For the last couple of years I’ve been told that I always forget how old I actually am. Due to my drive and focus, I do not do all of those typical early 20-year-old activities that all my friends do. I work at conventions every weekend with some of the biggest names in wrestling. I would podcast and write articles every week because that was my dream. Ever since I was eight years old all I ever wanted was my whole life to be centered around wrestling and I was able to accomplish all of that before I even turned 21.
However, it seemed that I was involved with two worlds with the world’s greatest “can they ever co-exist” storyline. For those who do not know wrestling media and the convention world can not co-exist, trust me I have tried to make them work for the better part of three years.
I have known for a long time I honestly could not do both, and that at one point or another, I had to choose which one I wanted to chase for a career.
On one hand, my college degree is in Sports Media as I was the only woman to graduate with that degree from Rider University in 2023. Media was what I always wanted to do in wrestling ever since I was a kid and the one aspect of the business I always pictured myself doing. You can make the argument that I have done it all before I even hit the age of 25.
I have gone on countless media calls and scrums, hundreds of podcasts and written tons of articles. I accomplished my childhood dream, and commentated, hosted in-ring segments and backstage segments for Warriors of Wrestling. I have even produced and directed games for ESPN 3 and ESPN+ during my college career. However, opportunities in that field only come so far and few between that in my other world it seemed opportunities were coming at me left and right.
In the convention world, I have also seen and done it all — fan, vendor, assistant, and agent representative. Once I started working with agents my eyes were opened to a whole new world, one that I could not only see myself doing but one that felt right. One of the craziest things I was ever able to do this year was to walk into multiple shows and say “I am the agent rep for so and so” — whether it was Trish Stratus, Sting, Britt Baker, Mick Foley, Amy Jo Johnson (the original Pink Power Ranger), etc. I was able to not only walk into wrestling shows with a whole new level of respect but also some of the biggest comic cons in the world.
All of the normal anxieties a 23-year-old would have in 2024 suddenly went away. I did not have to act like my whole life was put together, all I had to do was focus on the task ahead and let my work speak for itself. I was told a long time ago that talent have to like vendors and promoters because they pay them (as for me I am not financially involved with any of this). The talent respected me for what I do for them, which is why talent gets excited when they find out I am at a show and some of them even request to work with me. For someone like me who has low self-esteem talent makes me feel like one of them, an equal which means more to me than they will ever know.Â
I remember shadowing an agent back in September in Chicago and learning so much of the back end of what goes into cons and the crazy world he gets to live in every day and that’s when I began to think about what could be next. I always told myself I would not leave the media or the con world unless someone was going to make me do it. Then I started to understand that people needed to see the sacrifices I was willing to make if I wanted to take the next step in my career. I saw the writing on the wall and I knew at 23 I had to make a decision.
Although everyone has already started joking that I would never retire fully, I knew I had to step away to see what the agency world had to offer. I’ll admit when I made my announcement I had the biggest smile on my face excited to see what was next, but also terrified on how to make all of this a reality. However, just like that agent taught me the second time I shadowed him, I can accomplish anything I put my mind to by just focusing on the task ahead and never giving up.Â
From the bottom of my heart, thank you wrestling media for teaching me so much, and like Ella Jay told me a couple of months ago, Media Kimmy walked so Con Kimmy can run and by run … I mean run the world.
So now I’m going to put over the army of people that got me here because let’s be honest I wouldn’t be here without them.
Rob Williams/BCP Crew: Rob saw something in a 19-year-old kid who did virtual signings every week. We have had countless Kimmy Takeovers and rants, lots of funny moments, and hours of amazing content. Thank you for seeing something in a kid with a dream and for being my forever commentary partner. To everyone who I’ve shared a Zoom link with on that podcast, thanks for dealing with me. I know I am a handful.Â
OLE Family: Bobby and his crew let me invite myself on any show I want and listened to all my crazy ideas. I was a little nervous when we talked about podcasting weekly together due to my hectic travel schedule, however, it’s the most fun I’ve had. Thank you for preparing the best send-off podcast in the history of send-off podcasts. Even if it meant getting Nyla to admit she may or may not be throwing me overboard on the Jericho Cruise next month.
