Josette Bynum (born September 11, 1977) is an American retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and promoter. Bynum is best known for her stint in

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

under the name Sojournor Bolt (or "Sojo Bolt" for short). She is also known for her time in both

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...

and

Shimmer Women Athletes Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) was an American, Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005. Established by Dave Prazak and run by both ...

. As of 2011, in

she holds the record for most reigns with seven and longest reign - 621 days in the

OVW Women's Championship The OVW Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship championship in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). The first holder of the title was ODB, who declared herself champion in August 2006. The belt was defended as any oth ...

history. She opened her own professional wrestling promotion in 2014, Queens of Combat.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2003–2008)

Bynum made her professional wrestling debut on April 3, 2003, and began regularly wrestling for

, where she had a notable feud with

Serena Deeb Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE Brand Extension, brand and also kn ...

over the company's

Women's Championship The Women's Super League 2, also known as Barclays Women's Super League 2 for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in England, operated by WSL Football. It is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The div ...

. Both Deeb and Bynum exchanged the title during the feud, with Bynum becoming a four time OVW Women's Champion. On July 23, 2005, 3XW, Josie defeated Annthraxx to win the 3XW Women's title for the first time. She re-lost the title to Annthraxx on November 19. She made her debut for the World League Wrestling promotion on November 12, defeating Wonderful Wendy. Josie remained undefeated against

ODB ODB may refer to: People * Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968–2004), American rapper and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan * ODB (wrestler) (born 1978), Stage name of American professional wrestler Jessica Kresa * Original David Baker (born 1972), a monik ...

Malia Hosaka Malia Hosaka (born October 7, 1969) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is a former NWA World Women's Championship, NWA World Women's Champion. Professional wrestling career Hosaka was trained by Killer Kowalski at ...

and other wrestlers. On March 24, 2007, Josie unsuccessfully challenged

MsChif Rachel Frobel (née Collins born June 11, 1976) is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United ...

for the

NWA Women's Championship The NWA Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first held by Mildred Burke in 1950, ...

. In December 2008, Bynum competed in her last match for OVW, which was a losing effort to Reggie, due to her signing a contract with

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008–2009, 2013)

Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...

, then- Knockout Champion

Awesome Kong Kia Michelle Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with TNA Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ring ...

was challenged by Bynum, under the name Josie Robinson, and fellow OVW regular

, with the winner claiming both Kong's $25,000 prize and her Women's Championship. However, both were subsequently defeated in consecutive matches. Bynum returned to TNA on the August 28, 2008 episode of '' Impact!'' under the ring name Sojournor Bolt and was defeated by Awesome Kong. On October 12, Bynum, again under the Sojournor Bolt name, took part in a dark match at

Bound for Glory IV Bound for Glory IV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestling promotion, promotion that took place on October 12, 2008 at ...

, where she and Eric Young defeated

Christy Hemme Christina Lee Hemme ( ; born October 28, 1980) is an American wrestling executive and retired professional wrestler, ring announcer, backstage interviewer, singer and model (person), model. She was previously signed to Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

and Lance Rock. On the November 20 episode of ''Impact!'', she teamed up with Hemme and was defeated by

Angelina Love Lauren Williams (born September 13, 1981) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in TNA/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Angelina Love. She is signed with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Between ...

and

Velvet Sky Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an United States, American color commentator and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and the National Wrestling Allian ...

. On December 3, it was announced that TNA had signed Bynum to a contract. On the December 11 of ''Impact!'' she was defeated by Christy Hemme. After the match the two women brawled and Bolt became a

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

. On the December 25 edition of ''Impact!'', Bolt teamed with Awesome Kong, Rhaka Khan, and

Raisha Saeed Melissa Anderson (born August 17, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Cheerleader Melissa. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she worked as Alissa Flash and Raisha Saeed. ...

in a losing effort to the team of Christy Hemme,

, Roxxi, and

Taylor Wilde Shantelle Larissa Malawski (born January 26, 1986) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with TNA Wrestling, where she performed under the ring name Taylor Wilde. Malawski was under a World Wrestling Enter ...

