Traci Brooks Talks IMPACT! Wrestling Hall Of Fame, Preparing for IMPACT 1000 and More

Ahead of #ImpactWrestling #BoundForGlory, newest members of the show #NickieBooshie and #DriuneSantana spoke to IMPACT! Wrestling Hall of Famer #TraciBrooks about being inducted by her best friend #GailKim, preparing for #IMPACT1000 and more on a special interview with #TheShakkasDen on #BattleGroundPodcast

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Why From the Parts Unknown Studios tothe Double Battle Crown, the Battle Round,
the Battle Crowd. Welcome to theBattleground Podcast, your place for all
things pro wrestling, The Battle theBattle Round now making their way to the

(00:27):
microphones. Give it up for yourhosts. Welcome to the Battle Crown.
What is up? Everyone? Welcometo battle Ground Podcast. A very special
episode for the Shaiker's Den. Ofcourse, the Salt Shakers are here,
myself Nikki Bougie and when you seeme, you see her of course.

(00:50):
Drean Santana. How are you doingtoday? Love? Oh my god?
Hey we use their word, butI am great good. I mean we
we have an amazing uh legendary kissin the shake is in and Batleground pockets.
I mean you got the original knockoutin the building. Like you don't
get too medio those? Okay,yes we do. Tracy Brooks is in

(01:15):
the building, Miss Tracy, howare you doing? Email? Well,
after that introduction, I'm flattered.I always say it makes me sound old
like now it does before, like, okay, she's a verse. Now
it's like I'm just old. Butthank you so much, thanks for having
me, you guys, this isa pleasure of course it's no problem.
I mean, it's it's great tohave. Like like, like I said,

(01:38):
you're a legend, You're an icon, you are the original knockout.
You have you have to hold onto that title forever and there's no more
that does, like Miss Tracy Brooks. But of course let's let mean,
let's go ahead and dive in.I mean, you return to the ring
at uh Impact one thousand, Imean with your husband Frankie and you guys
defeated Alicia Edwards and Idiot Wards,which I know you like UK biggest slam

(02:00):
of ver three in your hometown.Let's sing, and I mean you really
got in there on Miss Alicia Illworthlike in so many different ways. But
what emotions were you going through steppingback into the real mean, you haven't
been in a ring more than likeeleven years, so like talk about that.
The emotions that were you were goingthrough within the entirement fear. Fear

(02:24):
was a big one going back.It had been twelve years since I had
been in an Impact wrestling ring.It's one of those things. It's not
like riding a bike. I don'tcare what anybody says. It's a little
worried if I was gonna get injured. I stepped away to be a mom
and I was happy with that,and I wanted to do that. That

(02:46):
was why. One of the reasonswhy I did it was for my son
to be able to watch me,because it's different. He sees videos or
post matches, past matches, butit's the first time we went down to
a ring. Frankie and I werein the ring wrestling around and my son's
face his like jaw drop to thefloor. He's like, oh, I
didn't know, You're like pta mom, like what And he had no clue.

(03:07):
I knew how to, you know, do any of this stuff.
So that was it made it wasall worth it. But fear. I
had a panic attack before I wentthrough those curtains. I just kept saying
to Frankie, I can't feel mylegs. I can't feel my legs,
like I just can't, and he'slike, you're fine. And then the
music hit and it was one ofthose like he had to shove me through
the curtain, and but it wasfear fear, but after it was relief

(03:31):
that I wasn't injured. I justlike just joy, so much joy that
my son got to see that andI got to do it with my husband,
who gets who gets this ending?Like I got to end and against
Eddie and Lish, which was justan amazing storyline to begin with and and
And as much as we don't likeEddie and Lish, they're just incredible professionals

(03:52):
that are so good at their job. And it was just great for my
son to be able to be frontrow and watch it. Fear relief,
joy I love that. So Iactually happened to love Eddie. I I
gotta ask because there's been so manydifferent table spots going back to Eddie when

(04:15):
he put Trinity through the table.Now last week your husband putting Lish through
that table. Talk about those momentsand how important it is to the growth
of Impact Wrestling. So actually it'sfunny. So my husband was in Australia
when that match aired, and Ifacetimed him crying after that match because that
match was so beautiful, That matchwas so emotional and it was such That's

