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IMPACT Wrestling’s Mia Yim reveals why she didn’t join husband Keith Lee in AEW after WWE releases-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
Mia is ready for Slammiversary.
IMPACT Wrestling star Mia Yim and AEW wrestler Keith Lee – both former WWE superstars (Picture: IMPACT Wrestling/Twitter/AEW)
IMPACT Wrestling star Mia Yim wanted to do her own thing rather than following Keith Lee to AEW.
The married couple were both released by WWE in November 2021, with the Limitless One going onto sign for All Elite Wrestling following the end of his non-compete clause earlier this year, while Mia made her IMPACT return last month at Under Siege.
Explaining her decision, she exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘Ever since we started dating, it was like, “I never wanted to take his moves”, we never wanted to be a tag team, we wanted to be our own separate brands.
‘Sometimes we’ll do mixed tags or whatever and do things together, but we didn’t wanna be known just for that. We established very early on that we were own brand, we didn’t have to always stay together.
‘I always get asked, “Why didn’t you go with Keith?” It’s like, because I’m my own person and I wanna do what I wanna do, you know? [laughs] So, as long as we support each other with whatever it is, we don’t always have to be together!’
For the couple – who tied the knot on February 5, just days before Keith made his AEW debut – have supported each other with their respective moves, and Mia noted a lot of the drama comes from fans online trying to stir things up.
Mia Yim made her IMPACT return last month (Picture: IMPACT Wrestling)
‘Nothing bad to say about AEW but I’m just like, “Babe, that is your realm, go and kill it over there. That is your home”. He was super supportive of me going back to IMPACT,’ she said.
‘I feel that the internet, they want drama, they want the tea and they want to see people be messy! Everybody, especially in wrestling – it’s like high school, so there’s always gonna be drama. But I’m 33 now, I’m too old for that.’
She still speaks to best friend Shelton Benjamin – who she describes as her ‘brother’ – every day, and she’s close to the likes of Shayna Bazler, Dakota Kai and former RETRIBUTION teammates Mustafa Ali and Shane Thorne.
‘Especially with the experiences we go through within the company, you bond with these people because they understand what you’re going through,’ she explained.
Her husband Keith Lee signed with All Elite Wrestling (Picture: AEW)
Mia and Keith’s WWE exits came after a tough period for the couple both personally and professionally, with Lee being open about his health battles during the pandemic and his partner having a difficult time on the main roster.
However, she suggested: ‘I think everything happens for a reason. We both got to experience what we’ve always dreamed of, it’s the reason why we started.
‘I think now – it sucked when it happened but looking back on it now, I’m kinda glad that it did because mentally we’re both a lot better, emotionally, we’re both a lot more stable.’
They’re both thriving in their respective companies, and Mia has got a new perspective on life with her focus now on her family.
‘Wrestling has always been number one in my life, and once we got married and moved and now we own a home it’s like, I still love wrestling but now my family comes first,’ she smiled.
‘Man, we really are growing up. My priorities have all changed where it’s like, I gotta make sure that the family is doing OK, that the house is doing OK. Wrestling is always gonna be there but you never know what’s gonna happen with your family.
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‘If Keith ever needed something, if my dogs ever needed something, I’m dropping whatever to make sure that they’re taken care of.’
In terms of IMPACT, Mia is preparing to be part of the first ever Queen of the Mountain match at Slammiversary this weekend, which features Knockouts Champion Tasha Steelz and other challenges including Jordynne Grace, Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo
‘Everything has been evolving for the better. I’m just excited to see what the future holds with wrestling and in real life,’ she beamed. ‘I just feel much more relaxed. I feel like I’m at home, where I’m not worried about anything.’
IMPACT Wrestling: Slammiversary airs June 18 at 1am on Fite TV.
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