Before Impact Wrestling presents Redemption this Sunday, RealSport got to speak exclusively with current Knockouts Champion Allie!

(All photos courtesy of Impact Wrestling)

With Impact Wrestling preparing for their huge Redemption pay-per-view on April 22, RealSport got to speak with current Knockouts Champion Allie ahead of the event. With more than a decade of experience under her belt in Canada, Japan, and various independent promotions like Shimmer and Shine, Allie proved herself on the independent scene as Cherry Bomb.

Now, with Redemption looming, Allie will be up against “The Undead Bride” Su Yung in one of her biggest challenges since becoming Knockouts Champion. We got to speak to her about being ready for Redemption, working at WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend, her history with Rosemary in Smash Wrestling, and more.

On leading the Knockouts and working with Lucha Underground

RealSport: What’s it like being Knockouts Champion and getting to lead the division?

Allie: Well, I mean it’s pretty freaking awesome, but apart from that it’s really been a dream come true for me. I’ve wanted to be a Knockout since the beginning of the Knockouts Division. I remember seeing it when I first started wrestling. I’d been wrestling maybe a couple of years at that point, and I remember when I first saw the knockouts. Seeing these women competing, and it being taken seriously, was such a big eye opener for me, and I knew that I really wanted to be a part of that division one day. So, to be welcome into the locker room and now having the Knockouts Title, it’s really been a dream come true.

RS: At Redemption, you’ll have to defend your championship against “The Undead Bride” Su Yung. How has facing unorthodox characters like Laurel Van Ness and Rosemary helped prepare you to face Su Yung?

Allie: Well, I’ve been pretty lucky to have now made friends with a certain demon named Rosemary. I think my experiencing working with her- I don’t know if people know about this, but [we] had a very extensive feud in Smash Wrestling. We called that The Slayer vs The Demon. That feud, and obviously working with Laurel Van Ness, has given me what I need to step in the ring with Su Yung. I mean, she’s scary, but I’m definitely not afraid of her.

RS: While some companies have a live product, Impact has been taping far in advance lately. What has been the biggest challenge of that taping style for you?

Allie: I would say that probably the biggest challenge is when we do long shoots. So, for instance, I wanna say it was last year we did a 9-day or 12-day loop, and the biggest challenge of that obviously was the toll it took on all our bodies. You know, it’s not like we’re just actors and we’re on set for stretches of time. We’re actually getting in there and getting beat up. So physically, it is incredibly taxing to do long stretches like that. Thankfully, it seems like we’re going in a direction where we’re not going to be doing that, and so that is a nice change of pace for sure. But I think in terms of filming ahead of time, like this is not something that’s totally unheard of. Lucha Underground also films in chunks ahead of time, and I believe NXT also films in chunks. I hate to say this, but I feel like there’s a weird light that gets shone on Impact for that, and I really don’t think it’s that out of the box.

RS: Since Anthem has been in control of Impact Wrestling, there have been more shows held in Canada rather than exclusively having shows at the Impact Zone in Orlando. What are the differences to working a show in Canada compared to the Impact Zone?

Allie: Definitely when you’re at a live show and it’s just wrestling fans, the energy in the building is going to be completely different because those fans are there specifically to see a wrestling show. Whereas when we shoot in Orlando, it’s a mix of wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans. You know, the reactions are a little bit different. I mean, the Canadian fans specifically are just insane. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Smash Wrestling show or if anyone has been to them, but they’re crazy and they’re loud and they react to things. So yeah, it’s a totally different feel I think. And I’m crossing my fingers that we’re gonna be in Toronto specifically at some point soon, because I would love to wrestle in front of my hometown for sure.

RS: A lot of people say wrestling is about moments more than anything, and the wedding between Braxton Sutter and Laurel Van Ness, along with how it broke down, was an unforgettable moment. What was that moment like, including getting to unite with your real-life husband on television?

Allie: Yeah, that was hands down probably my favorite moment ever in wrestling. And I’ve said this in other interviews, me and [Braxton Sutter], we worked the indies together. We were a team. I managed him in CZW, 2CW, House of Hardcore, and [in] all of these companies we were together. And then we did tryouts at Impact together, and then we were signed [to Impact Wrestling] sitting down together. So we kinda went on this journey. We decided we were going to do this together. And so then to be standing in the ring with him during this wedding, I remember just looking across to him, and I actually did have tears in my eyes and I think he did too, it just felt like all of our hard work had finally paid off. Not only was it a really cool wrestling moment, it was a really cool personal moment for both of us.

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