(04:41):
what Impact does the best, andthat's what the talent does the best.
Storytelling, long term storytelling, gettingLish involved and now the wives are involved,
and it was just I got Goosewalksaying it. I just I cried,
But those spots are So that's whatmakes Impact so great. It honestly
does, and that's what sets usapart, are these long term storytelling and

(05:02):
the incredible talent. So yeah,all those little things, especially with Lish,
but I think Lish came up lyshfound herself, like Lish is a
bona fide star, and Eddie iswell, Yaddie's great whenever. But you
know, they are too talented people. And then my husband is just the
best. He's just fantastic. Soto see those two in that story,

(05:24):
killer Kowalski, you know, Lishgetting involved, the White's getting involved,
and then the final, you know, final match. So yeah, I
called him. He was in Australia. He's like, what's wrong. I'm
like, kind, I was justfalling because he just and I hadn't felt
that in a long time, soit was just But yeah, I think
that's what makes Impact special is thosematches and then how they you know,

(05:46):
involved Lish and and and the announcersTom and Matthew, Oh my goodness,
just incredible to add to the story. So I could go on and on
all day about Impact. So there's, honest to god, if you're not
if you're not watching impact your messingout. If you love good wrestling,
that is very true. I meana lot of people like to say a
lot of things about impact, butif you're not there in the building.

(06:08):
Because me and Nikki we were therefor Frankie and Eddies Magic and we were
there live to see Liz go throughthat table and it was just like,
oh my god. I was like, I wonder how Tracy's gonna feel.
But it's like you tweeted about iton Twitter and everything, and it was
like Liz, I think Tom saidtoo, that was for Tracy Brooks.
I was like, yeah, whatafraid of what? I loved it.

(06:30):
I'm gonna cry now. It wasawesome. It was awesome. I loved
it. Of course, we're onthe heels of glory. I mean like
literally, I would say, likekind of like a big, big moment
for Impact Wrestling while bound Floyd isone of my favorite pay per views to
say, but we got to getto the real thing. You are about
to be a Hall of Famer,Tracy. Like I mean, like,

(06:55):
I know it gives each hells.I know I make Shaghidi and everything,
but to find out after the thatyou had with your husband or your son
being there, the emotions seeing thevideo package of you being the one to
be inducted into Impact Wrestling's Hall ofFame. I mean, what was going
through your head? What were youremotions? Like, like, how are
you? Like, how are youfeeling? Well? You saw my emotion

(07:16):
I was asking. I was andthat was legit. Like I I didn't
know what was happening. I rememberwhen there's like one, two three,
I'm like, I remember being onthe ground and I remember thinking this is
not a flattering position because I andI'm like, get up, So I
like, I remember getting up andthen you know, celebrating with Frankie and
then all of a sudden, Frankiegrabs the microphone. I'm like, what

(07:38):
are you doing? Like and thenI'm like, what's happening? And then
I'm like, why is my Likeit was my butt, I think the
first thing you saw. And I'mlike, why is my ass on the
screen? What's happening? And thenrebels in the ring my son and I'm
like and then they said it andit was just I'm gonna cry again.
I'm an emotional mess. It's justyou know, I don't know how this

(07:58):
is my life, Like I whogets this ending, who gets to come
back after twelve years, wrestle againsttwo incredible talented people like Lisia Eddie,
against my husband who's one of thegreatest in the business, and then have
my son in the ring, andthen I get announced for the Hall of
Fame. It's just I was like, I was a retired school mom PTA,
you know, member baseball coach,and that was my life. And

(08:22):
now all of a sudden, I'mlike, oh, okay, things have
changed a little bit. I neverthought of my wildest dreams though. I
mean, I love this business.I got in it to be a wrestler,
and I never thought past that.Like I never thought, especially again
when I was at stay at homeUM for almost eleven years, I never
thought that there'll be a lot oftears. Bring your kleenics. I'm a

(08:43):
hot mess, just a I can'teven say my speech without crying, like
dn't by myself. A funny story, I texted my I was telling Frankie
a little bit. I don't wantto tell him too much, but I
needed a little bit of advice andI couldn't get it out without crying.
So I texted it to him becauseI could not I know, you talk

(09:07):
about wildest dreams. I mean,there's been so much going on. We're
getting ready for Gloria san Tanda,said Mickey James. Versus Trinity such an
iconic match. Is there any knockoutpastor president that you never got in the
ring with that you would have lovedto go toe to toe with? You
can give me a couple. Trinity, for sure. She was someone I

(09:31):
watched when she was coming up,and I was like, I said,
I remember he said to the Sprankan, like she just gets it. She
understands that she looks like a millionbucks. She's talented, but she gets
it. And I so the factthat I got to do something with her
was kind of like a little bitof a like fan moment for me too.

