Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

singer. She is currently signed to

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...

. She has also had tenures in WWE and the

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

(NWA). James began her wrestling career in 1999 as a

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA: TNA, later Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, now Impact Wrestling) in 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

called The Gathering and was written into storylines with the group. She is the only woman to be involved in the promotion's

Clockwork Orange House of Fun match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "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 ...

es. James made her World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) main roster debut in 2005 and was placed in a storyline with

Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975) better known by the ring name Trish Stratus is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and yoga instructor. She is currently signed to WWE. Often regarded as one of the greatest Women's Pe ...

, in which James'

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which ran over eight months.Ian Hamilton. ''Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition'' (p.222) She received a

push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...

and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, a title she has held a total of five times. James also won her first Divas Championship defeating Maryse Ouellet at

Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...

in 2009, to become the second of five Divas to hold both the Women's and Divas titles. She is one of only five women who have held six or more WWE women's championships, the others being

Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive. She is a second-genera ...

, Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch &

Sasha Banks Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled on ...

. She was released from the company in April 2010, after which she returned to TNA, where she became a three-time TNA Knockouts Champion. James returned to WWE in 2013 as a guest trainer, then officially returned in 2016 before she was once again released in 2021. James would then make occasional appearances from then and would ultimately return to Impact Wrestling, winning her fourth Knockouts Championship, making James a total 10-time women's world champion between WWE and Impact.

Early life

James was born at Richmond Memorial Hospital in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, the daughter of Stuart James, a retired wastewater-treatment worker, landscaper, and VAIL League Division 3 Championship coach and Sandra Knuckles, a teacher and real-estate agent. Her parents divorced while she was young. She has a sister, a half-sister, a half-brother, and three stepbrothers. She grew up in Montpelier, Virginia and graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1997. While growing up, she spent a lot of time on her grandmother's horse farm, and developed a keen interest in

equestrian sports Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * 4-H * Equitation * Horse show *Icelan ...

. She played

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

for five years. James is part Native American of the Powhatan tribe.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (1999–2003)

A fan of

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

from an early age, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. area at the suggestion of a friend. She made her professional debut on the

on 28 August, 1999, as a

for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or project ...

Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

from when she was a dancer and her middle name. Laree went on to manage several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the

Funking Conservatory The Funking Conservatory is a professional wrestling school owned by Dory Funk Jr. and established in 1991. It started as a six-day camp, but it later expanded to a three-week program. In 2001, it began running a professional wrestling promotion ...

, a

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the ...

run by Dory Funk Jr., and an

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

(ECW)

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

. She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managem ...

. Beginning in 2002, she also made appearances for

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

. Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an

Olive Garden Olive Garden is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in Orange County, Florida. As of 2012, Olive Garden restaurants accounted ...

restaurant, and posing nude for adult fetish magazines '' Leg Show'' and ''Naughty Neighbors'' in the early 2000s, before gaining fame and being subsequently signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002–2003)

While working in

for a year, James also debuted as Alexis Laree in

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...

(TNA) on the company's first ever weekly

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

, introduced as a participant in the

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fash ...

battle royal, which occurred the following week. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...

against the X Division Champion Kid Kash and

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

. Laree competed in her first singles match with the promotion on April 2, 2003, in a losing effort against Trinity. Weeks later, she became the first member of The Gathering, a

led by

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between " crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigne ...

in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father ...

. On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a

, after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett. She continued to wrestle with the stable while they feuded with

The Disciples of the New Church The Disciples of the New Church, also known as the New Church Disciples or simply The New Church, were a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from June 19, 2002 to October 1, 2003. History Total Nonstop Action W ...

, taking part in an

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...

with Father James Mitchell burning her with a

fireball Fireball may refer to: Science * Fireball (meteor), a brighter-than-usual meteor * Ball lightning, an atmospheric electrical phenomenon * ''Bassia scoparia'', a plant species Arts and entertainment Films * '' The Fireball'', a 1950 film starring ...

and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2003–2005)

After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls as well as wrestling a tryout dark match with Dawn Marie, James was signed to a developmental contract with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWE), who sent her to train at

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...

(OVW), their then-

developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a highe ...

, in August 2003. Still using the ring name Alexis Laree, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004, and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween costume contest on October 30, and defeated Jillian Hall in a $1,000 match on November 12. On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for 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 ...

. She defeated

Mike Mondo Michael Brendli (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE as Mike Mondo and Mikey as a member of The Spirit Squad. He also appeared in Major League Wrestling (MLW) in a tag team with fellow ...

in the first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next round. She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29, which Laree lost. Their angle continued into September, with

Shelly Martinez Shelly Leonor Martinez (born February 9, 1980) is an American model, actress, retired professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Tota ...

being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name, and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall.

Storyline with Trish Stratus (2005–2006)

Under her real name, she debuted in WWE on the October 10, 2005 episode of '' Raw'' as a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

under the

of WWE Women's Champion

' biggest fan. The angle had the two Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus. The storyline included a Halloween costume contest, in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy battle royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time. James even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James later became the number one contender for the WWE Women's Championship on December 12, by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at

New Year's Revolution WWE New Year's Revolution was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name was a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions, ...

. Subsequently, the storyline between Mickie and Stratus developed into a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

angle, after James kissed Stratus under a sprig of

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. ...

