Mickie James Details Why She Nearly Said No To WWE Return

Mickie James admits she initially wasn’t interested when the opportunity arose for her to return to WWE for the 2022 Royal Rumble.

James entered the Women’s Royal Rumble while reigning as TNA Knockouts Champion, with WWE acknowledging her championship and allowing her to appear with the title. During an interview with Ben Veal of Wrestling Life Online (see video below), James said the invitation was validating, particularly considering how her previous WWE run had ended.

James was released by WWE in 2021 and later publicly criticized the company after her belongings were sent to her in a trash bag. She said some of that anger was still there when the Royal Rumble opportunity came along.

“It was very [validating] and a huge thanks to everyone, to Vince [McMahon], honestly to Scott D’Amore, even Johnny Ace at the time,” James said. “It took a lot. I don’t think people realize, understand what it took for that moment to happen.”

James revealed that her initial reaction was essentially to turn down the offer.

“Even when I was first asked to come in, I was still angry, I was still upset,” she continued. “And I kind of noted it at first. I was like, ‘I’m not interested or whatever.’”

Rather than immediately closing the door, James took some time to consider the opportunity. She ultimately decided that if she was going back, she wanted WWE fans to see the “Hardcore Country” version of Mickie James that she had established outside the company.

“And thank God Scott didn’t go back or I didn’t just say, ‘No thank you’ straight out of the gate because I really had to think back and sit and pray on it and think about it,” James said. “I’d always wanted to do and be Hardcore Country in WWE. I kind of pitched it, never got to, tried to present it. Didn’t really understand what it was.”

James said she had no interest in simply reviving the presentation from her previous WWE run.

“I was, at that point, my ego I suppose among other things, but I was like, if I’m going to do this, I’m not going to be happy skippy, bell-bottomy Mickie James coming out to some Toni Basil ripoff song,” she said. “I’m going to be Hardcore Country because that’s who I am now.”

Elsewhere in the interview, James looked back at a frightening moment from her Falls Count Anywhere match against Melina for the WWE Women’s Championship on Raw in 2007.

James landed awkwardly while attempting a hurricanrana during the match and recalled initially believing that she had broken her neck.

“I don’t think people realize this but not only did I probably have a serious concussion but I couldn’t turn my head,” James said. “I didn’t break my neck. I pretty much lawn darted myself and I had severe whiplash and I couldn’t turn. I had to turn like this for three weeks. It was gnarly.”

The situation became particularly frightening when James attempted to get back to her feet.

“And it was scary because it was the first time where I went to go stand up and I collapsed,” she continued. “I thought that I broke my neck. I really did. And it was just a freak thing.”

James noted that she and Melina had performed the sequence numerous times without incident, using the moment as an example of how injuries can sometimes happen on seemingly routine spots.

“Melina and I had done that a thousand times and she kind of slipped and it was just weird,” James said. “We had done that same thing at live events and just freak accidents happen.”

James recalled suffering other injuries from similarly routine moments throughout her career.

“And it’s always on the stupidest,” she continued. “I’ve literally separated my shoulder on a pie face, I’ve sprained my ankle getting thrown out of the ring. It’s always on the things that you’ve done and you’re so comfortable and you’re like, ‘Oh, this will be fine,’ and it was not fine.”

Despite the scary incident, James remains proud of the match and the creativity that went into taking her rivalry with Melina throughout the arena.

“It was not fine because that whole match was so amazing and so cool and so unique,” James said. “Even the way when we fought backstage to incorporate different women and talents and scenes and the fight over the couch and the whole couch flips over and then there’s hairspray in the eyes. It was madness.”