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

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and

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 ...

. She is signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

. She is also signed to

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 ...

(OVW) as Creative Director, Head of Female Talent and Executive Producer. She is also known for her tenures 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 ...

(TNA) and

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

(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 "va ...

on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

, 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, later Impact Wrestling, now Total Nonstop Action Wrestling again) in 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

called

The Gathering The Gathering may refer to: Film and television * ''The Gathering'' (1977 film), an American television film directed by Randal Kleiser * The Gathering (1998 film), an American thriller film directed by Danny Carrales * ''The Gathering'' (2003 ...

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 "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 ...

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, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...

, 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 out ...

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: * A type of force applied to an object 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), 201 ...

and she won her first

WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...

WrestleMania 22 WrestleMania 22 was a 2006 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 22nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rose ...

, a championship she has held a total of five times. James also won her first Divas Championship defeating

Maryse Ouellet Maryse Mizanin ( Ouellet; born January 21, 1983) is a Canadian and American television personality, model, actress and retired professional wrestler. After spending years modeling, including winning Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada in 2003, Mizanin ...

Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...

in 2009, to become the second of five Divas to hold both the Women's and Divas Championships. She was released from the company in April 2010, after which she returned to TNA, where she became a three-time

TNA Knockouts Champion The TNA Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The championship debuted on October 14, 2007, at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view (PPV) event and the inau ...

. 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 and would ultimately return to Impact Wrestling in 2021, winning her fourth and fifth Knockouts Championship, making James a total 11-time women's world champion between WWE and Impact.

Early life

James was born at Richmond Memorial Hospital in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, 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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. She played

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

for five years.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (1999–2003)

A fan of

professional wrestling 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, real- ...

from an early age, James attended a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, area at the suggestion of a friend. She made her professional debut on the

on 28 August 1999, as a wrestler for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname 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 ...

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

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

from when she was a dancer and her middle name. Laree went on to manage several male wrestlers, including managing

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...

to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an

intergender tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

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 promotio ...

, 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 only ...

run by Dory Funk Jr., and an

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

(ECW)

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

. She also started competing for

Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling) is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s. History Maryland Champions ...

(MCW), where she trained at camps run by

Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. For most of his career, Morton has performed with Robert Gibson (wrestler), Robert Gibson as the Rock 'n' Roll ...

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 manageme ...

. 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; the promotion was subs ...

. 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 unit of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in Orange County, Florida. As of 2022, Olive Garden restaurants accounted for ...

restaurant, and posing nude for adult fetish magazines ''

Leg Show ''Leg Show'' was an adult fetish magazine published in the United States which specialized in photographs of women in nylons, corsets, pantyhose, stockings and high heels. The magazine features pinup style photographs and articles geared toward ...

'' 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

(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 ...

, 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, fashio ...

battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

, which occurred the following week. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...

as part of his

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

against the X Division Champion

Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969), better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

and

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

. 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

, a

led by

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

in his feud against

NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

. 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 NWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA) from June 19, 2002, to October 1, 2003. History NWA Total Nonstop Actio ...

, taking part in an

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...

with

Father James Mitchell James Lamar Mitchell (born February 26, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as James Vandenberg, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as The Sinister Minister, and ...

burning her with a fireball 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 Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

with

Dawn Marie Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American nurse and retired professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, and actress. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the SmackD ...

, James was signed to a developmental contract with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWE), who sent her to train at

(OVW), their then-

developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...

, 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 Halloween costumes are costumes worn on Halloween, typically while trick-or-treating (going door to door to ask for treats). Although traditionally based on frightening supernatural or folkloric beings, by the 1930s costumes based on character ...

contest on October 30, and defeated

Jillian Hall Jillian Hall (born September 6, 1980) is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE. After debuting in 1998, Hall worked on the independent circuit under the name Macaela Mercedes. ...

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 Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), better known as Beth Phoenix, is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's ...

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 Total ...

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

on the October 10, 2005, episode of ''

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry data ...

'' as a

face The face is the front of the 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 affect th ...

under the

WWE Women's Champion The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...

