Sojournor Bolt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sojournor Bolt |
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Bynum as Sojo Bolt at an independent wrestling show in August 2013
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| Birth name | Josette Bynum |
| Born | September 11, 1977 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Josette Bynum CoCo Montego Josie Josie Robinson Lady JoJo Miss Josie Sojo Bolt Sojourner Bolt Sojournor Bolt |
| Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Billed weight | 140 lb (64 kg) |
| Billed from | Chicago, Illinois Minneapolis, Minnesota Memphis, Tennessee |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey Eric Priest Rip Rogers |
| Debut | April 3, 2003 |
| Retired | November 30, 2014 |
Josette Bynum (born September 11, 1977) is an American retired professional wrestler and promoter. She is best known by her wrestling name Sojournor Bolt, or "Sojo Bolt". She wrestled for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Josette also spent time in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Shimmer Women Athletes. In OVW, she holds the record for winning the OVW Women's Championship seven times. She also held the title for the longest time, 621 days. In 2014, she started her own wrestling company called Queens of Combat.
Contents
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Years (2003–2008)
Josette Bynum started her wrestling career on April 3, 2003. She often wrestled for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). There, she had a big rivalry with Serena Deeb over the OVW Women's Championship. Josette and Serena traded the title back and forth. Josette became the OVW Women's Champion four times during this time.
On July 23, 2005, wrestling as Josie, she won the 3XW Women's title. She lost it later that year. She also wrestled for World League Wrestling, staying undefeated against several opponents. In 2007, she tried to win the NWA Women's Championship but was not successful.
In December 2008, Josette wrestled her last match for OVW. She then signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008–2009, 2013)
At a big event called Slammiversary, Josette wrestled as Josie Robinson. She challenged the champion, Awesome Kong, but lost. She returned to TNA on August 28, 2008, using the name Sojournor Bolt. She was defeated by Awesome Kong again.
On October 12, Sojournor Bolt teamed with Eric Young to win a match. On November 20, she teamed with Christy Hemme but lost. TNA officially signed Josette to a contract on December 3. On December 11, she lost to Christy Hemme. After the match, they fought, and Bolt became a villain (a bad guy in wrestling).
On January 8, 2009, Bolt joined Awesome Kong, Rhaka Khan, and Raisha Saeed. They formed a group called the Kongtourage. This group lost to ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi at Genesis. The Kongtourage continued to wrestle together.
On February 12, 2009, Bolt won a special match called a gauntlet battle royal. She defeated many other wrestlers to earn a chance to challenge Awesome Kong for the Knockout Championship. On February 19, Bolt and Rhaka Khan had a disagreement with Raisha Saeed and Awesome Kong. This led to Bolt and Khan challenging them to a match, which they won. This made Bolt and Khan fan favorites (good guys in wrestling).
On March 5, Bolt and Khan lost a tag team match. It was announced that Bolt would finally challenge Awesome Kong for the Knockout Championship at Destination X. However, she lost the match. Bolt soon became a villain again. She competed in a "Queen of the Cage" match but did not win.
On April 23, Bolt won a ladder match against Taylor Wilde. She used brass knuckles to knock Wilde off the ladder. This earned her another chance at the Knockout Championship. She got her title shot on May 28, but lost after Angelina Love used perfume in her eyes. On September 3, Bolt teamed with Hamada in a tag team tournament. They lost in the first round, and Hamada attacked Bolt afterward. On November 10, Josette Bynum was released from her TNA contract.
In 2013, Bolt made a special appearance for TNA. She wrestled in a three-way match but did not win.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2009–2013)
Women's Champion (2009–2011)
Josie returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to challenge Hannah Blossom for the OVW Women's Championship. At the event, Josie defeated Hannah to win her fourth Women's Title. However, the title was given back to Hannah. This was because a review showed Josie had pinned Hannah's twin sister, Holly, by mistake.
The next week, Josie won a "bake off" against the Blossom Twins. This earned her another title shot. Josie won the rematch against Hannah, winning her fifth women's title. She successfully defended her title against Taryn Shay.
At OVW's Riot Act 2010 event, Josie lost the OVW Women's title to CJ Lane. Months later, Josie returned as a villain again. She defeated Holly Blossom to become the second woman to hold the OVW women's title six times. In September, Josie teamed with Taryn Shay to feud with the Blossom Twins. Josie and Taryn won a "Loser Leaves OVW" match against them. At the end of 2010, Josie was named the Queen of OVW.
In early 2011, Josie, now known as Lady JoJo, started another rivalry with CJ Lane for the women's title. JoJo defeated her to keep the title. After the match, JoJo and Shay attacked CJ Lane. The Blossom Twins then returned to OVW. The Blossoms defeated JoJo and Shay in a rematch, allowing them to stay in OVW. Lady JoJo had a successful title defense in a special eight-woman match.
On May 28, 2011, Lady JoJo became the longest-reigning OVW Women's Champion. Her sixth title reign lasted 343 days, breaking the old record. In June, she started a rivalry with a new wrestler named Trina. JoJo defeated Trina to keep her title.
On August 6, JoJo lost the OVW Women's title to Izza Belle Smothers. This ended her long reign. On August 24, JoJo won the Women's Title back, becoming the first woman to hold the title seven times.
Various Storylines (2012–2013)
On November 12, 2011, Lady JoJo lost the OVW Women's Championship to Taeler Hendrix. After losing the title, JoJo started a storyline with referee Chris Sharpe.
On February 25, 2012, Josette Bynum, using her real name, announced she was secretly married and divorced from Christian Mascagni. She gained all his power and became the new leader of a group called "The Family." She used her power to help her group members win titles. On April 7, Josette gained full control of OVW. However, on July 7, she lost control of the promotion. She was then assigned as a secretary.
After almost seven months away from the ring, Josette wrestled Heidi Lovelace on October 6. She won, earning a match for the OVW Women's Championship. Josette then started another rivalry with Taeler Hendrix. They teamed up in a tag team match but lost due to miscommunication. Both women got a chance at the Women's Championship in a three-way match, but Heidi Lovelace won.
On November 7, Josette was seen backstage, hinting at a plan to regain her old position. On December 8, it was revealed that Flash Flanagan was helping JoJo to take down Frank Miller. On March 3, 2013, Josette Bynum made her final appearance with OVW.
Acting Career
Josette Bynum appeared in a horror movie called The Legacy. She also appeared in an episode of a TV show called All Worked Up.
Personal Life
Josette Bynum is the youngest of ten children. She grew up on a farm in northern Minnesota.
Championships and Achievements
- 3X Wrestling
- 3XW Women's Championship (1 time)
- Coast to Coast Wrestling Association
- Coast to Coast Women's Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Intensity Wrestling
- MIW Women's Championship (1 time)
- NWA Midwest
- NWA Midwest Women's Championship (1 time)
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
- OVW Women's Championship (7 times)
- Queen of OVW (2010)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 24 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2009
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Gauntlet for the Gold (2009 – Knockouts)
- Ultimate Championship Wrestling
- UCW-AWA Women's Championship (1 time)
- World League Wrestling
- WLW Ladies Championship (2 times)
- Xtreme ... Women
- XBW Women's Championship (1 time)
See also
In Spanish: Josette Bynum para niños