. In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James lost to Stratus. Despite the defeat, James continued to be enamored of Stratus, which made Stratus uncomfortable. On March 6, 2006, the storyline had Stratus confronting James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. Through the early part of 2006, Mickie would attack Ashley Massaro several times due to Massaro calling her "crazy". At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, James defeated Massaro with then-Women's Champion, Trish Stratus, as the special guest referee. James would also confess her love for Stratus at the event. Massaro got revenge one week later on ''Raw''. James and Stratus teamed together at the March 18, 2006 ''

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' is an American professional wrestling television program that is produced by WWE (known at the time of launch as the World Wrestling Federation). Premiering in 1985, it originally aired on NBC in the United Stat ...

'' to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James attacked Stratus and vowed to destroy her, turned

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 exer ...

in the process. The feud between James and Stratus culminated in a Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 22, which James won, to earn her first Women's Championship in what was looked at as one of the best female matches ever produced at WrestleMania. Her angle with Stratus continued into Backlash during a rematch, after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring. The feud would come to an end on the June 26 episode of ''Raw'', when Mickie defeated Stratus in a Women's Championship match.

Women's Champion (2006–2008)

James dropped the WWE Women's Championship on August 14 to Lita, after Lita hit James with the title belt. After the Women's Championship was vacated due to the retirement of

, James entered a tournament to determine the new champion. She defeated Victoria and Melina en route to the finals at Cyber Sunday, where she lost to Lita. James transitioned into a

after she and Lita wrestled in a series of matches in which Lita chose stipulations to hinder Mickie's wrestling ability. The feud between James and Lita ended at Survivor Series, where James defeated Lita, in the latter's retirement match, to win her second Women's Championship. Mickie James elnew

James then began an angle with Melina on January 29, 2007, when Melina became the number one contender for the Women's Championship. Following a successful title defense on February 5, James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro. After Melina pinned James for the victory, she challenged her to a rematch for the title. James would subsequently lose the Women's Championship to Melina on February 19 and, in continuation of their storyline feud, failed to regain the title during the first women's Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history. During the finish of the match, James fell from the top turnbuckle and landed on her neck, which resulted in a rushed finish. James, however, was not seriously injured in the incident. The scripted feud between James and Melina was rekindled during her photo op on ''Raw''. At a

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that t ...

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

on April 24, James won her third Women's Championship during a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " 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 ...

that also involved Victoria. Since Mickie pinned Victoria and not Melina, an immediate rematch was scheduled, in which James dropped the title back to Melina, giving her the shortest Women's Championship reign in WWE history. James later received a rematch for the title at Backlash, but was unsuccessful. After Backlash, James would only make sporadic appearances on television, wrestling occasionally in tag-matches and rarely in singles competition. On the November 26 episode of ''Raw'', James defeated Melina in a number one contender's match for Beth Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

, in which Phoenix retained the title. On the April 14, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', held in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

, James defeated Beth Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. At

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

, James successfully defended her title against Melina and Beth Phoenix in a triple-threat match. Mickie re-entered the feud against Phoenix in mid-2008, where she and Kofi Kingston teamed up against Phoenix and Santino Marella at SummerSlam in a Winner Takes All tag team match for both the Women's and

Intercontinental Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (I ...

Championships, in which Mickie and Kingston lost their titles to Phoenix and Marella. After James lost the championship, she had two rematches for the title, but was unsuccessful in regaining it. At Survivor Series in November, James was part of the victorious Raw Diva team which defeated the SmackDown Divas in a five-on-five elimination match; she eliminated Michelle McCool, before being eliminated by Maryse. The following month at

, James teamed with Maria, Michelle McCool and

Kelly Kelly Barbara Blank Coba (born Barbara Jean Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American professional wrestler and model. Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading, a ...

in a winning effort against Jillian Hall, Maryse, Victoria and Natalya.

Divas and Women’s Champion and departure (2009–2010)

Following an appearance in the 25-Diva battle royal at

WrestleMania XXV WrestleMania 25 (also marketed as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and written as WrestleMania 25th Anniversary) was the 25th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ...

, James began feuding with the

WWE Divas Champion The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Gue ...

Maryse heading into

on July 26. At the event, James defeated Maryse to win her first Divas Championship, becoming only the second Diva in history to have held both the

Women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

and Divas titles. Throughout the Summer, Mickie successfully defended the title against Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix on episodes of ''Raw'', and against Alicia Fox at the

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...

pay-per-view on October 4. Two weeks later on ''Raw'', James lost the title to Jillian Hall after an approximate three month title reign. After the show, James was traded to the '' SmackDown'' brand for the first time in her career, due to a Diva trade made by ''Raw'' guest host Nancy O'Dell. James made her debut with the brand on the October 23 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating Layla. On the October 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', a controversial angle began that saw WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool and Layla, collectively known as LayCool, bully James. On the November 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', after James defeated Layla, McCool gave James the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"Piggy James", that sent James to tears, resulting in a five-on-five Survivor Series match at the November pay-per-view Survivor Series, where James' team prevailed over McCool's team, with James and Melina as the sole survivors. On the December 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', James became the number one contender for McCool's Women's Championship by defeating Beth Phoenix and Natalya in a triple threat match. The following week, James challenged McCool for the championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but was unsuccessful after interference from Layla. On the January 22 edition of Smackdown, another controversial segment in the feud took place when Laycool beatdown James, force-fed her a pig shaped cake and dumped a bowl of punch on her head, leaving her sobbing and defeated in the ring. The storyline feud continued into the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, where James finally defeated McCool in 20 seconds to become a five-time Women's Champion, the second most reigns with the old WWE Women's Championship after Trish Stratus, who has had 7 reigns. Over the following couple of weeks, ''SmackDown'' consultant Vickie Guerrero was introduced into the rivalry, choosing to side with LayCool over James. On the February 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', McCool used her rematch clause to face James for the Women's Championship, with Guerrero acting as special guest referee. After Guerrero slapped James, McCool pinned her to regain the title. On March, James was diagnosed with a staph infection on her right knee, putting her out of action for three weeks. She returned on the March 22 episode of ''Raw'', where alongside

