It’s that time of year once again: the Perfect 10 is back to count down the top 10 Divas and Knockouts of 2010. Based on their year’s successes, we’ve compiled (as best we can) the ten Divas and Knockouts we feel gave us a 2010 to remember in WWE and TNA. Check back over the next five days to see the countdown unfold, with the #1 being revealed on New Year’s Eve (Friday).
#5: TARA
LAST YEAR: #2 – 2008: –
After a career rejuvenation in 2009 when she made the jump from WWE to TNA, 2010 saw Tara with her feet firmly under the table in the TNA Knockouts division. Beginning the year as Knockouts Champion, Tara has gone onto hold the belt on two more occasions during the past 12 months. More importantly, perhaps, is Tara’s relationship with Madison Rayne as the duo have teamed up to dominate the Knockouts division in the last quarter of the year.
After defeating ODB for the Knockouts Championship in December, Tara put her belt on the line on the first Impact of 2010 — losing the title in shock fashion due to ODB cheating. However, she would regain the belt just over a week later, defeating ODB in a ‘best of three’ falls match.
Her longest Knockouts Title reign to date, Tara next found herself in the cross-hairs of the deranged Daffney. The ‘Zombie Hot’ Knockout targeted the Knockouts Champion over several weeks before things came to a head at March’s Destination X pay per view. Tara successfully defended her Knockouts Title in the match but Daffney got the last word, stealing Tara’s pet tarantula, Poison. Their next encounter was a First Blood Match that went all over the Impact Zone. Though Tara once again defeated Daffney, she didn’t get her pet Poison back.
The infamous Lockbox Showdown in April saw Tara lose her Knockouts Championship without even defending it in a match, though she did earn back her petnapped tarantula. This resulted in bad blood between Tara and the new Knockouts Champ, Angelina Love. The pair were forced to team up at LockDown in April, with Tara effectively costing Love the Knockouts Title when she was pinned by Madison Rayne.
In late April, Tara announced that she would be leaving TNA due to contract negotiations stalling over a pay increase. In storyline, she was booked into a ‘Career vs Title’ match against Madison Rayne at May’s Sacrifice pay per view, which she lost. We thought that’d be the last we saw of Tara… but how wrong we were.
Making her return as the Mystery Biker Chick in July, Tara attempted to aid Madison Rayne in her title defense against Angelina Love at the Victory Road pay per view by attacking Love. Instead, the referee spotted the attack and awarded Love the belt by DQ. Aligned with Rayne and hiding under a helmet, Tara was eventually unmasked in September as the Beautiful People imploded. Velvet and Lacey had turned on Rayne, and re-aligned with Angelina Love.
Now a heel and aligned with the woman who ended her career five months back, Tara returned to action and at Bound for Glory she won the Knockouts Championship in a fatal four-way match involving then-champion Angelina Love, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky with newcomer, Mickie James as special guest referee. The reign didn’t last though. The very next week on Impact, Tara laid down for Rayne — who felt she was responsible for Tara’s comeback & felt Tara should aid her career — allowing her to become the Knockouts Champ.
Despite losing the Knockouts Title, Tara has been front-and-center for the past several months, however, feuding with her fellow former WWE Diva, Mickie James. Claiming that Mickie was one of the reasons she left WWE, Tara had an axe to grind and took every opportunity to grind it. Their brawls backstage, on the ramp-way and in the ring filled weeks of television. Two much-buzzed about pay per view matches at November’s Turning Point and December’s Final Resolution still couldn’t get the job done in settling this bad blood.
It would take a main event steel cage match on Impact to settle the score between Mickie James and Tara. In perhaps the most personal and hard-fought Knockouts bouts of the year, James squared away her rival. Though Tara lost the match, both Knockouts earned the applause of fans and industry peers — Tara particularly for finishing the match with an injured elbow.
Though she took more of a backseat to Madison Rayne this year, and on yet on another two occasions lost the Knockouts Title under less than ideal circumstances, Tara proved to be one of the most consistent Knockouts in TNA. Turning heel for the first time during her TNA run, Tara added new layers to her character — incorporating her love of motorcycles and in recent months, even displaying a more playful ‘cougar’ side. It is perhaps her feud and matches with James that will most be remembered this year though, as she helped reinvigorate the Knockouts division, capturing a buzz about the women in TNA in the same way that Gail Kim and Awesome Kong did some years ago.
What does the future hold for Tara? Perhaps next year she will finally hold the Knockouts Title and not lose it in silly fashion i.e. having her reign cut short, losing it in a Deal or No Deal scenario or by having to lay down. There’s also the possibility of her and partner Madison Rayne becoming the Knockouts Tag Team Champions — or even imploding. Or perhaps both? One thing is for sure: Tara will continue to be one of the centerpieces of the Knockouts division.
