Awesome Kong Says TNA Paid Her Less Than a McDonald’s Manager During Her Run With the Knockouts

Awesome Kong is widely regarded as one of the most impactful performers in TNA Knockouts history, helping build the division alongside Gail Kim into something genuinely groundbreaking for women’s wrestling. But according to Kong herself, the financial recognition never matched the creative contribution.

Appearing on the season seven premiere of Dark Side of the Ring — an episode focused on the history of Jeff Jarrett and TNA — Kong opened up about what she was earning during her time with the company and the treatment Knockouts received in terms of compensation. In her own words, she was making less than a manager at McDonald’s, and her requests for a raise were denied.

The revelation is a stark contrast to the cultural footprint the Knockouts division left on the industry. During Kong’s run in TNA, the women’s product was frequently cited as the most compelling in North American wrestling, drawing genuine critical praise at a time when WWE’s Divas division was still largely treated as an afterthought. Kong was a central reason for that reputation — a dominant, physically imposing performer whose in-ring style set a template that influenced women’s wrestling for years to come.

Dark Side of the Ring’s seventh season using TNA and Jeff Jarrett’s story as its lens promises to dig into some of the more complicated backstage dynamics of that era, and Kong’s comments suggest there will be no shortage of candid perspective from those who lived it. The premiere aired on July 8, 2026.