, she accompanied Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, and Gail Kim in their losing effort against McCool, Maryse and Layla, who had Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox in their corner. This set up a 10-Diva tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI, in which James made an unsuccessful in-ring return after Vickie pinned Kelly. James made her last appearance on ''Raw'' during a rematch, where her team was victorious. James' final match in WWE aired on the April 23 episode of ''SmackDown'' where she teamed with former long-time rival Beth Phoenix against LayCool in a losing effort when she was pinned by Layla. James was released from WWE one day earlier on April 22, having pre-taped her ''SmackDown'' match. According to James, WWE explained the decision as due to desiring to "move in a new direction with their women's division". Sporadic appearances (2013) In November 2013, James served as guest trainer at the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

for a week, training

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

's female wrestlers. James also attended that week's NXT live event in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

Return to the independent circuit (2010–2016)

James made her return to the

in April 2010, as part of World Wrestling Council (WWC), teaming with Carlito to defeat the team of

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 ...

and

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kn ...

. James won the bout after pinning Daniels. On July 11, as part of their Anniversary weekend, she defeated ODB in a singles match. On the last day of that month, James returned to one of her early promotions, Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), to wrestle Mia Yim in a winning effort. The following month, she contested for the Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU)

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

against Mercedes Martinez, but she was unsuccessful. She also returned to

Dory Funk Dorrance Wilhelm Funk (May 4, 1919 – June 3, 1973) was an American professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and was a promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion. Early ...

's promotion, recording a tag team match for ''!Bang! TV''. James also accompanied Dory Funk Jr. during his match, and sung "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the ...

" during ''!Bang! TV's'' tribute to the troops. On September 18, James served as a special guest referee for a three-way match between ODB, Persephone and Kristin Flake for the SCWA Ladies' Title during Southern California Wrestling Association's (SCWA) CAGED'' event in Wentworth, North Carolina, where all matches took place in a cage. In early 2011, James began appearing for Covey Promotions. At ''All or Nothing 5'' on April 30, James defeated

Hannah Blossom Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a fami ...

to become the first Covey Pro Women's Champion. During her time with

TNA TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

, James made several appearances for independent wrestling promotions such as Pro Championship Wrestling, Legends of the Ring, Northeast Wrestling and National Wrestling Superstars. On November 11, 2011, James lost the Covey Pro Women's Championship to the debuting Jessie Belle Smothers. James made her debut for Pro Wrestling Elite (PWE) in Ayr, Scotland on September 15, 2012, at ''History Is Born'', where she wrestled Kay Lee Ray to a no contest. After the match, James teamed up with Ray in a winning effort against Carmel and Nikki Storm. The following night, James competed against Carmel in a winning effort. James returned to Pro Wrestling Elite at their two-year anniversary event ''Elite Bro'' on July 20, 2013, in a winning effort against Nikki Storm. On September 21, James made an appearance at the ''Wrestling Spectacular 2'' all-female event in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...

, alongside many former WWE and TNA female wrestlers, such as

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

, Katarina Waters, Rosita and Brooke Adams. James and Love fought in the main event, with Candice Michelle as the special guest referee, where Love pinned James after interference from Velvet Sky. James made appearances for Big Time Wrestling in August 2013, doing so as a villainess wrestling Reby Sky several times in different dates and locations, winning in all bouts against Sky. On October 12, Mickie again appeared for the promotion, beating Quebec's Midianne in Bristol, Connecticut. On February 8, 2014, James returned to Maryland Championship Wrestling for the ''Anniversary 2014'' event in Joppa, Maryland to face Angelina Love, promoted as "Battle of the Bombshells". Although originally promoted as a singles match, interference by MCW's Renee Michelles' and Jessie Kayes' rivalry occurred during the match, resulting in the match being turned into a tag team match with Mickie and Michelle facing Angelina and Kayes, which James and Michelle won. On April 25, 2014, at the Berkeley Springs High School theater in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

, James headlined the Covey Promotion 3rd Annual Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, as she was inducted into the Covey Pro Hall Of Hame Class of 2014. The next day, during the ''All or Nothing 8!'' event which was aired on May 17 as the 154th episode of Covey Pro TV, James was interrupted during an interview by Amber Rodriguez, who mocked James on her legitimate

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ...

and gave her a pie as a tease, and in return, James shoved the pie in Amber's face. Jessie Belle Smothers came to the rescue and battled Rodriguez as James was escorted out by security. Two months after giving birth to her child, James returned to in-ring competition at ''Queens Of Combat 3'' on November 30, where she defeated

Tessa Blanchard Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she became the first female wrestler to win the Impact World Championship and is also a former Impact Knockouts ...

