Former WWE star Mickie James comments on being called a pioneer of women's wrestling
Former WWE Superstar Mickie James recently commented on her many contributions to women's wrestling over the years.
James has been in the business for over two decades. Her most popular run as a performer arguably came in the mid-2000s when she and stars like Lita and Trish Stratus started to get the attention of fans for their in-ring expertise. She captured multiple world championships during her career across different promotions.
Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, the six-time women's champion stated that it is an honor for her to be associated with many legendary performers.
"I am certainly honored to be aligned with those ladies, you know, because to me those were the women when I was trying to break in that were doing it, that were kicking down the doors for me, like the Mollys [Holly] or the Jacquelines. I felt like super honored to be even put in their basket with them, you know because I felt like they did so much work prior to me even getting there."
James added:
"And then like, it was really Trish working that angle with me and that angle that kind of set, the pace of Mickie James. But then Amy [Lita], had her retirement match and at some at the Survivor Series before she retired and left. And so it's like that was really the end of that golden era." (From 53:06 to 56:45)
Women in WWE are now featured in marquee matches such as the Royal Rumble and also have main-evented premier shows like WrestleMania.
Mickie James on the importance of female voices in wrestling
As somebody who has seen the world of wrestling evolve over the years, the 42-year-old star is well aware that the business needs more female representation when it comes to crafting a story.
During a recent interview on the Battleground podcast, James spoke of the importance of having women's wrestling stories being told from a female perspective.
"My trainers were always men because there weren’t female trainers. There weren’t really women’s voices in decision-making rooms. What we were seeing on television was, I don’t mean this in a bad way, but it was a male’s perspective of how a woman thinks, and it’s not accurate. There weren’t enough women who had the longevity to be able to get behind the scenes to be in positions to say, ‘No, this is how we think and how it would go.’ It’s so important to have people like that." (H/T Sportskeeda)
Women's wrestling has been a prominent feature of WWE's programming, and performers like Mickie James will undoubtedly steer the ship forward.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.