Check back later for #4
Catch up on: the 2008 list, the 2009 list
21 Comments
at 2:38 am
My baby!!! I love her and I’m glad she’s number 5. She really deserves it & is a very dedicated worker.
at 2:54 am
Tara has been excellent as always this year. It’s great that TNA has really given her a lot of freedom with her character and she has put on some of the best matches of the year. It’s unfortunate that WWE never took her very seriously, especially when she was younger (not that she can’t still do it today).
The bodyguard gimmick has been good, but is perhaps beginning to run its course. Can’t wait to see her dynamic with Madison begin to change up as they begin to turn on each other.
at 2:56 am
I don’t agree with this…she deserves to be higher than 5. I think she at least deserved number 3. She won the championship this year (although short) and has had a great character development. Although she was gone for about 2 months, she still pulled out GREAT matches and was able to help the Knockout division greatly; lets not forgot the epic cage match either….
at 3:33 am
Tara is not only an incredible wrestler dedicated on carving out her own legacy, but a generous performer too. She is less focused on being centre stage and more intent on working with the girls to put together a showstopping match. I absolutely adore this woman. Sure, I think only recently her TNA character has finally gotten interesting but for the second year running she’s taken the Knockouts by force and led them to glory. I hope next year is a beautiful one for Tara.
at 4:56 am
I think she should stay at #5. Layla, Michelle, Madison & Angelina definetly had a better year then her imo.
at 5:07 am
@Lacey fan
Angelina defiantly did not have a better year, what did she do? And Laya/Michelle should be consider as one spot since they did everything together. They even were “co” Champions on two occasions.
at 5:09 am
Tara deserves to be on this list. She’s a legend.
I hope Madison is number 1.
at 6:26 am
@Cod3Cody becomeing 5x KOchampion ring a bell.
I feel the rest of the list ends up like this.
4. Melina (Melanie’s obsession :P J/K)
2 &3 Angelina or Madison
1 Lay-Cool
at 6:34 am
@Bieberfever
Yeah, and Tara has been Champion 4 times. That isn’t enough to put her over Tara in my mind….just my opinion though.
at 7:23 am
Love her and well deserved. She’s so hot in that pic by the way. She gets better with age. She’s slimmed down a little, she had a bigger ass last year, but she still looks amazing. Her wrestling skills remain top-notch and has proved(I told You So! =P) that she can go better than these twenty something year olds! Tara is awesome. Not only an incredible performer, but a terrific human being as well. Total package.
at 10:01 am
Tara has had a crazy year with TNA, there have been some wild moments some good, some bad. (When she lost her title to Angelina without being pinned…) But anyway, a well deserved place. Heres hoping for another fantastic year for Tara, she’s one tough cookie.
at 12:41 pm
Tara had a excellent year despite what wany one says about her Title regins! I hope in 2011 she gets another title regin a actually LONG regin , and breaks away from MAdison.
at 1:19 pm
I was expecting Tara to be number 4. But number five is great too ;)
Now, it stills leaves one open stop (Layla and Michelle need to occupy the same spot – it would be unfair if they didn’t; after all, they did everything together and were co-champions). Maybe Melina??? She returned to WWE and won the divas championship; then fueded with LayCool; and now turned hell. Maryse??? She was on the tittle picture for six months – from January to June; won her second championship;became DiBiase’s manager and entered in a feud with Aksana and now Tamina.
at 2:15 pm
i think tara’s had a better year than last. she really must be having some of the best moments of her career right now. she was obviously frustrated in wwe and even though we wrestling fans criticise tna for grabbing wwe has-beens (even though wwe doesn’t get the same smack-talk for taking tna leftovers), i’m real glad she got a second chance in the wrestling world.
at 2:20 pm
she was probably one of the biggest surprises in the women’s wrestling world this year, actually. i still remember when she returned at that ppv in her biker outfit and nobody knew it was her!
at 2:42 pm
Also, let’s not forget her epic twitter surge this month. She was responding to pretty much every fan question that was sent to her. Definitely one of the most fan friendly wrestlers.
at 2:47 pm
She had a great year, better than last year.
I see
4 Angelina
3 Layla
2 Madison
1 Michelle McCool
at 3:04 pm
enough with the siamese twins crap oh my god! layla was robbed of a “singles” ttile run because of shitty booking- men pretending to know women friendly terms like — bff–bullshit
If I see TIED FOR #1 crowdkiller & layla!!!!- someone owes me a pair of shoes because of the vomit
the write up will say crowdkiller “spent most of the year as champ or co-champ”… and force fed to us booking then leads too she had a great year conclusion… yawn- predictable as morrison JOBBING to miz AGAIN…. 1.2.3. ding ding
at 3:41 pm
1st one mus go to Jillian!!!
at 3:55 pm
yeah tara i love this woman shes so giving & can get a good match out of anyone i think shes awesome & one of the best ever…
i hope layla is number 1 since mccool did her same old..
at 1:14 am
Tara is an amazing wrestler and she deserves this spot on the list. She was one of the most exciting and toughest women in wrestling so no complaints here.