after turning heel during the match and resorting to villainous tactics. On May 16, James debuted for First State Championship Wrestling (1CW) unsuccessfully challenging Kacee Carlisle for the 1CW Women's Championship after getting herself disqualified. On June 19, 2015, at Maryland Championship Wrestling's ''Ladies Night'' event, James defeated Amber Rodriguez (with Lisa Marie Varon as the special guest referee and Melina as the enforcer) to win the MCW Women's Championship, despite being attacked by the villainous Melina during the match. On November 13, Kimber Lee defeated James to win the MCW Women's Championship after interference from Amber Rodriguez. The following night, James gained a measure of revenge by defeating Rodriguez in a Loser Leaves MCW match, causing Rodriguez to leave the company. On February 2, 2016, James made an appearance for Chikara in a losing effort against Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee. On April 1, 2016, James returned to Queens of Combat and defeated LuFisto at ''Queens of Combat 10''. On September 2, 2016, James made her debut for Chikara, when she entered the 2016 King of Trios tournament as part of Team Original Divas Revolution, alongside

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and Victoria. They defeated Team Shimmer (

Candice LeRae Candice LeRae Gargano (''née'' Dawson; born September 29, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and was a member of The Way. LeR ...

, Crazy Mary Dobson and Solo Darling) in their first round match. The following day, Team Original Divas Revolution was eliminated from the tournament by The Warriors Three (Oleg the Usurper,

Princess KimberLee Kimberly Ann Frankele (born June 27, 1990), better known by her ring name Kimber Lee, is an American professional wrestler who is currently a free agent. She is known for her work on both the American and international independent circuits, most ...

and ThunderFrog). James worked as head trainer for the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

based promotion Ground Xero Wrestling (GXW) Training Academy. She trained students at the Richmond location. James beat Renee Michelle for the GXW Women's Championship while with the promotion.

Return to TNA

Feud with Madison Rayne (2010–2011)

On September 22, 2010, it was reported that James had signed a contract with

(TNA). James returned to the promotion on October 7's ''Before The Glory'' special episode of '' Impact!'', when she was introduced as the special guest referee for the TNA Knockouts Championship match between

, Velvet Sky,

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best know ...

and Tara at Bound for Glory. At the pay-per-view, James counted the pinfall which made Tara the new Knockouts Champion, prompting Rayne to shove James amidst an argument with Tara, and James replying with a punch. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', Tara lost the title to Rayne, while James made her intentions for the Knockouts title clear, after a confrontation with the new champion. James wrestled her return match the following week, defeating Sarita, before being attacked by Rayne's ally, Tara. James wrestled her first TNA pay-per-view match at Turning Point, where she battled Tara to a double disqualification. On the November 18 episode of ''Impact!'' James defeated Angelina Love to become the number one contender to the championship. At

Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to December ...

, James was defeated by Tara in a Falls Count Anywhere match, following interference from Madison Rayne after she sprayed a fire extinguisher and hit James with the Knockouts title belt. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', James defeated Tara in a steel cage match. On January 9, 2011, at

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

, James lost her match against Rayne for the Knockouts Championship due to interference from Tara. The following month at Against All Odds, James once again failed to win the Knockouts Championship, this time losing to Rayne in a Last Knockout Standing match, after another interference by Tara. On the March 17 episode of ''Impact!'', Rayne agreed to give James another title 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 (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, with the added stipulation that should James fail to win the title, she would have to shave her hair off. On March 18, James legitimately separated her shoulder at a TNA

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

. James's injury was put into a storyline, where it was caused by Rayne and Tara running over her with Tara's motorcycle.

Knockouts Championship reigns (2011–2013)

On April 17, James defeated

in a steel cage match, which lasted less than a minute, to win the TNA Knockouts Championship for the first time. With the win, James became the first woman in history to have held the WWE Women's Championship, the WWE Divas Championship, and the TNA Knockouts Championship. On the May 5 episode of ''Impact!'', James made her first successful title defense against Ms. Tessmacher. On May 15 at

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

, James successfully defended her title against Madison Rayne and in the process helped Tara get a release from her alliance with Rayne. The following month at

Slammiversary IX Slammiversary IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which took place on June 12, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the seventh event under the Slammiversa ...

, James successfully defended her title against

, however after the match both Love and

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

attacked her. On June 18, James made her debut for TNA's Mexican partner Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) at Triplemanía XIX, where she teamed with

, Sexy Star and Velvet Sky to defeat Cynthia Moreno, Faby Apache, Lolita and Mari Apache in an eight-woman tag team match. James returned to AAA on July 9, teaming with Sexy Star to defeat the Apaches in a tag team match, after which she challenged Mari to a match for her AAA Reina de Reinas Championship. On July 31 at '' Verano de Escándalo'', James competed in an eight-way match for the Reina de Reinas Championship, becoming the last person eliminated by the new champion, Pimpinela Escarlata. On the June 23 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James was defeated by Winter in a non-title Street Fight, following outside interference from Love. This led to a match on August 7 at Hardcore Justice, where James lost the Knockouts Championship to Winter, following multiple interferences from Love and a red mist from Winter. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Madison Rayne to earn a rematch for the title. On the September 1 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Winter to win her second TNA Knockouts Championship. On September 11 at No Surrender, James dropped the title back to Winter. On the September 22 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Ms. Tessmacher to earn another shot at the championship at Bound for Glory, in a four-way match with defending champion Winter, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky, which Sky would win. On the November 17 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated nine other Knockouts in a gauntlet match to earn a championship match with the new champion, Gail Kim. On December 11 at

, Gail defeated James to retain the championship, following a distraction from Madison Rayne. In the main event of the December 29 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James challenged Kim for the championship, but was defeated following interference from Rayne. On the January 5, 2012, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James and Traci Brooks failed to capture the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship from Kim and Rayne. Three days later at

, James lost another championship match against Kim, after being disqualified for using the brass knuckles that were thrown into the ring by Rayne, who was locked in a cage suspended in the air during the match. On the January 19 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Rayne in a steel cage match. On the January 26 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James and Velvet Sky were defeated by Tara in a three-way number one contender's match for the Knockouts Championship. On the April 5 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James was defeated by Sky in a six-way number one contenders match, also involving Angelina Love, Madison Rayne, Tara, and Winter. On the June 7 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James again failed to earn a shot at the Knockouts Championship when she was defeated by Ms. Tessmacher in a four-way match that also included Tara and Velvet Sky, while also showing signs of a heel turn due to jealousy of Sky. On the June 21 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James was chosen over Sky as the next challenger for the Knockouts Championship, but failed to recapture the title from Ms. Tessmacher. James' storyline with Sky ended abruptly the following month, when Sky was granted her release from TNA. On the August 2 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James unsuccessfully competed in a four-way number one contenders match involving Gail Kim, Tara and the eventual winner Madison Rayne. After a three-month absence, James returned on the November 15 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', winning a Knockouts battle royal to become the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship. On December 9 at

, James was unsuccessful in winning the championship from Tara after a distraction from her boyfriend Jesse. James received another shot at the championship on the December 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', but was again defeated by Tara. On January 13, 2013, at the

pay-per-view, James competed in a five-woman gauntlet match to determine the number one contender to the Knockout Championship, but was eliminated by Gail Kim. Mickie2013

On the April 18 of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Ms. Tessmacher to become the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship. James began turning

during her title match against defending champion Velvet Sky on the following week, when she targeted Sky's injured knee; James was defeated Sky. On the May 23 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated Sky after attacking her injured knee to become a three-time Knockouts Champion. The following week, James continued portraying a villainous persona by calling out Velvet Sky, acting sarcastic and pompous towards her, and also did not help Sky when she was attacked by Gail Kim. James cemented her heel turn on the June 13 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', when she attacked Sky when the latter said that she was ready for a rematch. James and Sky had their rematch on the June 27 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', where James retained her championship. On the July 4 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James justified her actions by claiming that getting to the top of the Knockouts division requires "clawing and scratching your way to the top"; James also claimed that "no woman would ever be as great as her" and she'll "stand atop the division as the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time". On the July 25 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James successfully defended the championship against Gail Kim. At the September 6 airing of Knockout Knockdown, James defeated Serena Deeb to qualify for the gauntlet battle royal finals, in which James was lastly eliminated by Gail Kim. James lost the Knockouts Championship on the September 19 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' to

. Four days later, it was revealed that James had failed to come to terms on a contract renewal with TNA. James later stated in an interview that she technically wasn't under contract with TNA, but she did not confirm that she was gone. On November 15, 2013, James appeared in an interview on WWE.com, discussing her history with WWE and the possibility of making a return to the company. At the December 6 airing of World Cup of Wrestling, James was a member of Team USA, along with

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent prom ...

, Kazarian and Kenny King. James was defeated by Team

Aces & Eights Aces & Eights are an American stable in the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), initially consisting of a group of masked wrestlers before their identities were revealed. It had the gimmick of an outlaw motorcycle club; members of ...

Ivelisse Vélez Ivelisse Milagro Vélez (born September 21, 1987), better known by her ring name Ivelisse, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. She is known for her time in Lucha Underground, where she twice held the Lucha Underground Trios Championship (w ...

following interference from the other members of Aces & Eights. Team USA would go on to defeat Team Aces & Eights in a 5-on-5 elimination tag team match, in which James gained a measure of retribution by eliminating Vélez during the match; James and Storm were presented with the trophy afterward.

Second return to TNA (2015)

James made a surprise return to

as a fan favorite, after a year and a half absence from the company, on January 30, 2015, during the tapings of ''

'' in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. James would then have several confrontations with Bram over his actions towards her real life fiancé, Magnus. On the April 24 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James retired from wrestling to focus on becoming a full-time mother, but

talked her into having one more match. On the June 3 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James declined an offer by Storm to join The Revolution, which resulted in him intentionally shoving her onto a train track in the storyline, which sparked controversy. This was done to write off James from television, as she had no more dates set with the company at the time. James made her return on the July 1 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', confronting Storm and challenging him to an intergender tag team match. After the match, James got revenge on Storm and she delivered a jumping DDT on him. On the July 29 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James and Magnus defeated Storm and his partner Serena, when James pinned Serena.

Global Force Wrestling (2015–2016)

On July 7, 2015, James signed with Global Force Wrestling (GFW). On July 24, at GFW's inaugural tapings in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, James lost a three-way GFW Women's Championship tournament qualifying match that also included

Lei'D Tapa Seini Draughn (née Tonga, born 27 November 1982) is a German-born Tongan American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, model, mixed martial artist and former women's American football player. Having been previously working f ...

and the ultimate winner, Christina Von Eerie. On January 22, Christina Von Eerie defeated James and Kimber Lee to retain the GFW Women's Championship.

Return to WWE

Alliance and feud with Alexa Bliss (2016–2019)

On October 13, 2016, it was announced that James would return to WWE's developmental brand

at the NXT TakeOver: Toronto event on November 19, competing against Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship. On the October 26 episode of ''

'', James cut a promo where she formally re–introduced herself and challenged Asuka for the championship. At the event, James was defeated and after the match Asuka refused to shake her hand as a sign of disrespect. On December 8, it was announced that James had signed a multi–year contract with WWE. According to James, she asked to return under her previous character, which she later would see as a "throwback". On the January 17, 2017 episode of ''

SmackDown Live ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'', James made her return by helping

Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was a ...

retain her SmackDown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage match, revealing herself as the woman under the " La Luchadora"

and establishing herself as a

character, while also allying with Bliss in the process. She competed in her first match in nearly seven years in a WWE ring on January 29, 2017, at the Royal Rumble pay–per–view, teaming with Bliss and Natalya against Lynch, Naomi, and

Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Nikki Bella, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is currently signed to WWE as an ambassador. In 2007, Bella signed with WWE an ...

in a losing effort. James went on to face Lynch at the Elimination Chamber pay–per–view in another losing effort. She would defeat Lynch in a rematch on the edition of February 14 of ''SmackDown'', but would lose a Two-Out-of-Three Falls match two weeks later to end the storyline. In March, James turned

after hitting Bliss with a Mick Kick, ending their brief alliance and leading to a non-title match between the two on the edition of March 14 of ''SmackDown'', in which James was victorious. At WrestleMania 33, James took part in a six–pack challenge for Bliss’ SmackDown Women's Championship, which saw Naomi winning the title. Shortly after Wrestlemania, James was drafted to Raw as part of the 2017 Superstar Shake–Up. In October, after being named the No. 1 Contender by ''Raw'' General Manager

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...

, James faced Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. A few weeks later on the edition of October 30 of ''Raw'', James once again challenged Bliss for the title in the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

but came up short. On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, James entered the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match at No. 26 and lasted over 8 minutes before being eliminated by long–time rival

. The following month, James competed in the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match at the

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

pay–per–view, where she entered at No. 5 and eliminated Sonya Deville after a diving Lou Thesz press off the top of a pod before being eliminated by Bayley. On the February 26 episode of ''Raw'', James proceeded to turn heel and realigned herself with Bliss. At WrestleMania 34, James participated in the first-ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal for the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, i ...

, but was eliminated from the match by Ruby Riott. Later that night, she had planned to manage Bliss to her title defense against Nia Jax, but was attacked and ejected by Jax before the match began. In May, James competed unsuccessfully in a

Triple Threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " 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 ...

against Bliss and Bayley, as well as a Gauntlet match in attempts to qualify for the women's

Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was establish ...

. In August, James returned from a brief hiatus at the sides of Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox. With Bliss, the tandem began a scripted

with her former rivals and WWE Hall of Famers

and Lita, setting up a tag team match at WWE Evolution, WWE's first-ever all-women's pay–per–view. Just three days before the event on October 25, however, it was announced that Bliss was pulled out of the match due to a concussion, and that Fox would be her replacement. In the event's opening contest, James and Fox were unsuccessful against Stratus and Lita. On November 18 at Survivor Series, James was selected by Bliss to be a part of Team ''Raw'' along with Nia Jax,

Tamina Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu (born January 10, 1978) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tamina. She is a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Cham ...

, Bayley and

to go against Team ''SmackDown’s'' Naomi,

Carmella Carmella is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Carmella DeCesare, a playmate for ''Playboy'' magazine * Carmella Flöck, a courier for the Austrian Resistance during the Anschluss of 1938–1945. * Carmella Sab ...

, Sonya Deville, Asuka and Mandy Rose. Team ''Raw'' came out victorious after Jax was the sole survivor. The victory also upped James’ undefeated streak to 5–0 at Survivor Series. The next night on ''Raw'', James was selected by “General Manager-Elect” Baron Corbin to answer an open-challenge by Raw Women's Champion

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women� ...

, but lost the title match via submission. Meanwhile, James and Bobby Lashley were announced as one of the teams that would be competing in season 2 of Mixed Match Challenge. Despite pulling ahead with a 3–0 lead on the competition, the duo lost to Bayley and Finn Bálor in the playoffs and were eliminated from the tournament. Back on ''Raw,'' James made history on the edition of December 17 by competing in the most matches by a female Superstar in the show's 25-year history with 164 total combined matches by this point. On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, James entered the second women's Royal Rumble match at number 5 and lasted over 11 minutes before being eliminated by Tamina. The following night on ''Raw'', James once again aligned herself with Bliss in hopes of qualifying for the Elimination Chamber event to crown the first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, but the long-time allies lost their tag team match to Nia Jax and Tamina. James would later compete in the second-annual WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at

WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was the 35th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place ...

for the trophy, eliminating Mandy Rose from the match before subsequently being eliminated by Sonya Deville.

Brand switches and departure (2019–2021)

As part of the 2019 Superstar Shake-up, James was drafted back to the

SmackDown brand SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect ...

. During a live event on June 1, it was reported that James had suffered a torn ACL. On July 16, James underwent successful knee surgery and would be out of action for seven to nine months. During her recovery from injury, James would become a commentator for ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

''. After 14 months of injury, James returned on the August 10, 2020 episode of ''Raw'' as a face, only to have her interview interrupted by Natalya and Lana. This set up a singles match against Natalya the following week, which saw James lose by countout thanks to interference from Lana. On the August 31 episode of ''Raw'', James confronted the Raw Women's Champion Asuka, stating her intentions of going after the title. During this exchange, Lana and Natalya interrupted staking their claims, leading to a singles match between James and Lana in which James defeated her via pinfall. On the September 14 episode of ''Raw'', James challenged Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship, but lost after a botched finish due to the referee believing that James could no longer compete. In the 2020 WWE Draft in October, James went undrafted. Her first post-draft appearance occurred on January 4, 2021, during the special " Legends Night" episode of ''Raw'', appearing alongside several other WWE legends. That same month, James competed in the women's Royal Rumble match entering at No. 19, but was eliminated by Lacey Evans. In April, she appeared on stage during the opening of WrestleMania 37 alongside the rest of the active roster. On April 15, 2021, WWE announced that they had released Mickie James along with several other talent. Prior, she had participated in commentary on shows such as Main Event and NXT. Her release was met with some controversy, as she claimed her belongings were sent to her in a trash bag. Several other former talent such as Jillian Hall, Maria Kanellis and Gail Kim voiced similar experiences when they were fired. The senior employee responsible for this was let go, and James received a public apology from Stephanie McMahon.

National Wrestling Alliance (2021–2022)

James made her

debut on the June 8, 2021 episode of ''

NWA Powerrr ''NWA Powerrr'' is a professional wrestling streaming television program produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that premiered on October 8, 2019. The series currently streams on FITE TV, where episodes are also made available on-demand ...

'', announcing that she will serve as an executive producer for the first all-female event, '' NWA EmPowerrr''. On June 23, James announced on an Instagram video that she will be returning to the ring and delivers an open challenge to anyone to wrestle her at the

NWA 73rd Anniversary Show The NWA 73rd Anniversary Show (also simply known as NWA 73) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that was held on August 29, 2021, as the second of two PPV events to take place from t ...

. The challange was answered by Kylie Rae, which James has defeated. James last appearance on NWA was on the May 3, 2022, of ''Powerrr'', where she defeated Kenzie Paige.

Third return to Impact Wrestling

Fourth Knockouts championship reign (2021–2022)

Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates th ...

on July 17, 2021, James made her third return to TNA, now known as

, after a six-year absence, inviting Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo to defend the title at NWA EmPowerrr, where she is executive producer, only for Purrazzo to give her disrespect, then James kicked Purrazzo in the face. Purrazzo would eventually accept James' invite, successfully defending the Knockouts Championship against Melina at NWA EmPowerrr. The next night, at NWA 73, Purrazzo attacked James after the latter's match with Kylie Rae. On the September 23 episode of ''Impact!'', it was announced that James would make her in-ring return to Impact, as she challenged Purrazzo for the Knockouts Championship at Bound for Glory. At Bound for Glory, James defeated Purrazzo to win the Impact Knockouts Championship for the fourth time. At Turning Point, after successfully retained the title against Mercedes Martinez, James was attacked by Purrazzo, who announced that she would invoke her rematch clause at

Hard To Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the Law'', it features him as Mason Storm, a de ...

. At the event, on January 8, 2022, James successfully retained the title against Purrazzo in a Texas Deathmatch.

One night WWE crossover (2022)

On the January 7, 2022 episode of '' SmackDown'', James was announced as a participant in the women's Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble, while being acknowledged as Impact Knockouts World Champion. Later that night, Impact Wrestling also promoted her upcoming appearance. During the Royal Rumble, she entered at #20 with her Impact theme (''Hardcore Country'') and with the Impact Knockouts World Championship belt. She lasted just under 12 minutes in the match, managing to eliminate her former rival Michelle McCool and was later eliminated by another former rival, Lita.

The Last Rodeo (2022–present)

, James lost her Knockouts World Championship to Tasha Steelz, ending her fourth reign at 133 days. During a rematch, James was betrayed by best friend Chelsea Green, who turned heel. After teasing retirement on Twitter, James returned on the September 1, 2022 edition of ''Impact!'', to announce that she would retire after she lost her next match, while also naming her final run The Last Rodeo. She has since won every match since this announcement, most recently defeating Mia Yim at Bound for Glory and

Taylor Wilde Shantelle Larissa Malawski (born January 26, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is signed with Impact Wrestling, where she performs under the ring name Taylor Wilde. Malawski was under a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract ...

at Over Drive.

Music career

James' first

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

album, ''Strangers & Angels'', was released on May 18, 2010, on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

. The album was self-released with an independent team. On December 2, 2010, James released another single called, "Hardcore Country", which was also used as her entrance music with

and on their

appearances. A music video for the single was first shown during James's first appearance on ''TNA Spin Cycle''. For her second album, James joined a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign in order to partially fund the album. Fans who contributed donations received special items from the campaign. The online campaign was a success, with a total pledge of $16,500 out of a $5,000 goal. The funds helped to produce the first six songs from the album. The album, called "Somebody's Gonna Pay" was released on May 7, 2013, under the label

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

(eOne) Music, and debuted on the music charts at #15 on the Billboards Heatseekers charts. James also filmed a music video for the song "Somebody's Gonna Pay", from her second album of the same name. The video features former WWE Women's Champion,

and James' then-fiancé Magnus. TNA founder,

, was also on set of the video in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. Jarrett did not appear in the video, but taught James how to swing a guitar. While she worked for TNA, James also toured around the United States, holding small concerts at various venues. James has opened shows for Montgomery Gentry, Randy Houser,

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single " Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. The ...

and

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...

. James also performed at the 2011 CMA Music Festival. James again performed at CMA Fest in 2013, where Eric Young and

made appearances at the event. In 2014, James collaborated with country artist

Cowboy Troy Troy Lee Coleman III (born December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known as a representative of the country rap genre. He has released seven studio albums and one EP, including t ...

and fellow wrestler James Storm on a song titled "Is Everybody Doing OK", which is featured on Cowboy Troy's album, ''King of Clubs''. On November 19, 2016, James released a new song entitled "Shooting Blanks". On October 14, 2017, James was inducted into The Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame. She also received a Nammy for "Song of the Year" for her recording "Shooting Blanks". On October 13, 2018, James won “Best Single Recording” for her song “Left Right Left” at the Native American Music Awards.

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

Guest appearances

Other media

James, along with Ken Anderson, represented WWE at the 2008 Republican National Convention, in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election. On April 13, 2008, James, along with Layla, Melina and

, appeared as guest trainers in ''Over the Ropes''. On September 5 of that same year, James appeared on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

show ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened obser ...

'', portraying a villainous

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

girl called Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood, in the episode "Talk Derby to Me". James made a special appearance on '' Redemption Song'' which is hosted by Chris Jericho along with Candice Michelle, Maryse, and Eve Torres. It was originally aired on November 12, 2008. In 2012, James was featured in

Bucky Covington William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series ''American Idol''. In December 2006, he signed a recording contrac ...

's music video for his song "Drinking Side of Country". In June 2013, James starred in a Dr Pepper advert, which featured "One of a Kind" individuals talking about the role of Dr. Pepper in their lives. James has appeared in ten WWE video games. She made her in-game debut at ''

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ in 2006. It is the third game under the '' WWE SmackDown vs Raw'' name, the eighth game overall in the video game series based on the Wo ...

'' and appears in ''

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ in November 2007, and developed by Yuke's for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation Por ...

'', ''

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game ...

'', '' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010'', '' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'', ''

WWE 2K18 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. It is the nineteenth installment in the WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to '' WWE 2K17''. It was released wo ...

'', ''

WWE 2K19 ''WWE 2K19'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. It was released worldwide on October 9, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twentieth overall game in the '' WWE ...

'', '' WWE 2K20'', ''

WWE 2K Battlegrounds ''WWE 2K Battlegrounds'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by 2K Sports on September 18, 2020. A spin-off to the ''WWE 2K'' series, ''Battlegrounds'' is a fast-paced, arcade-style fighting game; ...

'', and '' WWE 2K22''.

Personal life

When she is finished with her wrestling career, James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer. James owns three

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American hi ...

s named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova. James also owns two dogs, one named Butch and a Miniature Pinscher named Elvis. Outside of wrestling, James received her

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

degree in

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

, and studied for her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in operations management. James has two

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s: a symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle, and a dragon that wraps around it. James is a fan of Equine sports and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

, and is a fan of the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. In 2007, James was engaged to fellow wrestler Kenny Dykstra. In December 2010 James started dating fellow professional wrestler Nick Aldis and on September 25, 2014, they had their first child, a boy named Donovan Patrick Aldis. James and Aldis got engaged in December 2014 and married on December 31, 2015. On November 28, 2022, James' brother, Wayne, his 16-year-old stepdaughter, and her best friend, died in a car accident which also involved Wayne's wife, who is in serious condition from the collision.

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' ** Woman of the Year (2010) * Covey Promotions ** CP Women's Championship (1 time) ** Covey Pro Hall of Fame (2014) *

CyberSpace Wrestling Federation NWA Shockwave (NWA-SW, formerly known as CyberSpace Wrestling Federation and NWA: Cyberspace) was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded by Billy Firehawk in Staten Island, New York in 2001, and later relocated to Wayne, New Jerse ...

** CSWF Women's Championship ( 1 time) * Dynamite Championship Wrestling ** DCW Women's Championship (1 title) * Florida Championship Wrestling **FCW Women's Championship (1 time) **NAWF Indian Tribal Women's Championship (1 time) * Ground Xero Wrestling ** GXW Women's Championship (1 time) * Impact Championship Wrestling ** ICW Super Juniors Championship (1 time) * International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom ** IPW:UK Women's Championship (1 time) * Maryland Championship Wrestling ** MCW Women's Championship (1 time) * Native American Music Awards ** The

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

Sports Award (2019) * Premier Wrestling Federation ** PWF Universal Women's Championship (1 time) * ''

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

'' ** Woman of the Year (2009, 2011) ** Ranked No. 1 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the ''

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

'' in 2009 * Southern Championship Wrestling ** SCW Diva Championship ( 1 time) * Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling ** TNA / Impact Knockouts World Championship ( 4 times) ** TNA World Cup of Wrestling (2013) – with

, Kazarian, and Kenny King ** IMPACT Year End Awards (1 time) *** Knockouts Match of the Year (2021) * Ultimate Championship Wrestling ** UCW Women's Championship (1 time) * Ultimate Wrestling Federation ** UWF Women's Championship (2 times) *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

** Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2009) Piggy James angle *

** WWE Women's Championship ( 5 times) ** WWE Divas Championship ( 1 time)

Luchas de Apuestas record

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Mickie 1979 births American women country singers American female professional wrestlers American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Native American professional wrestlers People from Hanover County, Virginia Professional wrestlers from Virginia Professional wrestling managers and valets Sportspeople from Richmond, Virginia Virginia Republicans WWF/WWE Women's Champions 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century professional wrestlers WWE Divas Champions TNA/Impact Knockouts World Champions