. On the January 8, 2009 edition of ''Impact!'', she, along with Raisha Saeed and Rhaka Khan, accompanied Awesome Kong to the ring for her match against

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also a coach for the women's division. She is best known for her t ...

. At

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

, Bolt teamed up with Khan and Saeed to form a faction known as the Kongtourage. The Kongtourage was defeated by ODB, Taylor Wilde and Roxxi, however. On the next ''Impact!'', she again teamed with Saeed and Khan in a losing effort to ODB, Taylor Wilde and Roxxi. On the January 22 edition of ''Impact!'', Bolt lost to ODB after via disqualification due to the Kongtourage interfering. On the January 28 edition of ''Impact!'', she competed in a handicap match as she, Rhaka Khan, Raisha Saeed and Awesome Kong defeated ODB. On February 12, 2009, she won a gauntlet battle royal defeating Madison Rayne, ODB, Roxxi, Velvet Sky, Taylor Wilde, Angelina Love, Raisha Saeed, and Rhaka Khan to receive a title shot against Kong. On the February 19 edition of ''Impact!'' during an interview with Bolt, she was interrupted by Saeed, who claimed that Bolt talked too much and did not understand anything, to which Bolt responded by saying "she understood, she just didn't listen". The following week on ''Impact!'', Bolt and Rhaka Khan called out both Saeed and Awesome Kong and challenged them to a match, which they won after Bolt pinned Saeed, which in turn made Bolt and Khan fan favorites. On March 5 edition of ''Impact!'', Bolt and Khan lost to The Beautiful People in a four corners tag team match. It was announced on the same edition of ''Impact!'' that Bolt would finally challenge Kong for the Knockout Championship at

Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...

, which she lost. Bolt soon reverted into a villain again, and competed in the Queen of the Cage match at

Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

against

, Madison Rayne and

Daffney Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Manager (professional wrestling), wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney. Daffney began her ...

, which ODB won. On April 23, edition of ''Impact!'', she defeated

in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

after knocking Wilde off the ladder with brass knuckles, earning herself yet another shot at the Knockout Championship. She received her title shot on the May 28, edition of ''Impact!'', but lost the match after

sprayed perfume in her eyes and then performed her ''

Lights Out Lights Out may refer to: Events and times * Institutional, and thence colloquial, term for bedtime * Lights Out (event), an event in the UK on 4 August 2014 to commemorate the start of World War I * Lights Out Hong Kong, a campaign to protest ai ...

'' finishing move. On the September 3, edition of ''Impact!'', she participated in the Knockouts Tag Team Championship tournament, teaming with

Hamada A hamada (, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky (basalt) plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by Aeolian processes#Wind erosion, deflation. The majority of the Sahara is hamada. Other e ...

in a losing effort to Tara and

in the first round. After the match, Hamada attacked Bolt. On November 10, Bynum was released from her TNA contract. In 2013, Bolt appeared on TNA's One Night Only: '' Knockout Knockdown'', where she fought Hannah Blossom and Taeler Hendrix in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

, which was won by Blossom.

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2009–2013)

Women's Champion (2009–2011)

It was announced on

's website that Josie would return to OVW to wrestle Hannah Blossom for the

at the OVW's ''Thanksgiving Thunder''. At the event, Josie defeated Blossom for her fourth Women's Title. Four days later, the title was awarded back to Blossom after a review of match footage by the OVW board of directors showed that Josie pinned Hannah's twin sister Holly, not Hannah herself. The next week, Josie defeated the Blossom Twins in a bake off to earn a title shot the next week, Josie was able to win the rematch defeating Hannah after eliminating Holly at ringside to win her fifth women's title. Her first official defense of the title would be against Taryn Shay who won a best of 3 series with CJ Lane to earn her shot at the title. The match would end in a disqualification when Shay would knock Josie into Epiphany who was the special referee of the match. Later, Josie offered Epiphany a title shot, which ended in a no contest when the remaining girls on the roster would interfere, surprisingly picking sides; Taryn Shay & CJ Lane on behalf of Epiphany and Team Blossom on behalf of Josie. Josie has since tried to attack former friend CJ Lane for turning on her but Lane has avoided her, many times leaving Epiphany to fend for herself in tag matches with the two vs. Team Blossom. The two would finally face off at OVW's ''Riot Act 2010'' event where Josie lost the OVW women's title to CJ Lane after being hit with a lead pipe. Months, after that Josie returned again as

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

, defeating Holly Blossom on OVW's ''Summer Scorcher'' 2010 to become the second woman to hold the OVW women's title six times (after Serena). In September, Josie joined force with Taryn Shay to feud the Blossoms. The feud of the two teams ended up in a match at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on December 11, when Josie & Taryn would defeat them in a Loser Leaves OVW match. However, in the end of 2010 Josie was named the Queen of OVW since Paredyse being the king. In early 2011, Josie now known as Lady JoJo (coming from Lady Gaga) start a feud with CJ Lane over the women's title again. JoJo defeated her and retain the women's title on episode 604. After the match, JoJo & Shay would attack her, however Team Blossom make their return to OVW with the reason that the rule - that they would not be signed until 90 days. On episode 605, The Blossoms challenged JoJo & Shay to a rematch at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on April 2. The Blossoms defeated them & get back in OVW. Holly Blossom made her OVW return match, defeating Lady JoJo on episode 607 after interference from C.J. Lane. She had a successful title defense in an eight-woman

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on May 14. On May 28, 2011, Josie now using the name ''Lady JoJo'' became the longest reigning OVW Women's Champion as her sixth title reign surpassed the previous record of 273 days set by Melody's reign. In June she started a feud with newcomer Trina, who recently debuted to OVW. On ''episode 614'', Trina challenged JoJo in a bikini contest in which she won, however was attacked by JoJo & Taryn Shay. At OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on June 11, JoJo defeated Trina to retain her title. At OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on August 6, JoJo lost the OVW Women's title to Izza Belle Smothers ending her reign of 343 days. At OVW's TV Tapings on August 24, JoJo regained the Women's Title, defeating Izza Belle Smothers with help from Lennox Norris in a rematch, becoming the first woman to hold the title seven times. At OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on September 3, JoJo, Taryn Shay and Lennox Norris lost in a tag team match to the Smother's Twisted Daughters and their father Tracy Smothers. On ''episode 632'', JoJo was pinned by newcomer

Taeler Hendrix Taeler Conrad-Mellen (born June 7, 1989), is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Manager (professional wrestling), valet, better known by the ring name Taeler Hendrix. She is best known for her time in Ring of Ho ...

in a non-title match. On ''episode 633'', JoJo was pinned again by Hendrix in a tag team match, leading her to a Women's Championship match. On ''episode 634'', Taeler Hendrix defeated Lady JoJo via disqualification, after she slapped the referee and retain the Women's Championship.

Various storylines (2012–2013)

On November 12, 2011, at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'', Lady JoJo lost the

to Taeler Hendrix. Since losing the Women's Championship, JoJo was put into a storyline with referee Chris Sharpe. On the February 25, 2012, episode of ''OVW'', Bynum now working under her real name, announced that she was secretly married to Christian Mascagni (former Talent Arbitrator) and recently divorced, with her getting all the power he had. However, she became the new leader of the group ''"The Family"'' (including Rudy Switchblade,

Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he is a two-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time OVW Television ...

, Mohammad Ali Vaez and

Rob Terry Robert Terry (born 30 April 1980) is a Welsh Bodybuilding, bodybuilder and a former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring names Rob Terry, Robbie T and Th ...

). Later, in the main event of the show, Bynum put Godderz and Rob Terry in a match against Jason Wayne and Shiloh Jonze for the

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promoti ...

. She made it no disqualifications

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

midway through the match adding Rudy Switchblade as Godderz and Terry's partner. Terry pinned Jason Wayne and won the

for his team. On April 7, at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' event, after Rob Terry defeated Trailer Park Trash due the stipulation Bynum has full control of OVW. However at July 7, at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'', after Frank Miller's representative Johnny Spade won the

OVW Heavyweight Championship The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling World heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) promotion. The original championship was designed and created in 1997 by Reggie Parks. The title was introduced o ...

and Mohamad Ali Vaez turned on The Family and won the

OVW Television Championship The OVW Television Championship was the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receivin ...

, Josette lost possession of the promotion and was later assigned as Miller's secretary. After nearly seven months of inactivity in the ring, Bynum was signed a match against

Heidi Lovelace Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts (professional wrestling), T ...

at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' on October 6, with the stipulation if she wins she will earn a match for the

. At the event, Josie defeated Lovelace to earn another match against her for the championship. The following weeks, Bynum started a rivalry with

once again after Hendrix (who lost the belt to Heidi Lovelace) wanted to get her rematch clause. The two divas teamed up in a tag team match against

The Blossom Twins Lucy Knott and Kelly Sharpe (née Knott) (born on 18 February 1988), are a retired twin professional wrestling tag team, better known by their ring names Hannah Blossom and Holly Blossom. Early lives The twins grew up in Stockport, Greater Manc ...

on the October 18 episode of ''OVW'', but lost the match because of miscommunication. Both divas got their respective matches for the Women's Championship at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'' during a triple threat match against Heidi Lovelace, but lost the match after Heidi pinned her Taeler retain. On the November 7 episode of ''OVW'', Bynum (who was calling somebody in the previous episodes) was seen backstage as a masked man attacked Frank Miller (also known as Trailer Park Trash), hinting to get back to her old position. On the December 8 episode of ''OVW'', it was revealed that the masked man was

Flash Flanagan Christopher Kindred (born April 6, 1974) is an American professional wrestler who has appeared in numerous independent wrestling leagues, such as Xtreme Championship Wrestling, as well as the global phenomenon companies, World Wrestling Entertain ...

and that JoJo asked for his help to take down Trash. On March 3, 2013, after Trailer Park Trash's retirement match, he put Bynum through a table, marking her final appearance with OVW.

Acting career

Bynum appeared in the horror film ''The Legacy'', featuring

Jim O'Rear Jim O'Rear is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Career O’Rear began his professional career working on stage with magicians including David Copperfield and Harry Blackstone, Jr. He then trained as an actor at The American Ac ...

, Daniel Emery Taylor and Dale Miller as well as fellow wrestlers

Roni Jonah Roni Jonah (born July 16, 1986) is a Canadian director, actress, and professional wrestler. She has worked for both Ohio Valley Wrestling and Women's Extreme Wrestling. She is known for starring in the 2015 horror anthology film '' Volumes of Blo ...

and

Cynthia Lynch Cynthia Lynch (born May 18, 1971) is an American professional wrestler. While in the World Wrestling Federation, she became the first of four women to win the company's Hardcore Championship. Professional wrestling career Early career (1996–1 ...

. Also, she appeared in one episode of All Worked Up when a fan (fellow OVW wrestler Paredyse) was harassing and insulting her.

Personal life

Bynum is the youngest of ten children and was raised on a farm in northern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Championships and accomplishments

* 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 The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as the governing body for a gr ...

** NWA Midwest Women's Championship (1 time) *

( 7 times) ** Queen of OVW (2010) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 24 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Female 50 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' in 2009 *

Gauntlet for the Gold A Gauntlet for the Gold match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA - though from 2017-2024 it was known as Impact Wrestling). Match format Different from the other gauntlet matches, in which one competito ...

(

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

– Knockouts) * Ultimate Championship Wrestling ** UCW-AWA Women's Championship (1 time) *

World League Wrestling NWA World League Wrestling is a Troy, Missouri-based professional wrestling promotion affiliated with Harley Race's Wrestling Academy school. It was established in 1999 by former World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race. The promotion is part of ...

WLW Ladies Championship The World League Wrestling (WLW) Ladies Championship, is the top title contested for women's wrestlers in the independent professional wrestling promotion NWA World League Wrestling. There have been 43 reigns among 16 wrestlers with five vacan ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) * Xtreme Bombshells Women ** XBW Women's Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolt, Sojournor 1977 births 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers African-American professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers Living people OVW Women's Champions Professional wrestlers from Minneapolis