' 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

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 Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

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

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

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. 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 nouns with female homosexu ...

angle, after James kissed Stratus under a sprig of

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...

. 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 The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

pay-per-view, James defeated Massaro with then-Women's Champion, Trish Stratus, as the

special guest referee Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces M ...

. 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 a series of American professional wrestling television specials produced by WWE (originally the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). It was originally broadcast by NBC from 1985 to 1991, replacing ''Saturday N ...

'' to defeat

Candice Michelle Candice Michelle Beckman (born September 30, 1978), better known as Candice Michelle, is an American model, actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE. After spending years modeling and acting, 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. The feud between James and Stratus culminated in a Women's Championship match at

, 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 Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...

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

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

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 Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

, 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 Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances ...

in a

mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

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 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. ...

in WWE history. During the finish of the match, James fell from the top

turnbuckle A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eye bolts, one screwed into each end of a small metal ...

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 A photo op (sometimes written as photo opp), short for photograph opportunity (or photo opportunity), is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or an event.house show A house show (also commonly called a 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 o ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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

triple threat 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. ...

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

, 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

's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at

Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...

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

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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

Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

, 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 Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...

teamed up against Phoenix and

Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974), better known by the ring name Santino Marella, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he works as the on-screen director of authority. He is best kn ...

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...

in a Winner Takes All tag team match for both the Women's and

Intercontinental InterContinental Hotels & Resorts by IHG is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. As of January 2023, there were 208 InterC ...

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

in November, James was part of the victorious Raw Diva team which defeated the

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

Divas in a five-on-five elimination match; she eliminated

Michelle McCool Michelle Leigh Calaway ( McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a two-time WWE Women's Champion, as well as the first WWE Divas Champion. She is a WW ...

, before being eliminated by

Maryse Maryse is a given name. Notable persons with this name include: *Maryse Alberti, cinematographer *Maryse Condé, author *Maryse Dauvray, actress *Maryse Lassonde, neuropsychologist *Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas), CEO *Maryse Marpsat, soci ...

. The following month at

, James teamed with

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

and

Kelly Kelly Barbara Jean Blank Coba (née Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American model and former professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under a legends contract. Blank has a ...

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

Natalya Natalya () is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking states since the late 1800s. People with the given name ...

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

Following an appearance in the 25-Diva

WrestleMania XXV WrestleMania 25, also promoted as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, was a 2009 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the ...

, James began feuding with the

WWE Divas Champion The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extensio ...

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. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...

and Divas titles. Throughout the Summer, Mickie successfully defended the title against

Gail Kim Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-tim ...

and

on episodes of ''Raw'', and against

Alicia Fox Victoria Elizabeth Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she performs under her real name as the on-screen Deputy Director of Authority, and also performs ...

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 four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...

pay-per-view on October 4. Two weeks later on ''Raw'', James lost the title to

after an approximate three month title reign. After the show, James was traded to the ''

'' brand for the first time in her career, due to a Diva trade made by ''Raw'' guest host

Nancy O'Dell Nancy O'Dell (born Nancy Evelyn Humphries; February 25, 1966) is an American television host and entertainment journalist. She served as co-anchor of the syndicated entertainment news show ''Entertainment Tonight'' from January 3, 2011, to Augus ...

. James made her debut with the brand on the October 23 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating

Layla "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, '' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movemen ...

. On the October 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', a controversial angle began that saw WWE Women's Champion

and Layla, collectively known as

LayCool LayCool (sometimes stylized Lay-Cool) was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Layla and Michelle McCool. The team worked for WWE and were featured primarily on the SmackDown brand but appeared on the Raw brand on some occasions, whi ...

, bully James. On the November 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', after James defeated Layla, McCool gave James the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

"Piggy James", that sent James to tears, resulting in a five-on-five

Survivor Series match The Survivor Series match is a professional wrestling tag team elimination match held in WWE. The match typically sees two teams pitted against each other and members of the teams are eliminated one-by-one until one entire team is eliminated. Memb ...

at the November pay-per-view

, 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

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

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 Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...

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

. After Guerrero slapped James, McCool pinned her to regain the title. On March, James was diagnosed with a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

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 Eve Torres Gracie (born Eve Marie Torres on August 21, 1984) is an American actress, dancer, model, martial arts instructor and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she was a record tying three-time WWE D ...

, Beth Phoenix, and

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 WrestleMania XXVI was a 2010 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 26th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, ...

, 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 WWE Performance Center (WWE PC) is a group of professional wrestling schools owned by American company WWE. They serve as tryout and training facilities for WWE, and also contain sports science and medical facilities as well as live events and ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, for a week, training NXT's female wrestlers. James also attended that week's NXT

live event A house show (also commonly called a 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 o ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa'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 t ...

Return to the independent circuit (2010–2016)

James made her return to the

in April 2010, as part of

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...

(WWC), teaming with

Carlito Carlito means "little Carlos". It may refer to: Biology * ''Carlito'' (genus), a genus of tarsiers *The Philippine tarsier (''Carlito syrichta''), the only extant species in the above genus People * Carlito (name) * Carlito (wrestler), a rin ...

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 Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...

. 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,

(MCW), to wrestle

Mia Yim Stephanie Hym Lee (née Bell; born April 16, 1989), better known by the ring name Mia Yim, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Michin ( , ). Bell is also kno ...

in a winning effort. The following month, she contested for the

Women Superstars Uncensored Women Superstars United (WSU), formerly known as Wrestling Superstars Unleashed and Women Superstars Uncensored, was an American women's professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey which has been inactive since 2020. Founded in 2006, W ...

(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 sys ...

against

Mercedes Martinez Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a former ROH W ...

, 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. Earl ...

'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 by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" during ''!Bang! TV's'' tribute to the troops. On September 18, James served as a

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 Wentworth is a town in Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2020 census. Wentworth is the county seat of Rockingham County and is part of the Greensboro- High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont T ...

, where all matches took place in a

cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

. In early 2011, James began appearing for Covey Promotions. At ''All or Nothing 5'' on April 30, James defeated Hannah Blossom 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 Jessie Belle McCoy (born July 2, 1985), better known by her ring name Jessie Belle Smothers or simply Jessie Belle, is an American model, professional wrestling valet, and professional wrestler. She is signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). Pr ...

. James made her debut for

Pro Wrestling Elite Pro Wrestling Elite (PWE) was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Ayr, Scotland, UK. It was owned and operated by Adrian "Lionheart" McAllum until his death by suicide on 19 June 2019. History PWE debuted on 9 July 2011 ...

(PWE) in

Ayr, Scotland Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a ...

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 second 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 (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

, alongside many former

and TNA female wrestlers, such as

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 ...

Katarina Waters Katarina Leigh Waters (born 10 November 1980) is a German-born English American retired professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her time with Impact Wrestling under the ring names Katarina or Winter and for her time in WWE under ...

, Rosita and Brooke Adams. James and Love fought in the main event, with

as the special guest referee, where Love pinned James after interference from

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 ...

. James made appearances for Big Time Wrestling in August 2013, doing so as a villainess wrestling

Reby Sky Rebecca Victoria Hardy (née Reyes; ; born August 6, 1986) is an American actress, model, professional wrestler, and television personality. She gained prominence as a model, appearing in various magazines including Playboy, and later transition ...

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 Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, southwest-west of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is also 120 miles southwest from Boston, and approximately 100 miles northeast of New York City. The ...

. On February 8, 2014, James returned to Maryland Championship Wrestling for the ''Anniversary 2014'' event in

Joppa, Maryland Joppa ( ) is a former colonial town and current planning region of Harford County, Maryland, United States. Joppa was founded as a British settlement on the Gunpowder River in 1707 and designated as the third county seat of Baltimore County in 1 ...

, 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 Berkeley Springs High School is an American public, co-educational high school located in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. It teaches 9th through 12th grade and currently has about 747 students in attendance. H ...

theater in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, 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 gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

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 signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former Impact World Champion, and a former Impact Knockouts Champion. She previously performed for ...

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 Lisa Marie Varon (née Sole; born February 10, 1971) is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness competitor and bodybuilder. She is signed to WWE under a legends contract, under the ring name Victoria. She is also known for her ten ...

as the

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 Kimberly Ann Frankele (born June 27, 1990), better known by her ring name Kimber Lee, is an American professional wrestler. She is known for her work on both the American and international independent circuits, most notably as part of The Kimber ...

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

. On April 1, 2016, James returned to Queens of Combat and defeated

LuFisto Genevieve Goulet (born February 15, 1980), better known by the ring name LuFisto, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997–present) LuFisto began training when she was 17 years old in ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and Victoria. They defeated Team Shimmer (

Candice LeRae Candice LeRae Dawson (born September 29, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Candice LeRae. She was the inaugural WWE Women's Speed Champion and a fo ...

, 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 and ThunderFrog). James worked as head trainer for the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

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

for the

TNA Knockouts Championship The TNA Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship owned by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The championship debuted on October 14, 2007, at t ...

match between

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 ...

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 A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...

, 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 TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action 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 ...

, James was defeated by Tara in a

, 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 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 ...

. On January 9, 2011, 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 ...

, 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 that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

, 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

house show A house show (also commonly called a 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 o ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. 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

, which lasted less than a minute, to win the

for the first time. With the win, James became the first woman in history to have held the

, the

WWE Divas Championship The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extensio ...

, 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 an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

, James successfully defended her title against Madison Rayne and 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 List of TNA pay-per-view events, 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 sev ...

, James successfully defended her title against

, however after the match both Love and

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar 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. Dif ...

attacked her. On June 18, James made her debut for TNA's Mexican partner

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

(AAA) at

Triplemanía XIX Triplemanía XIX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Lucha Libre AAA World Wide, AAA professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place on June 18, 2011 at the Palacio de los Deportes ("Sports Palace") ...

, where she teamed with

Sexy Star Dulce Maria García Rivas (born September 20, 1982) is a Mexican '' luchadora'' '' enmascarada'', or masked female professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional boxer who is better known by the ring name Sexy Star. She is best k ...

and

to defeat

Cynthia Moreno Flavia Antonia Moreno León (born July 23, 1970) is a Mexican '' Luchadora'', or female professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Cynthia Moreno (sometimes spelled "Cinthia Moreno") She is working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). M ...

Faby Apache Fabiola Balbuena Torres (born 26 December 1980) is a Mexican '' Luchadora'', or female professional wrestler, best known for her time with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) where she performed as Faby Apache (sometimes written as "Fabi Apache"). Be ...

, Lolita and

Mari Apache Mariella Balbuena Torres (born October 19, 1979) is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, Luchadora'', or female professional wrestling, professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Mari Apache (sometimes written as "Mary Apache"). She is the daugh ...

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 The AAA Reina de Reinas Championship (literally "AAA Queen of Queens Championship", "AAA Women's Championship") is a singles women's professional wrestling championship promoted by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). It is the only women's champions ...

. 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 Mario González Lozano (born April 18, 1969) is a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA World Wide promotion and Lucha Underground under the ring name 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 Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in ...

, 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

, which Sky would win. On the November 17 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', James defeated nine other Knockouts in a

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 ...

to earn a championship match with the new champion,

. 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 Tracy Brookshaw (born May 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, wrestling valet and referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she spent most ...

failed to capture the

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship The TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is contested for mainly by teams consisting of two fema ...

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

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 Jesse may refer to: People * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible * Jesse (given name), including a list of people * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' (album), a 2003 album by Jesse Powell * "Jesse" (s ...

. 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

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 ...

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 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 ...

to qualify for the gauntlet

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

.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 The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, 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 currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...

, Kazarian and Kenny King. James was defeated by Team

Aces & Eights Aces & Eights were a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable in the American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, later Impact Wrestling), initi ...

Ivelisse Vélez Ivelisse Milagro Vélez (born September 21, 1988), better known by her mononymous ring name Ivelisse, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Lucha Underground, where she twice held the Lucha Underground Tr ...

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 In professional wrestling, a face (babyface) is a heroic, "good guy", "good-doer", or "fan favorite" wrestler, booked (scripted) by the promotion with the aim of being cheered by fans. They are portrayed as heroes relative to the heel wrestler ...

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

Impact 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 busine ...

'' in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. James would then have several confrontations with

Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Thom Latimer (born 1986), English professional wrestler better known as his former ring name ″Bram″ * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * ...

over his actions towards her real life fiancé,

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

. 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 Global Force Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by Jeff Jarrett, the co-founder and former President of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and his wife Karen Jarrett. It was owned and operated via its parent ...

(GFW). On July 24, at GFW's inaugural tapings in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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

Lei'D Tapa Seini Tonga (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. She is best known for her appearance ...

and the ultimate winner,

Christina Von Eerie Christina Maria Kardooni (born August 28, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, known professionally as Christina Von Eerie. She has worked for various promotions, including the American Global Force Wrestling (GFW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ...

. On January 22,

defeated James and

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 Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosis ...

brand NXT at the NXT TakeOver: Toronto event on November 19, competing against

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler) (born 1981), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Pro ...

for the

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...

. On the October 26 episode of '' NXT'', James cut a

promo PROMO (Promoting Missouri) is a Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territ ...

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. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

'', James made her return by helping

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

retain her

SmackDown Women's Championship The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...

against

Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...

in a

Steel Cage 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 ...

, revealing herself as the woman under the " La Luchadora"

and establishing herself as a

character, while also allying with Bliss. She competed in her first match in nearly seven years in a WWE main roster ring on January 29, 2017, at the

pay–per–view, teaming with Bliss and

against Lynch,

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...

, and

Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is the host of the game show, '' B ...

in a losing effort. James went on to face Lynch at the

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...

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 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. ...

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 WrestleMania 33 was a 2017 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2017, at Camping Wo ...

, 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

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 and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...

, James faced Bliss for the

Raw Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, a ...

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

, 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 Elimination may refer to: Science and medicine * Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product *Bodily waste elimination, discharging feces, urine, or foreign substances from the body ...

at the

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

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 WrestleMania 34 was a 2018 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 34th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, held for ...

, James participated in the first-ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal for the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

, but was eliminated from the match by

Ruby Riott 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 stable. She is also known ...

. Later that night, she had planned to manage Bliss to her title defense against

Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...

, 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 " 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. ...

against Bliss and Bayley, as well as a

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 ...

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 performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...

. In August, James returned from a brief hiatus at the sides of Alexa Bliss and

. With Bliss, the tandem began a scripted

with her former rivals and

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

and Lita, setting up a

tag team 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. ...

WWE Evolution WWE Evolution is a periodic women's professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It is the company's only PPV and livestreaming event to consist solely of women's matches. The inaugural event was held in ...

, 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

, 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 better known by the ring name Tamina Snuka, or simply Tamina. , she is signed to WWE, but has not been an active in-ring performer since March ...

, Bayley and

Sasha Banks Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...

to go against Team ''SmackDown's'' Naomi, Carmella, Sonya Deville, Asuka and

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her career in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose, and was ...

. 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 Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...

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, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...

, but lost the title match via submission. Meanwhile, James and

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...

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 Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. As of May 2014, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (). He is a member of The Judgment Day stable. Devitt began his car ...

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

, 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

event to crown the first-ever

WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...

, 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 a 2019 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 35th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2019, at MetLife ...

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 WWE brand extension, 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 ex ...

. During a

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

and

Lana Lana may refer to: *Lana (given name) *Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist *Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter *Lana Turner, American actress *Lana Rhoades, American former adult film actress * CJ Perr ...

. 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

, 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 The 2020 WWE Draft was the 15th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw (WWE brand), Raw and SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand divisions. The two-night event began on the ...

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

match entering at No. 19, but was eliminated by

Lacey Evans Macey Estrella-Kadlec ( Evans; born March 24, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former U.S. Marine. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Lacey Evans. Originally introduced to wrestling wh ...

. In April, she appeared on stage during the opening of

WrestleMania 37 WrestleMania 37 was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 37th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Raymond ...

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

Maria Kanellis Mary Louis Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, singer and model. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, TNA, All Elite Wrestling, and Ring of Honor. Outside of wrestling, she ...

and

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 Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...

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 streams on X. Beginning July 29, 2025, the program will move to The Roku C ...

'', announcing that she will serve as an executive producer for the first all-female event, ''

NWA EmPowerrr NWA EmPowerrr was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and held on August 28, 2021, as the first of two PPV events to take place from the Khorassan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza in St. L ...

''. 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 the ...

. The challenge was answered by

Kylie Rae Briana Rae Sparrey (born August 25, 1992), better known by the ring name Kylie Rae, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she is a part of WWE ID and performs on the Evolve brand. She also makes appearances on the in ...

, which James has defeated. James last appearance on NWA was on the May 3, 2022, of ''Powerrr'', where she defeated

Kenzie Paige Kenzie Paige Henry (born March 5, 2002), known by her ring name Kenzie Paige, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) where she is the leader of Pretty Empowered. She is the inaugural NWA Wo ...

Third return to Impact Wrestling (2021–2023)

Fourth Knockouts championship reign (2021–2022)

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 ...

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

, after a six-year absence, inviting

Impact Knockouts Champion The TNA Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The championship debuted on October 14, 2007, at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view (PPV) event and the inau ...

Deonna Purrazzo Deonna Lynn Purrazzo (born June 10, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Purrazzo began training in December 2012, and then started wrestling in various independent promotions the following y ...

to defend the title at

, 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

. 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. On the September 30 episode of ''Impact!'', Purrazzo attacked James at her home and wild brawl ensued with Purrazzo coming out on top after dunking James head in a bucket of water and leaving her laid out in a field. At Bound for Glory, James defeated Purrazzo to win the Impact Knockouts Championship for the fourth time. At

, after successfully retained the title against

, 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 vigilante action-thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, written by Steven McKay, and starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the La ...

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

The Last Rodeo and WWE appearance (2022–2023)

, James lost her Knockouts World Championship to

Tasha Steelz Latasha Harris (born April 3, 1988), better known by her ring name Tasha Steelz, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former one-time Knockouts World Champion, and a former t ...

, 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 unless she won the Knockouts World Championship once more, while also naming her final run The Last Rodeo. She went on to win every match after this announcement, defeating

Gisele Shaw Gisele Mayordo (born 30 October 1989), known professionally as Gisele Shaw, is a Filipino-Canadian professional wrestler. She is known for her work in England with various promotions including Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro Wrestling, hav ...

at Victory Road,

at Bound for Glory,

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 ...

at Over Drive, and eventually

Jordynne Grace Patricia Forrest Gresham (née Parker, born March 5, 1996), better known by her ring name Jordynne Grace, is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and powerlifter. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand. She is best ...

to end The Last Rodeo, winning the Knockouts World Championship for the fifth time. On the January 7, 2022, episode of ''

'', James was announced as a participant in the women's Royal Rumble match at

, while being acknowledged as Impact Knockouts World Champion. Later that night, Impact Wrestling also promoted her upcoming appearance. It was the first direct crossover of any kind between WWE and Impact Wrestling. During the Royal Rumble, she entered at No. 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

and was later eliminated by another former rival, Lita. On February 28, at No Surrender, James successfully defended the title against

Masha Slamovich Anna Khozina (; born 18 June 1998) is a Russian-American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Masha Slamovich. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is the reigning TNA Knockouts World Champion in her Li ...

. James was scheduled to defend the title against Grace at

on March 24, however, it was revealed that James would not be able to defend the title due to real-life injury. On the April 13 episode of ''Impact!'' upon

Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, which was filmed on tape delay on March 13, James relinquished the title as she was not medically cleared to compete.

Return to OVW (2024–present)

In 2024, James signed with

(OVW) as Creative Director, Head of Female Talent and Executive Producer of OVW's wrestling shows.

Music career

James' first

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

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

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

. 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, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

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 Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...

(eOne) Music, and debuted on the music charts at No. 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

and James' then-fiancé

. TNA founder,

, was also on set of the video in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. 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 Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo/solo act founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John ...

Randy Houser Shawn Randolph Houser (born December 18, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Houser has racked up over half a dozen hits and over 1 billion streams. His How Country Feels album topped the country radio charts with the title ...

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

and

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

. James also performed at the 2011

CMA Music Festival CMA Fest, formerly named the CMA Music Festival until 2016, is a four-day Music festival centered on country music, hosted each June by the Country Music Association (CMA) in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Beginning in 1972 under the name Fan Fa ...

. 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 country rap artist. He has released seven studio albums and one EP, including three releases on Warner Bros. Records, and has charted twice o ...

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

at the

2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's convention fell on Labo ...

, in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election. On April 13, 2008, James, along with

, 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 (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

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 o ...

'', portraying a villainous

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

girl called Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood, in the episode "Talk Derby to Me". James made a special appearance on ''

Redemption Song "Redemption Song" is a song by Jamaican singer Bob Marley. It is the final track on Bob Marley and the Wailers' twelfth album, '' Uprising'', produced by Chris Blackwell and released by Island Records. The song is considered one of Marley's gre ...

'' which is hosted by

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

along with

, and

. 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 Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. Dr Pepper was created in the 1880s by the American pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper in t ...

advert, which featured "One of a Kind" individuals talking about the role of Dr. Pepper in their lives. James joined the cast of ''The Last Match: A Pro-Wrestling Rock Experience'' for their national tour in April 2024.

Personal life

Mickie James is

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

of the

Powhatan Powhatan people () are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who belong to member tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, or Tsenacommacah. They are Algonquian peoples whose historic territories were in eastern Virginia. Their Powh ...

tribe. When James retires from wrestling, she plans to own a farm and become a

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

. She owns three

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation bloodstock, foundation sire Figure (horse), Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served ma ...

s named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova, as well as two dogs, one named Butch and a

Miniature Pinscher The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Zwergpinscher, Mini Pin and Min Pin for short, is a small breed of dog of the pinscher type originating in Germany. While the breed's visual similarities to the Toy Manchester Terrier, which somewhat resem ...

named Elvis. Outside of wrestling, James received her

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

degree in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

, and studied for her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in operations management. James has a

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, 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 processes ...

of a symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle, and a dragon that wraps around it. She is a fan of

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

and

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

, supporting 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. In 2007, James was engaged to fellow wrestler

Kenny Dykstra Kenneth George Doane (born March 16, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a producer and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. During his past time in WWE, he was known as Kenny Dykstra, and Kenny as ...

. In December 2010 James started dating English professional wrestler

Nick Aldis Nicholas Harry Aldis (born 6 November 1986) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a producer and the on-screen general manager of the SmackDown brand. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wres ...

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 was left in critical condition.

Championships and accomplishments

*Association Biterroise de Catch **Max Soulié Cup (2024) **Jean Corne Cup (2023) *

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

**Women's Wrestling Award (2023) * ''

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, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' ** 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 Jers ...

** 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) *

** MCW Women's Championship (1 time) *

Native American Music Awards The Native American Music Awards (also known as the NAMAs or "Nammys") are an awards program presented annually by Elbel Productions, Inc., The Native American Music Awards Inc., and The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profi ...

** The

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

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

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 ...

'' ** Stanley Weston Award (2024) **

Woman of the Year ''Woman of the Year'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (with uncredited work on the rewritte ...

(2009, 2011) ** Ranked No. 1 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 *

Southern Championship Wrestling Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Southeastern United States, especially in eastern and central North Carolina, from November 1994 to November 2004, when it was run by Greg Mosorja ...

** SCW Diva Championship ( 1 time) * Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling ** TNA/Impact Knockouts World Championship ( 5 times) ** TNA World Cup of Wrestling (2013) – with

, Kazarian, and Kenny King ** Impact Year End Award (1 time) *** Knockouts Match of the Year (

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) * 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 Wee ...

** Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2009) *

( 5 times) **

( 1 time)

Luchas de Apuestas record

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Mickie 1979 births American women country singers American female professional wrestlers LGBTQ characters in professional wrestling Native American professional wrestlers Living people 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 female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers WWE Divas Champions TNA/Impact Knockouts World Champions