The IMPACT Wrestling archives are full of unforgettable matches and moments. Today, we head back to 2009 when the first ever Knockouts Tag Team Champions were crowned!
IMPACT Wrestling made history in the Summer of 2009 when they announced they would be introducing Knockouts Tag Team Championships. The Knockouts Division was growing in size with some of the world’s top talent coming to the premier destination for women’s wrestling. With the singles Knockouts Championship becoming one of the most prestigious prizes in IMPACT Wrestling, the addition of the Knockouts Tag Team Championships was a natural next step.
IMPACT Wrestling put together an eight team, single-elimination tournament to crown the new champs. The teams were as follows: Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne and Roxxi, Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed, Sharmell and Traci Brooks, Sarita and Taylor Wilde, Alissa Flash and Daffney, Hamada and Sojournor Bolt, and Christy Hemme and Tara.
The first round took place on episodes of IMPACT! Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed advanced with a victory over the Main Event Mafia’s Sharmell and Traci Brooks. Their opponents in the second round would be Sarita and Taylor Wilde who defeated Alissa Flash and Daffney to advance. Next up in the round one, The Beautiful People, represented by Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, defeated former Beautiful People member Madison Rayne and her partner, Roxxi to move on to the second round. There, they would face Christy Hemme and Tara who advanced with a victory over Hamada and Sojournor Bolt.
Round two also played out on episodes of IMPACT! Sarita and Taylor Wilde scored the upset victory over Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed to move on to the finals. Their opponents would be determined in a match pitting Angelina Love and Velvet Sky against Christy Hemme and Tara. With the Beautiful People defeating the fan-favourite team of Hemme and Tara, the finals were set!
Being such a historic moment, the finals would take place at IMPACT Wrestling’s No Surrender pay-per-view event in September 2009. Angelina Love and Velvet Sky were scheduled to take on Sarita and Taylor Wilde to crown the first-ever Knockouts Tag Team Champions. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Angelina Love withdrew from the match. Velvet Sky had to find another partner or risk competing at a 2-on-1 disadvantage. Who better than to replace Angelina Love than another former member of the Beautiful People? Madison Rayne rekindled her friendship with Velvet Sky and the change was made official. However, the last-minute change would prove to be too much for the Beautiful People to overcome as Sarita and Taylor Wilde connected with a double-team springboard kick into a German Suplex to pick up the victory, crowning them the first-ever Knockouts Tag Team Champions!