Xia Brookside’s reign as TNA Knockouts World Champion has given her no shortage of meaningful moments, but a recent iMPACT graphic carried a particularly personal significance for the champion.
Brookside, who has spoken openly about the wrestling influences that shaped her ambitions, appeared alongside TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth in promotional material for last week’s episode of iMPACT. Their respective challengers, Gabby Forza and Matt Hardy, were positioned opposite them. For Brookside, the visual represented more than two champions sharing space on a television graphic. It was a striking reminder of a dream she had when she was just 13 or 14 years old.
Speaking on Busted Open, Brookside explained that she once hoped to become the “female version of Dolph Ziggler,” the WWE identity Nemeth used for much of his career. She pointed to the attributes that made Nemeth such an important example to her: his longevity, his ability to sell, and the connection he created as a babyface performer.
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“That was my dream. The longevity of his career, his selling, his babyface smile. Like everything about him,” Brookside said on Busted Open. “I had female role models like Paige and stuff, but I wanted to be the female Dolph Ziggler.”
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It is a revealing statement from a champion whose own career has required adaptability, persistence, and a clear understanding of how to make audiences invest in her journey. Brookside’s admiration was not simply about matching a favorite wrestler’s appearance or move set. Her description of Nemeth’s appeal centered on the fundamentals of a sustained career: durability, character work, emotional expression, and the ability to make opponents and moments feel important.
Those qualities have become especially relevant as Brookside navigates life at the top of the Knockouts division. She captured the TNA Knockouts World Championship at Slammiversary and has since added successful defenses to her record at Lockdown and on last week’s iMPACT. Each result has reinforced the pressure that comes with carrying the division’s premier championship, especially with contenders continuing to look for any opening that could end her reign.
A Championship Defense Marked by Chaos
Brookside’s most recent defense came against Gabby Forza on iMPACT, and it was far from a straightforward night for the Knockouts champion. Indi Hartwell attempted to stop Brookside from leaving after the match, keeping the situation around the title volatile even after the bell had rung.
During the match itself, Brookside took advantage of a distraction involving Hartwell and Daria Rae. With Hartwell’s focus diverted, Brookside used the opening to strike Forza with the championship and escape with the victory. The result allowed Brookside to retain, though the manner of the win and Hartwell’s actions afterward left plenty of tension around the title picture.
Forza came close to a major breakthrough by sharing the ring with the reigning champion, but Brookside’s awareness in a chaotic situation proved decisive. Championship wrestling often comes down to whether a titleholder can recognize a brief opportunity before it disappears. Brookside did exactly that, preserving her reign while also ensuring that the issues surrounding Hartwell remain unresolved.
The same iMPACT episode also featured Nemeth defending the TNA World Championship against Matt Hardy. With the company’s men’s and Knockouts champions both competing on the program, the promotional image placing Nemeth and Brookside on the same side became an apt snapshot of TNA’s title landscape.
For Brookside, however, it was also a deeply emotional full-circle moment. The young fan who saw Nemeth as the standard she wanted to emulate is now a world champion in the same company, appearing beside him while both hold TNA’s top singles prizes.
Brookside Sees a Vision Become Reality
Brookside described her immediate reaction to the graphic as one of disbelief and appreciation. More than a decade after first picturing herself following the path of the wrestler then known as Dolph Ziggler, she found herself standing as a champion alongside Nic Nemeth.
“That graphic that went out yesterday and it’s Nic and I on the same side and I was literally like, ‘oh my God, I did it!’” Brookside said on Busted Open. “My vision; everything is happening around me.”
There is a difference between having an influence and having a long-term vision. Brookside’s comments make clear that Nemeth occupied both places in her mind. She had female role models, including Paige, but she was equally inspired by what she saw in Nemeth’s broader body of work. In an industry that often encourages performers to establish highly individual identities, Brookside’s goal was to take inspiration from a particular kind of career rather than merely recreate another wrestler’s persona.
That perspective matters because the career traits she named are not confined to any one division. Selling, resilience, longevity, and a connection with fans are principles that can define a top performer regardless of gender or promotion. Brookside’s stated ambition was to bring those elements into her own work, building a style and presence capable of creating the kind of moments she is now experiencing as champion.
Her comments also underline the unusual perspective that comes with reaching a milestone while the person who inspired it remains an active contemporary. Nemeth is not only part of Brookside’s early wrestling memories; he is now a fellow TNA champion, defending the World Championship on the same programming where Brookside is protecting the Knockouts title.
The Meaning of Representation and Influence
Brookside’s reference to Paige is also important within the context of her story. Wrestling fans often draw inspiration from performers who give them a clearer sense of possibility, and Brookside acknowledged that female role models were part of her development. At the same time, she did not limit herself to studying only wrestlers who mirrored her own place in the industry.
Instead, she found a blueprint in Nemeth’s body of work. That willingness to learn across divisions and styles is a familiar part of professional wrestling’s creative tradition. Performers regularly borrow lessons from the wrestlers who captivated them as fans, then reshape those lessons through their own personalities, strengths, and experiences.
Brookside’s current role requires her to do that in real time. As champion, she is no longer only pursuing the kind of career she admired. She is also becoming a figure that younger fans and aspiring wrestlers can watch as an example. Her reign puts her in the position to define what a TNA Knockouts World Champion looks like under pressure, in competition, and amid the distractions created by competitors such as Hartwell and Rae.
That does not mean the road ahead will become easier. Her successful defenses at Lockdown and on iMPACT make her a proven titleholder, but they also give the rest of the division more reason to target her. The controversial edge to the Forza victory, combined with Hartwell’s post-match attempt to prevent Brookside from leaving, suggests that the champion’s immediate future may remain turbulent.
Two Champions, One Memorable Image
Brookside closed her reflection by describing how often reminders of her old ambitions now seem to appear in her life. The TNA graphic was one of those reminders, bringing together the championship she currently holds and the wrestler whose career she once hoped to emulate.
“Things just pop up now and I’m just like, that’s literally what I was manifesting 12 years ago and now I’m world champion at the same time as Nic, we’re on the same graphic,” Brookside said on Busted Open. “My life is just incredible.”
The moment does not erase the work involved in getting there. Brookside’s reign has already included high-stakes title defenses and the need to survive a crowded, unpredictable Knockouts environment. But it does offer a powerful measure of how far she has come: from a teenager studying a performer she admired to a reigning world champion standing beside that same wrestler as a peer.
Brookside now has the opportunity to keep adding to that story. Every successful defense strengthens her position, every challenger tests her ability to adapt, and every appearance as champion further establishes her legacy in TNA. The image of Brookside and Nemeth together may have initially been a promotional tool for iMPACT, but for the Knockouts titleholder, it became proof that a childhood vision had turned into a championship reality.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.