There was a time when professional wrestling fans regarded TNA’s Knockouts division as penultimate in women’s wrestling, boasting segments on their weekly iMPACT show which drew some of the highest quarter hour ratings of the two hour show. However, that regard has seemingly wavered over the past year with the departure of some of the division’s most key talents. This past week, WrestleZone had the pleasure of speaking with Roxxi Laveaux, whose recent TNA release has left pro wrestling fans scratching their collective heads to say the very least. “I was sent home,” said the former Hardcore Queen of TNA. “I was told the reason I was home was for budget reasons. Within two and a half months of being home I was released. They said it was for creative reasons.”
When news of Roxxi’s release first hit the internet, there was speculation abound that the Knockout had in fact asked for her release, a report that Roxxi quickly shot down by saying “anybody who had seen me down there [in TNA] knows that I was happy to be there.” Additionally, there were conflicting reports which claimed that TNA had released Roxxi due mostly in part to an incident with Rhaka Khan, a fellow TNA Knockout, where the two became overly physical with each other during a match. “I was never told by TNA that I was suspended,” said Roxxi. “There was a problem [with Khan]…something happened, but we actually resolved the issue that day. I would hate to think that was the reason.”
WrestleZone then took a step back and looked at Roxxi’s tenure with Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. Billed from New Orleans, Louisiana, Roxxi debuted with the company on July 15, 2007 at their annual Victory Road PPV. Laveaux’s first gimmick found her playing the “The Voodoo Queen” Roxxi Laveaux, and she worked as the valet for the Voodoo Kin Mafia tag team consisting of Kip James and BG James. “I was kind of overwhelmed at first,” she said of the gimmick, “but Kip and BG were really good about helping me out. Telling me different things to try, different kinds of personas.” Creatively, Roxxi was “fired” from the Voodoo Kin Mafia when the tag team split up, which created a segway into Laveux’s second incarnation with the company and her eventual work as a singles competitor in the Knockouts division.
Roxxi Laveaux officially became the Hardcore Queen of TNA when she was involved in a TNA Knockout Battle Royal Makeover Match where the loser had to have her head shaved. The bout took place on May 11, 2008 at TNA’s Sacrifice PPV, and the brutal head shaving which took place following the Battle Royal not only established Roxxi with a new look, it birthed a new side of Roxxi that fans admired long after the PPV. “I was like, ‘holy s**t,’ my entire brain is gonna fall out of my head,” Roxxi joked about the segment.
Although the mood was light during the interview, the segment itself was not without controversy as the crowd during the evening was heard chanting “Fire Russo,” vocalizing their distaste for the head shaving. When asked how she feels about TNA creative team member Vince Russo, and the audience placing the blame on him for the infamous segment, Roxxi said “Vince was always really cool with me. It’s kind of funny when you hear the ‘fire Russo’ stuff because you’re just like ‘really? Because you like this that he does, so I’m not quite understanding.”
Following Roxxi’s career-changing head shave, it seemed as if the Knockout could not wrestle without the moniker of Hardcore applying to both her on-screen character and her wrestling matches. “It’s wrestling, not ballet,” said Roxxi, “and I was just one of the people who confirmed that. I still get people that come up to me and say ‘that stuff’s fake right?’ And I say ‘really, because I have like 80 scars that I can show you right now.”
With the change in persona that Roxxi was going through following her hardcore establishment came an increase in microphone time for the Knockout that saw her adapt a more vulgar approach to backstage interviews. She incorporated more cursing and foul language in her segments which was not a territory that Roxxi was very comfortable with initially. “I think if I’m comfortable with what I’m doing I’m decent [on the microphone]. With this new character I wasn’t really given that opportunity.”
It was at this point in Roxxi’s career that a “funny thing happened on the way to the ring.” The momentum for the popular performer began to stall, and creatively the once iconic TNA Knockout had seemed to plateau at a time that appeared contradictory to what the fans wanted. With the departure of TNA’s premiere Knockout Gail Kim, came an opening for Roxxi to secure a position on the top of the female side of the card. “I think after Gail [Kim] left, they needed to fill a spot,” she said of her near push. “I think they were kind of scrambling around, trying to find out the next thing to do, and they just picked the first person that came to mind.”
But when Kim left the company, things worked with the opposite effect that both the fans and Roxxi had hoped. The Knockouts division as a whole was no longer the force that it used to be, and it was evident in the weekly product. “I think they’re trying to give [the division] different tweaks and angles, just to see what the fans are going to like and not going to like. That would be my perception of it.”
Roxxi Laveaux was officially released from TNA on April 30, 2009, however, as we reported, denies allegations that she was serving any type of suspension for her behavior in the ring. The news of the release came as a shock to both fans and Roxxi, as she told us “when I got the call it was really sad to me. I saw TNA as a home for me. I of course was disappointed and a little bit shocked because I had not expected it at all.” Looking back at her time spent with TNA, however, Roxxi has no regrets. “I never do what-ifs. If something happens ok, that’s what happened, and now it’s time for me to figure out what I’m going to do next.” She further commented on the choices that she made in her career by joking that “I’m glad I shaved my head. I actually kind of like the shorter hair better than having to deal with all that.”
So what does the future hold for the Hardcore Queen? At this point, Roxxi is working on the independent scene while she anticipates the recall from the big leagues such as TNA once again or possibly a new venture with World Wrestling Entertainment. If anyone is interested in booking her for independent shows, she can be contacted via her website at www.nikki-roxx.org. I would guess that the professional wrestling world has not seen the last of this talented performer on their televisions, and until we do Roxxi has assured us that although she plans on maintaining her hairstyle she “doesn’t need a haircut so short that I think my organs are going to fall out.”
To listen to the full audio interview with Roxxi, perform a right click and save as on THIS LINK.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
