Awesome Kong Has No Regrets For Trying To Get Paid At The Height Of Her Popularity

Awesome Kong knew her value to Impact Wrestling and the Hall of Famer stood her ground during a time that wasn't particularly favorable to women's wrestling.

"I did feel like I wasn't being compensated for what I had accomplished," Kong said about her time in IMPACT Wrestling on the latest episode of "Busted Open Radio." "So now today, yes I was right. I have no regrets for asking them to pay me what I felt I deserved."

"They knew they were paying me peanuts and they knew that I was broke as hell and they were banking on me being so broke that I couldn't leave and telling me, 'WWE is never going to pick you up because they only hire "X, Y and Z" type people,' and that sunk in for awhile but me being me saying, 'Well I would rather sell oranges off these of the 405 freeway than to not get paid what I feel I have earned. Deuces, it's been nice and awesome, but I can't work and not get paid what I feel I earned."

Kong said she had her own business before she became a wrestler. "I was a businesswoman and knew my business ... already being a black woman I made three-fourths of what other people make so knowing that when Gail [Kim] and I would pop up on that screen, that's when the highest ratings would go on. Numbers don't lie. You got the spreadsheet right there, it said, 'Them two b*****s right there is making y'all's money. Pay them.'"

Fellow special guest Kim and co-host Mickie James both added that while it is different today, the parity still isn't where it needs to be today. "Kudos to you, because it is slowly, even still, changing," said James said to Kong. 

Kong had two spells with IMPACT, the first between 2007 and 2010, and a shorter spell between 2015 and 2016.