though these two will be near or at the top of the women’s division.

This match will be the 10th time the two have faced each other in single’s action. Jinny leads the series 5-4 but Storm has had the upper hand the one previous time they met in a WWE ring in 2017. Storm defeated Jinny at the WrestleMania Axxess show last year.

Karen Q vs Xia Li

Li enters the tournament for the second time. She was knocked out of the 1st round last year by the highly-touted Mercedes Martinez. Tonight the martial arts expert from China will face Karen Q, a grizzled veteran of the North American scene. She’s recently been competing in Ring of Honor’s Women of Honor division.

Mia Yim has been spotted at the WWE Performance Center. The former Knockouts Champion appears at the end of a video NXT posted to their Twitter account recently. Her inclusion in the video is likely to fuel speculation the 29-year-old could sign with the company in the near future.

The 29-year-old has competed in the last two Mae Young Classics and can be considered one of the top female free agents in wrestling at the moment.  She has also only taken one indy booking since the MYC filmed, which was with Warrior Wrestling in Chicago the night after All In.

This morning @WWEPerformCtr our female Superstars hit a upper body circuit that ended with incline banded resistance bench presses. pic.twitter.com/Dd7YtmpZ95

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 18, 2018

Mia Yim WWE History

Yim’s first WWE match came in 2014 when she lost to Charlotte Flair on an episode of NXT from Full Sail University. In last year’s Mae Young Classic, Yim defeated Riott Squad’s Sarah Logan in the 1st round. She’d be eliminated the next round by Shayna Baszler, however.

Her matches from this year’s MYC have yet to air.

Yim is also roommates with several of the 4 Horsewomen of MMA in Orlando. Jessamyn Duke posted the following video of her, Yim, and Baszler reading aloud mean-Tweets they have received.

Mia Yim Inter-Gender Wrestler

Yim has taken part in multiple inter-gender matches recently. She defeated Andrew Everett at a show for RISE, lost to Matt Riddle for Smash Wrestling, and defeated Keith Lee in a match for Beyond Wrestling back in May.

Speaking of Yim and Keith Lee, they posted the following to social media recently:

Sunday, I went to Disney World for the first time ever. A celebration of sorts, but my oh my, I was a kid in a candy store! It was quite the special day. Big shout out to Mr. Green. #BlasianBaddie #BaskInMyGlory #iAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/y49Qjgr3kN

— Loving Lee (@RealKeithLee) September 18, 2018

Mia Yim will participate in her second Mae Young Classic tournament this year. She defeated current Riott Squad member, Sarah Logan, in the first round of the tournament last year. Yim was then defeated by her current roommate, Shayna Baszler, in the second round.

The former Shine and Impact Knockouts champion is looking to improve upon her performance from last year. She recently took part in an interview with TV Insider to discuss the upcoming tournament.

Mia Yim on Mae Young Classic II

“I feel like the game has been upped,” Yim said. “There was a lot of good women last year, but now this year they are bringing in girls like Meiko Satomura.”

“There are a lot of good girls in this year’s competition. I’m actually happy for that people may think they know what to expect, considering what I did last year. I learned so much new stuff… I don’t want to be specific with it. I’m hoping people underestimate me and have an expectation of me from last year, so I can surprise them that much more.”

Mia Yim has been rooming with the 4 Horsewomen of MMA in Orlando as of late.

“Thank God I had Shayna [Baszler] and Jess (Duke) helping me around,” she said. “Taking me to the gym, making sure I was on top of my PT and being around me when I felt like I was alone. Having them here, making me laugh… Both of them made sure all my business was handled. Even helping me take care of my dog. It really made us a family.”

Yim also specifically mentioned wanting to face Io Shirai in the tournament this year.

“I’d love to go to the finals of the Mae Young Classic facing Io Shirai,” she revealed. “We wrestled each other in California, and it was awesome. When I started wrestling I looked up to the Shirai sisters. I finally got to meet Mio earlier this year… I wrestled Io two, three years ago. I feel like both of us have improved our game greatly. So wrestling her again this time around would be good.”

Mia Yim has signed on to compete against fellow Mae Young Classic competitor Santana Garrett in just two weeks at MLW: One-Shot at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, FL on Thursday night October 5th.

A second-degree black belt in taekwondo and Muay Thai practitioner, Mai Yim has competed in every major organization with a women’s division.

• Ricochet vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland
• MVP vs. Sami Callihan
• Jeff Cobb vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Mia Yim vs. Santana Garrett

Also confirmed for the show are Maxwell Jacob Feinstein (MJF) and Jason Cade. More matches will be announced soon.

Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will be calling the action from ringside, with MLW: One-Shot available on-demand on the new MLW.TV service just days after the event.

A limited number of tickets are still available over at Eventbrite.com.

– After making their in-ring debuts on last night’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, Eli Drake (aka Shaun Ricker) and Micah (aka Camacho) have been added to TNA’s roster. The two, along with Drew Galloway, make up “The Rising” stable in TNA.

– The TNA Tag-Team titles have officially been vacated by The Wolves. On next Friday’s edition of Impact Wrestling, eight teams will battle for a spot in Ultimate X to crown the new champions. The teams involved will be The Hardys, James Storm & Khoya, Ethan Carter III & Bram, Rockstar Spud & Mr. Anderson, Austin Aries & Bobby Roode, Micah & Drew Galloway, Kenny King & Low Ki and BroMans.

– Below is a video preview for next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America:

https://youtu.be/DusrUInc2w8

– TNA recently posted the following vignette for the upcoming debuts of Jade (aka Mia Yim) and Marti Belle.

https://youtu.be/_G3j3PxKnlE

• WWE Personality Explains Why He Wants To Kick CM Punk’s Ass!

– Despite previous speculation, Tara (Lisa Marie Varon) did not return at TNA’s all-Knockouts “One Night Only” pay-per-view taping in Orlando on Saturday night. The list of Knockouts that did work the show include Reby Sky, Maxine, Veda Scott, Scarlett Bordeaux, Jessicka Havok, Deonna, Mia Yim and Marti Belle.

– Bandai Namco is working on a “TNA 2” mobile game that is scheduled to be released later this year. You can check out a trailer for the game below: