From the GFW Rumor Mill: Former 5-time Knockouts Champion no longer associated with the company?
What's the story?
According to a story that first appeared in Wrestling Inc., we may have seen the last of Madison Rayne in GFW/Impact Wrestling. Following Slammiversary, several updates were made to the 'active’ roster on the site, and her name has gone missing from the list, as we write this.
In case you didn’t know...
Madison Rayne is one of the most decorated women in professional wrestling history. Not only is she a former 5-time Knockouts Champion, she's also held the Knockout Tag Team Championship simultaneously, with the top prize. Rayne is best known for being a part of the stable ‘The Beautiful People’.
A very active part of the Impact Wrestling roster since 2009, this veteran has also wrestled extensively in the independent circuit as Ashley Lane.
The heart of the matter
The original article cites a variety of reasons that led one to believe that Rayne is no longer associated with GFW after Slammiversary. Once the roster was updated, Rayne’s name was not mentioned as an ‘active’ Knockout and she has not been mentioned in the ‘Alumni’ section of the official website.
The page that links directly to her profile on the site, was also deleted soon after Slammiversary XV. It is interesting to note that Wikipedia lists April 6, 2017 as the date of her last appearance with the company when she took part in a Gauntlet match. Madison has neither commented on her status with GFW nor has she spoken about officially departing the company.
What's next?
If indeed Madison Rayne is no longer associated with the company, we wonder what the status of the show ‘With this ring...’ is. Rayne hosts the show with her real-life husband and announcer Josh Mathews.
Author’s take
GFW has been losing talent by the droves in recent times. Despite the fact that Slammiversary garnered much attention, there has been a mass exodus of talented superstars from the company. I hope that Jeff Jarrett and company can put a stop to this.