Auntie Collins: To the best co-host thank you for making ROH fun again. I can ramble with you for hours about the most random things. Thank you for trusting me to be your co-host and being the more optimistic of the two of us for ROH, it’s almost fitting that our journey ends at Final Battle. To the rest of our ROH Therapy group chat, thanks for sticking with us and supporting the most honorable brand.
The Fightful Crew: One of my biggest goals this year was finally getting on Fightful to do something small. What I did not know was that for the past month, I would practically create a gimmick where I would crash ITW as well as go on the Holiday Stream even though I do not work for Fightful. Thank you to everyone at Fightful for always including me and making me feel like an equal. Despite what it says on Fightful’s website I am not Chris Jericho’s biggest fan, thank you Jeremy Lambert for attempting to make that a gimmick.Â
Top Golf: I have said this on almost every podcast where I’ve talked about Top Golf. Heading into Cleveland I was very depressed and had a lot going on, I needed that trip more than anything and you guys brought it out of me. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life and the videos make it 20 times better. Thank you all for giving me new friends, and my entire media gimmick for the remainder of 2024. I can not wait for our rematch where I prove once again that I am the superior Top Golf Queen.
Ella Jay: There would be no media Kimmy without Ella Jay. One of the earliest lessons Ella taught me was to always shoot my shot, which is what I have always done throughout my career. Some of the most insane things I have been able to do was because I took that advice from her. She was the one who planned Top Golf, introduced me to SRS, and is my ranting buddy for life. I know she may not think all my convention rants are interesting, but she listens to them anyway. Thank you for being the biggest inspiration for me in the wrestling media space.
SRS: If anyone has followed my podcasting stuff over the last couple of months and you have heard people call me Scoops McGee, I am here to let you know Sean is the original Scoops McGee. Sean gets a lot of credit for dealing with this decision weighing on me the last couple of months and helping me make a decision. I know you may think our Top Golf feud is real, but the truth is Sean is one of my best friends and the hate that he and a lot of the other people get at Fightful is undeserved and not fair. One of the many pieces of advice Sean gave me a couple of months ago to make my decision was “Once I honed in on what I was really good at I found my calling, and I think you should do the same.” Thank you for everything Scoops McGee and no matter what you tell anyone we all know that I FAIRLY beat you at Top Golf in August.
Steve Kaye: I was specifically told I could only mention Steve by name if I only talked about all of the good things he has done for me, so I hope I live up to the hype. Regardless, for those who do not know Kaye is the person who has gotten me through the last four months of the year. He is the one who even when he has hundreds of things to do at conventions makes time to come up to me to make sure everything is fine and that I am not freaking out too much over things I shouldn’t be. He saw a vision before anyone else on the con scene did and someone who knows a thing or two about accomplishing a lot at a young age. I know I do not say it enough, but thank you. Thank you for all the advice, for answering all my questions, for letting me shadow you, for being the person who will always vouch for me on the wrestling convention scene. I hope I can live up to the vision you see for me and that I will beat you at billiards one day, cause that will mean I tuned everything out and truly focused on the task at hand.
Bill Bodkin: There are not enough words to describe what Bill has done for me. He got me through college. He was there every time I wanted to quit the media. Most importantly, he taught me that my life was worth living for. I admit that my anxiety has gone up and down ever since graduating college a year and a half ago, but because of the things Bill taught me while I was in college I was able to get through it. He always likes to tell the story of when I first started writing for this website I barely could write and now look at where we are (I hope this piece was good). Thank you for everything you have done for me, I truly do not think a lot of what has happened to me since writing for this site would be possible if it wasn’t for you.
