Source: Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald

With the hype surrounding Hulk Hogan’s debut in TNA and the many surprises during the live show on SpikeTV going mano-a-mano with WWE Monday Night Raw on Jan. 4, TNA’s Knockouts again proved the value of women’s actual wrestling.

Tara (formerly Victoria in WWE) battled ODB for the TNA Knockouts title in a fierce contest, and the first TNA Knockouts tag team champs Sarita and Taylor Wilde faced Awesome Kong and Hamada in a very good match.

People were praising the TNA title matchup between A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle and rightfully so. They had the match of the night on either show.

A strong case for second best is made for Sarita/Wilde vs. Kong/Hamada.

Kong and Hamada won the TNA Knockouts tag team titles on that big show on Jan. 4, but along with Sarita and Wilde, they won a whole lot more.

• Sarita answered some questions about the big night, women’s wrestling and TNA.

What was it like working with Taylor Wilde against Hamada/Kong on that big stage?

Sarita: “It was really an honor to be able to wrestle on such a historic show, going up against two of today’s best wrestlers. The atmosphere was electric.”

How loud was the iMPACT Zone for your tag match and that big event on Monday night?

Sarita: “The Impact Zone was more energized and enthusiastic than I had ever experienced it before.”

Was that the biggest stage/platform (wrestling wise) for you in terms of show hype and the amount of people watching worldwide?

Sarita: “I think it was probably the most important and publicized show I’ve wrestled on. It’s easy to forget how big and worldwide the audience truly is.”

Did your family watch the show? What did they think?

Sarita: “My family watched the whole show and told me they were thoroughly entertained and spellbound the entire time. I was actually with them the morning of the show, still on Christmas vacation, before I left for Orlando. They thought it was kind of strange seeing me that morning and then live on TV hours later. They loved my match, of course.”

Do you get the feeling the women are still going to be a big part of the show? If so, why?

Sarita: “I certainly hope that women continue to be a big part of the show. We have proven that we are an attractive part of the show and have consistently put on good matches.”

Do you have a preference live or taped show? Monday night or Thursday night?

Sarita: “I’m just happy to be a part of all of this. It is an incredible and exciting time to be involved. Monday was great because there is a bit more self-inflicted pressure knowing that we are going live. That tends to bring out the best in me.”

Do you feel you helped prove that women can wrestle well on a big stage?

Sarita: “I know that all of us felt the responsibility to go out there and really tear it up. I think women wrestlers proved a long time ago that they can wrestle well on a big stage, but hopefully the four of us helped to cement that idea.”

• Is Sarita the next Gail Kim?

In terms of TNA success, the 5-6, 120-pound Sarita, given the opportunity and right buildup, can attempt to match or even surpass the skill set, toughness and fan appeal the 5-4, 125-pound Kim developed in TNA.

The underdog Kim and Awesome Kong brought the TNA Knockouts Division to new heights with their epic battles for TNA gold. A wrestler with total package qualities, Sarita is on that path.

• Doing it all

Sarita not only continues to compete in Mexico, her home base, against some tough combatants, but she is a renaissance woman.

A college graduate, multilinguist, Muay Thai kickboxer and standout wrestler, she recently won the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Bodybuilding Championship for the fourth consecutive year in Mexico City.

What more can she do? We’ll see.

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