(09:56):
You know who I've never been inthe ring with Lisa Marie Victoria t.
She is a huge part of mycareer for other reasons, but I
had never got to be in thering with her. And it's funny because
I had to try out way backin the day two thousand and two,
like like when she was doing theCrazy Woman and she was standing beside me.

(10:16):
She didn't know me at all.I was an indie worker and she's
just like, they think we looklike sisters, so maybe we could be
like sisters on TV and be crazy. And so she was pushed. She
was pulling for me to get hired, and back then that was unheard of
because there wasn't a lot of women'sspots and so it was That's why Lisa
Marie will always have such a That'swho she is, though, but that's

(10:37):
why she will always have a specialplace in my heart. But I never
got to get in the ring withher. Yeah, so her Trish,
because I trained with Trish. Istarted training with Trish and then she went
off. So I would have likedto both in our prime to have been
to have a match. But Imean I got to work Gail kim Odeb

(10:58):
like all these awesome cong I gotthe beautiful people. I got to work
Luna. I got to wrestle infront of Sherry Martel, which was my
absolute idol. Like I got toRicky Steamboat actually agent one of my matches.
So I lived a storybook career,Like I just lived this incredible career
that got to do some really coolthat's amazing. So like, of course

(11:20):
we know that another Hall of Famewith guil Kim will be the one to
induct you into the Hall of Fame. I mean talk about like you know,
of course, you know you've hadyour your fuse whatever with Gil Kim,
and like also their real like friendshiptoo. When her being the first
one to be inducted into the Hallof family. Talk about that moment there,
you know, having someone like aGail Kim still being a part of

(11:43):
the Knockout's Division, her coming backto the ring too for the first time
in such a long time. Justjust all around that moment there and how
special that is to help her bethe one to induct you. Oh,
she's my best she's my sister,and I mean she's Auntie Yaleel. We
FaceTime almost every day. Literally,it's like hi, Auntie Gail. You

(12:05):
know, there was no one else. She had to do it. And
I mean she because I was like, does Sprinky do it? But I've
known Gail for so long and Gailwas my first marriage in wrestling. Like
her and I trained together, wetraveled together, you know, she went
her own way, I went toImpact and then we were back together again.

(12:26):
We were roommates, made of honors, like we were everything in each
other's lives. So I'm just alittle worried she might be mean. I'm
like, you have to be niceto be, you can't be mean to
be. But she's that and thefact that she's those knockouts are so lucky
to have her because even Dad's Gailas a friend, no one will fight
for you harder or even when youdon't want to fight for yourself, she's
the one fighting for you. Orno one will support you, or she

(12:50):
doesn't baby you, that's for sure, but she's your biggest cheerleader. And
that also goes over to her relationshipwith a knock So those knockouts are so
lucky to have her, like justincredibly lucky. And to see her back
in the ring, like, seriously, you didn't miss a beat. She's
annoy Like you can't like, youknow, stumble or something. No,

(13:11):
you're just this high flying cruiser weightthat's flipping and flopping everywhere and just you
know, picking up where she leftoff. So but she's always been she.
I was always her base. Sheflew around me. I made her
do that stuff, and I justcaught her. That is absolutely beautiful.
Well, we want to thank youfor everything you've done. For not only

(13:31):
women's wrestling, but with wrestling asa whole. We want to congratulate you
for being inducted into the Hall ofFame and we cannot wait to watch.
Now before we get out of here, let everyone know where they can find
you on all the social medias.Oh god, okay, well, I
just joined Instagram. It's a bigthing. I keep calling Instacart too,

(13:52):
So Instagram I am og knockout TracyBrooks, right, and I'm the Tracy
Brooks on Twitter. I think nice. But I just joined this week,
so I'm posting lots of old picturesthat kind of helped me through my career
and people like that. Oh well, y'all will definitely have to check that

(14:15):
out. We thank you for tuningin to Battleground Podcast and a special episode
of The Shika is Den. Ofcourse, you can follow us all on
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(14:37):
guys. We hope you enjoyed today'sepisode of the Battleground Podcast. Make sure
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