Mickie James recently appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vilet to discuss her new role with the National Wrestling Alliance, which includes the former world champion producing an all-women’s pay per view. On the subject James reveals that she doesn’t plan on wrestling at the event, then touches on her release from WWE and how it compares to her release from 2010. Highlights are below.
Talks her new position with the National Wrestling Alliance:
“It’s a really cool space. Obviously it means I am in charge and a co-promoter or whatever you want to call it with Billy [Corgan]. The fact that Billy believes in me enough to give me the NWA umbrella to kind of build this thing, which was something I kind of wanted to do for a long time. I think we have the potential to do some really cool stuff there and I’m just grateful to be able to shine a light on women’s wrestling. I we do a lot of that but we have so many shows out there that it’s really cool. I know I am not a pioneer there has been a ton of women’s wrestling shows. But for television women’s wrestling it’s a different space. I’m very excited.”
Says she doesn’t plan on wrestling at the All-Women’s PPV:
“I’m not a mark, I’m not going to sit there and book myself on top of my own show. Who does that? Everybody does that don’t they? That’s how wrestling works. I don’t have any intention of working on the show. I’ll probably come out and say hello, but I really want to focus on the show. I want this show to be a success, and I’m going to be in Gorilla on the headset running and talking. I can’t perform that job to the best of my abilities and be out there wrestling at the same time. I just feel like it blurs the lines. I’m not saying I won’t wrestle. And I am an independent contractor, I can show up anywhere and do all kinds of things. I can still wrestle and I’m pretty good at it.”
What her reaction was to being released by WWE:
“I think that surprised is a word that is thrown around. I don’t think I am ever surprised at anything. It’s hard to have expectations, because nothing ever goes according to your plan. But I thought I would wrap my career there [WWE]. I was so grateful to be able to go back and wrap up my story and bow out in a good graces kind of way. I felt like the first time I left was on such weird terms. And I did some amazing stuff when I came back. But it wasn’t shocking, because I was kind of in this space where I felt it kind of coming. I can’t explain why but I just did, and it felt disheartening. It was disappointing more than anything.”
Comparing this release to her first WWE release in 2010:
“I have been through a lot more since that time. Also, I think that the Mickie James from 2010 was in a very weird space. It’s crazy to think that after the amount of success I had there, but I also had a lot of personal stuff going on and it really started to affect me. I was burning the candle at both ends and all of my eggs were in the wrestling basket. I only valued myself according to how the company valued me. I was young, hungry and I loved it, I would do anything for it. There was that crazy, wrestling obsessed mindset where I was just happy to be there. So when that was taken from me, I was devastated. When IMPACT called me, I said to Dixie Carter I have no desire to do anything right now. But she kept calling me and Kurt Angle called me. Kurt was the one who convinced me. No disrespect to Dixie, I love her she is awesome. But I knew Kurt from WWE, it was an honest reality check for me. To get his perspective was really cool. It opened up my eyes. This time I was more disappointed. Now we know how the business works and wrestling is not my absolute everything.”
Full interview is below.
