Even after all these years, the pigeons are loose! Newly minted TNA Wrestling Hall of Famer Velvet Sky is set to join her Beautiful People sister Angelina Love at Slamdown on November 23. The women’s wrestling convention runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Orlando.
For Sky, the thought of an all-female convention would be unheard of back when she was coming up.
“I think women’s wrestling has evolved even from when I started in wrestling,” she said. “I got my start in 2001. Back then it was women’s wrestling that didn’t exist. It was more eye candy and valets, which don’t get me wrong, I loved that era. Don’t get me wrong. I was molded through the Attitude Era, the Divas Era, I loved that…To see what it has evolved into all these years later is amazing. It’s just women who have made their mark in the business, cemented their legacy in the business, their spot, and it’s no longer just a man’s world.
“I think a lot of the men love and respect that. I know speaking personally from my own experience with Angelina when we were in TNA and the Beautiful People were getting the highest rated segments on the show week in and week out. We would go to the back and all the guys would high five us and congratulate us. Nobody was in competition with us. None of them thought we were stealing their spotlight or taking their spots. They were just happy and proud that wow, these women are killing it. It’s just a breath of fresh air to see how far women’s wrestling has come.”
Sky and Love are not only signing autographs at the event, but the trailblazing duo are set to do professional photo opps at 1 p.m. The gathering also continues the celebration for the two, who were inducted into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame at Bound For Glory. Sky still finds the honor received surreal.
“You get into the business just hoping to get noticed by a TV wrestling company and get your shot there and wrestle on TV and be known worldwide,” she said. “That was good enough for me. Like wow, I did it. I made it. I set out for this goal. And this career goal in my life with wrestling I retired and am happy. I never expected to have that career highlight….being inducted into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame with Angelina Love. It’s a dream come true.
“You see all these women icons that came way before Angelina and I. I remember as a fan going to wrestling shows, WWE shows, and these icons I want to be like and follow in their footsteps were there. And now to be referred to as icons in the wrestling business. It’s amazing. It’s gratefully appreciated. It’s humbling to have made history and forever cementing the legacy of TNA Wrestling.”
Even though the former Knockouts champ’s days of wrestling are in the rearview, that doesn’t mean the pigeons will stay in the coop. Sky would love to work in a producer role. Especially, when it comes to lending her experience to elevating a pro wrestler’s presentation including an entrance. That or maybe even as a television personality. The star stays on the pulse of the business as she reminds a fan. Among the things Sky has been excited about is TNA’s collaborative partnership with WWE. Another thing that wouldn’t have been thought of as a possibility during her time.
“I think it’s freakin’ awesome,” Sky said. “I think doing those crossovers and seeing talent that were mostly TNA talent getting their shot to shine on a WWE platform [is great]. The crossovers from TNA to WWE and WWE to TNA, I think it’s amazing. I think it’s brilliant. I’m excited that in 2025, nearing 2026, that TNA and WWE will have this working relationship.
“I remember even back in when I was in TNA before that, it was hush, hush, you can’t mention another company’s television or you get in trouble. Now it has evolved. The business has evolved so much. I think it’s great TNA and WWE have this cross promotion and working relationship. It introduces TNA talent to a WWE audience and gets them more exposure. Maybe there are diehard WWE fans who have never seen TNA and are just not fans of TNA who are now being introduced to TNA by this cross promotion and vice versa. It’s just great.”
Sky takes pride in the fact TNA is getting a bit more respect than a few years ago. The veteran believes history hasn’t always been kind to the Nashville based company. Not because of the talent, but poor management decisions. Sky makes no bones about her feelings that former TNA President Dixie Carter was to blame for the promotion’s downfall
“I never had any personal run-ins with Dixie, but I’’m not or have never been a fan of her or her choices or her decisions for talent and moves she made in TNA,” Sky said. “I’m not the only one who feels this way. For a while it was really doing well, you had Dixie’s parents at Panda Energy that were funding it and keeping it afloat. She was kind of like the stand-in person, the in-between person to keep it running. It was her poor business decisions that made the ship start to sink.”
A notorious segment from a November episode of Impact in 2009 saw Carter give a speech to talent that did not go over well. It was essentially a real backstage gathering filmed and shown on television. Largely seen as a morale killer, the TNA head gave an ultimatum regarding her direction for the company. It was get on board or find another place to work. When the clip recently popped up on social media, the sentiment remained the same.
