She is one of the nation's best female wrestlers, with a work rate hard to equal. Whilst she gained international fame as a finalist for TNA's British Boot Camp, Kay Lee Ray has a long history with the sensational Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) promotion. We had the chance to chat to Kay Lee on her visit with ICW to London last month. Whilst she was friendly to us, later in the tour, she turned her back on her 'good guy' past and is now running riot in ICW. To witness the fallout, go and see one of their forthcoming shows in May, July or November in Glasgow (tickets available here).
How was the ICW tour for you?
It was great! I recently returned after 6 months and its really great to be back.
ICW has a game being released soon, there are arena shows coming up - you've been in the company for a while, how has it progressed and where is it going?
I think it's amazing. Especially given the first show I ever started on in ICW, there was maybe... there was definitely less than 100 in the crowd. To have been with them, literally building it through all these years and now to go work at the SECC in Glasgow! That's unreal to me. That's where I saw my first concert, that's where my home town is - to think that we'll actually be on, wrestling there, I'm still in shock. To say where ICW's going to go in the future, who knows. There's plenty of places we can go from here so we just have to keep going.
You work across the country as both a face (good guy) and a heel (bad guy), is that hard? Are there obsessive Kay Lee Ray groupies that follow you everywhere?
Well! What can I say? It is what it is. I like to think I do my job as best as I can do. I think there are a few fans that do follow me and they're pretty vocal so I know which ones are which. I wouldn't say they're obsessive though, it's nice to have fans because without them I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in. So I'm always grateful for any fans I get.
We imagine your fan base will have grown when people saw you on TNA's British Boot Camp. Was it a good experience? What has that done for your career?
It's been great. I'm definitely more recognisable especially at wrestling shows. Whereas before I'd go to wrestling shows throughout the UK and a few people would know me, they'd recognise my hair, now it just seems like a good majority. TNA is a big brand and it's on TV so it's available to most people. Was it a good experience? Yes - absolutely. I enjoyed and I tried to take all the positives from it and roll with it.
Will we see you in the US going forward?
For myself, I just like to see what happens- I never really set those kind of plans. I'm just doing what I'm doing for now and we'll see where that takes me.
You've wrestled Gail Kim, who is out there that you would love to face in an ICW ring?
There's too many, honestly, far too many people that are out there. If Dallas [Mark, ICW promoter - eds] was sitting here right now, I'd just keep saying names to him - guys and girls. Whether its people that have been in TNA or WWE before or independent workers that I've met in the past few years that I'd like to work with just as much... it's impossible for me to give you a name right now.
Ok, well which female wrestlers do you rate highly, who should we look out for?
At the moment, top of my list - Viper. It's funny to say that though as she's already there, she's already making her way in companies. But that girl can do so much that - and I think she's got so much more she can give. I fought her in other companies as well, so definitely, she's one to watch out for.
What's the best rib [practical joke] you've been a party to?
Well I don't know if it's the best but it's the most recent and it's on my mind. A trainee had his brand new boots hidden from him and it got to the point that he was almost in tears. He thought he'd left them in a venue that was hours away. He'd come back to Glasgow and he thought he was going to have to call his dad and get him to drive all the way to the venue. It was just as his hands were shaking and he was about to call his dad that they told him! People play them on me all the time though!
Follow Kay Lee Ray on Twitter @Kay_Lee_Ray