Every hour until the clock strikes midnight (Eastern time) and we usher in 2016, Diva Dirt will highlight – in no particular order – the women who made an impact in 2015.
Brooke
In 2015, Brooke ceased to be a Knockout, but it was hardly the year of a woman past her prime.
Most retirement years are either triumphant or forgettable, depending on if the wrestler in question is leaving on top of their game or is simply warming the bench. Brooke was neither of these; 2015 wasn’t her biggest year, but it never bore the signs of a woman on her way out.
In fact, she was just making her way back in, returning from a hiatus brought about by injury and a stint on The Amazing Race that kept her off of television for much of 2014. When she returned, it was to exploit the tension she displayed with her Race teammate Robbie E on the reality show. The two had split since then, making their feud about as personal as it gets. The feud culminated in a match deemed, fittingly, the “Battle of the Exes”. Brooke got the last laugh, defeating Robbie after botched interference from Jessie Godderz laid him out.
Brooke didn’t settle for easing back into the Knockouts division, winning a Fatal-Four Way match at April’s TKO: A Night of Knockouts special to be crowned the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship. She challenged Taryn Terrell for the title in May, but fell short, thanks to copious interference by Jade and Marti Bell. She tried again in July, this time in a Triple Threat match that included Awesome Kong. Once more, Brooke left title-less.
Brooke’s third and final shot at the belt finally got the job done: she defeated Taryn for the title in mid-July thanks to a returning Gail Kim, who helpfully disposed of Jade and Marti Bell and opened the door for Brooke to pick up the huge win. Just like that, Brooke was a three-time Knockouts Champion.
Her reign wouldn’t last long, unfortunately: she’d drop the belt to Gail in a Fatal Four-Way match in September. Still, she wasn’t done collecting honors: she was one of only four Knockouts to compete in TNA’s World Title Series, falling short of advancing to the field of 16 but still impressing in what would be her final matches at a Knockout.
Other feats – like competing in a Five-Way Ladder match at TNA’s One Night Only: X-Travaganza Pay-Per-View and picking up a big Three-on-Two Tag Team match win with Awesome Kong at Slammiversary – only served to enhance Brooke’s year. Her new persona – that of a fired-up, colorful babyface – also gave her character fresh life. That’s why when, in November, Brooke revealed that she was leaving TNA, fans were shocked. Surely, she had a few more good years left as a Knockout!
At the end of the day, though, Brooke’s future is in her hands, and she’s opted to explore other opportunities. One can only hope that she brings that same fire she displayed in 2015 to whatever she chooses to do next.
Come back at the top of every hour to see who else has been crowned 2015’s WOTY.