“We had no idea that was even taking place,” Sky recalled. “We were in the middle of a production day. A lot of the girls were in the makeup room getting ready, hair and makeup, for pretapes. A lot of people were eating in catering and going over their matches. It was okay, we’ll stop. We have to go have this talent meeting. Talent meetings were a part of a TNA workday. No big deal. But we had no idea we were going to be recorded like this. They put us on the spot being bullied by this woman that has no idea what she is talking about. The speech was self-explanatory for those who have seen the clip that resurfaced. It was her way or the highway. If we don’t like it, we can leave. It took all of us aback. As you can see from all our faces in the clip, everyone was like what. It was being recorded and had to be aired on Spike TV for her to show the size of her balls and to stroke her ego.”
Sky holds nothing back with her feelings for Carter. At the same time, she remains grateful for the opportunities TNA has provided. The outspoken performer remains thankful for Jeff Jarrett signing her to a contract. She describes an atmosphere where everyone walked on eggshells and feared repercussions speaking out with WWE being the only other viable game in town.
“I rolled with the punches because I’d be damned if I worked my ass off on the independent scene for six and a half years, almost giving it up before I got the call from Terry Taylor. I thought I’m going to keep my mouth shut as much as I don’t like this woman. I’m going to keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to let her ruin my big break and shot in TNA, roll with the punches,” Sky said.
“There is so much positive in TNA. The roster was stacked. Other aspects of management were great. The Knockouts locker room was phenomenal. There were so many positives amidst the negative. My decision to leave in 2016 was not because I had an injury or I didn’t want to be there anymore. I was always grateful for my time at TNA. I will never forget where I came from or the people who have helped me along the way in the company get to the level of success I have achieved. But in 2016 my contact was coming to an end and I decided I didn’t want to re-sign because at that point she made it so unbearable for so many of us. I didn’ t want to be around anymore because I was no longer having fun. It’s not because I wasn’t grateful I didn’t want people..she made it unbearable for the majority of us, which is why people were opting out of their contracts and leaving and jumping ship.”
Sky affirms she was healthy in 2016, but the environment wasn’t fun anymore. The popular wrestler opted not to re-sign. Several things she experienced also reinforced her decision.
“[Dixie] never talked down to me or treated me poorly personally. I never got her that close to me to let her try that, but I’ve seen how she speaks to other people that could do nothing for her. These were wonderful, hardworking people that didn’t deserve that treatment from her,” she continued.
“When I would witness what I witnessed I would go to the person that was spoken down on, and they were so distraught and I remember. I’m not going to say who it was, but we were backstage. It was either a pay-per-view or live TV taping and [for this person]….it was just demeaning, demeaning, demeaning. I heard what was being said and for the wonderful person she was talking down to, I walked over to this person after [Dixie] got done spewing, and they were in tears because they just couldn’t believe how they were spoken to. I was consoling this person.”
Sky stands by her accounts she has witnessed firsthand. One of the OG knockouts got a chance to experience how things are in the locker room today while attending Bound For Glory. For Sky, it was good to be home and to come full circle.
“Meeting Carlos Silva, being around that locker room, our home environment all over again, it reignited this spark in me that I never lost anyways. I’ll never lose that spark for wrestling. Once you’re in the business, whether you’re in the business or not, you’re always in it,” she said. “Your heart, mind, body, soul, and gut will always be cemented in wrestling. Even though I’m not active in the industry as much as I was before, I will always and strive to be in it in some way, somehow, just because I love it so much. It’s my heart and soul. It’s what I worked my whole youth for. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do, so I will never let it fall by the wayside. Never.”
She also spoke highly of her interactions with Silva at the event. A stark change was felt compared to past regimes.
“[Carlos] is wonderful,” Sky said. “The talent meeting he had before Bound For Glory was very positive, very uplifting, very inspiring. Looking around while he was giving his speech, everyone was so invested and smiling and excited by his encouragement. That is a breath of fresh air and what a proper president in management does. They boost up their talent. They boost morale, especially ahead of a big night for everybody.
“So everybody went into Bound For Glory just that much more inspired by Carlos’ positivity. That was something I took note of right away. I’m a people watcher at times just to see people’s reactions to certain scenarios and what people are saying. I’m listening to what Carlos is saying and looking at all the talent’s faces. Everyone was smiling ear to ear and enthused and clapping when he was done talking. That was the boost of morale that talent needs on a big night…that was only my first taste of that. Nothing but good things to say about him.”