TNA Wrestling Files Lawsuit Against Gail Kim

TNA’s parent company has filed a legal action involving one of the promotion’s most recognizable names.

Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC (a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment) filed a lawsuit against TNA Hall of Famer Gail Kim in the Nashville Chancery Court on January 10.

The filing comes after Kim informed the company that, following her release in March 2025, “she believes she holds legal claims against AWE for violations of the Florida Private Whistleblower Act.”

The lawsuit does not specify what the alleged violations are. Instead, Anthem is seeking a declaratory judgment, arguing that any disputes between the two sides should be governed by Tennessee law based on the terms of Kim’s contracts.

According to the filing, Kim and Anthem entered into a Services Agreement in September 2022 covering “talent relations, match production, and performer services,” along with efforts to identify and support new business and revenue opportunities. That agreement expired at the end of 2024 and continued on a month-to-month basis.

Anthem states that Kim’s Booking Agreement was non-exclusive and classified her as an independent contractor, noting that she “will at all times be an independent contractor (and not an employee or agent of [AWE])” and therefore was not entitled to employee benefits.

The company further claims Kim primarily worked in talent relations and production, wrestled only once, worked from home, was not full-time, and continued outside projects such as The Amazing Race Canada and The Traitors Canada. She was reportedly paid via 1099s.

The lawsuit says Kim’s working relationship ended following a “strategic decision to restructure,” which resulted in multiple contracts not being renewed and several employee terminations.

It also notes, “In connection with AWE’s restructuring, the former President of the Sports Group for AWE Sports & Entertainment, Anthony Ciccione, stepped down from his role in May 2025.”

Anthem is asking the court to declare that Tennessee law applies, that Kim was an independent contractor, and that she cannot pursue claims she “has threatened to bring under the Florida Private Whistleblower Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

The company also states it “has a real legally protectable interest at stake” and is seeking “reasonable” attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Court records do not yet show whether Kim has been served, and no court dates are currently listed.

(H/T: PWInsider.com)