Go back to Gail's first run in TNA. This was before the KO division was really formed. Everything was periphery. That is to say, a lot of the women were getting angles alongside the men. There was no title to fight for. What did Gail Kim do during that time? She was with Jeff Jarrett and AMW. She was helping them win matches. She was getting physical with the men. She was going the Chyna/Lita route. You can say she was like the enforcer of that little stable. It helped to get her over even before the KO division was really formed.
Why not have her do something similar in the WWE? I understand you don't see men and women getting physical with each other that much in the PG days, but I still think they could have made it work in some way. They could always get a diva to feud against Gail and neutralize her in certain feuds. Besides, I remember Gail giving Chavo Guerrero an Eat Defeat during her last run in the WWE. Just have her do that kind of thing to guys that aren't jobbers. Have you ever seen any movies that had a hot Asian henchwoman alongside the main villain? Have Gail Kim play that kind of role alongside a main villain in the WWE. She can cheat for him here and there. Gail will get big rubs from working alongside top stars, just like she did in TNA.
This may sound similar to the idea I had for Mickie James in the periphery. Pair Mickie James up with a top heel or heel stable. What I would do with Gail is a little different. How? The idea I had with Mickie James did not really involve her getting physical. She would not really be some kind of enforcer. She would essentially just be a valet. Might sound like a waste of a woman with wrestling talent, but Mickie James has great charisma that could have been utilized more. Gail Kim lacks that charisma. If she had that kind of charisma, she might just be my favorite female wrestler. She is very good in the ring and is beautiful. And I think she would fit that enforcer role better than Mickie could, since it would be pretty much the same as she was in TNA. As far as look goes, I said Mickie would be dressing like Stephanie McMahon. She would be fitting in with suit-wearing heels. She would dress accordingly. It wouldn't make sense for her to be wearing wrestling gear when she didn't need to. For Gail Kim, it wouldn't be weird for her to wear wrestling gear when she's out there to support her guy. Chyna dressed up like a dominatrix even when she wasn't in a match. Gail Kim does not have to dress exactly like Chyna did. Some of her outfits may not have been PG. But something similar would work. Gail Kim was in a movie around the time she rejoined the WWE where she played a ninja. Why not use that as motivation to design her character? Don't make it goofy, but have that kind of style as you treat her as an enforcer. While Mickie's periphery character would be one of arrogance, Gail's would be one of more toughness.
That was an idea on how to push Gail Kim as an A player. There was also a way to feature her well in the periphery without pushing her alongside top stars. Remember that romance angle she had with Daniel Bryan. The WWE did not do as much with that as they could have. Daniel Bryan was not being pushed hard back then. You can say he really was a B+ player back then. Pairing Gail Kim with him did not make Gail a true periphery diva. You have to be featured as a star in the periphery to be a periphery diva. Women like Victoria and Katie Lea were paired with a guy for much of their careers, but were not featured well to be considered periphery divas. They were credible jobbers. And Gail Kim's angle with Daniel Bryan was even worse. It didn't have to be. This was a romance angle. Gail Kim would not have to be featured as Daniel Bryan's enforcer. She would not have to dress in any particular way or have any special gimmick. Just have her go out there and support her man. Feature them in a lot of mixed-tag matches. Their styles are very similar. Both rely on agility and also have some great submissions. They would compliment each other well. And as Daniel Bryan did grow in popularity, Gail Kim would be alongside him for the ride. She could have ended up doing some of the things AJ Lee ended up doing alongside Daniel Bryan. Gail could have gotten mowed down by Big Show. Gail could have been berated by Daniel Bryan. Gail could eventually have stood up for herself. Probably no psycho gimmick. She does not have the charisma to pull that off. But she is great in the ring and could move back into another midcard romance angle after moving away from Daniel Bryan or be used in minor diva feuds. If they don't want to push her as the centerpiece, there are still options for Gail Kim, especially after the character they would have been developing for her alongside Daniel Bryan. She is being put over as a female version of Daniel Bryan and getting creative interest that could help get her over.
Why spend time talking about creative ideas for women to be pushed in the periphery? I usually just talk about whether this woman or that woman should be centerpiece. Stars seem to be born in the periphery in the diva division. With the exception of Mickie James, all the women to become very over in that diva division since it got started have gotten developed in the periphery. You could bring up Kharma, who was connecting well with the fans, but did not last long, but she most likely would have ended up a true periphery diva had they kept her. And it is in the periphery that you usually have unique characters and interesting storylines that go beyond a chase for the title. There is just a lot of potential here. Will I do more of these? I did not expect to do Michelle McCool after I did Mickie James. I did not expect to do Gail Kim after I did Michelle McCool. Since I just mentioned her, I'll probably do Kharma as a periphery diva one day.
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