One of the most controversial storylines of Mickie James’ WWE career was the “Piggy James” angle with Michelle McCool and Layla (LayCool). On Insight With Chris Van Vliet, James discussed her internal conflict during the storyline and how she ultimately chose to approach it.
James admitted uncertainty about the motivations behind the angle at the time. “Especially at a time in my career where I felt like I was being kind of punished on a professional level, so I wasn’t sure how much of that was does the company truly think this about me? Is someone saying this in creative and they just think it’s funny, and let’s see how this plays out on TV, or is this just a storyline?”
Finding Purpose in the Angle
Despite the personal discomfort, James recognized the potential power of the story, connecting it to the real-world issue of bullying. “I think, if nothing else, that’s where I had to put my ego aside and I was like, You know what? I don’t care what I’m going to do, because this is powerful, and we’ve all been bullied,” she said, referencing a recent tragic news story about bullying. “I think it was really coming to light at that time because social media was becoming a thing, so it’s really starting to come a light how this can affect people, especially affect people who weren’t mentally capable of deciphering, like young children.”
Making it Gold
James credited McCool and Layla for embracing their heel roles, which drew significant heat from fans. “Well, it took all of us, because for them too, they had to be the bad guys in that situation and be okay being the bad guys… But also for them to be able to go out there, her and Layla, both, and do all of these things, and then have to take on all the hate from the fans for doing these hateful things and really embrace it. It was a lot.”
She resolved to make the angle meaningful. “I think we all struggled with it, doing it in the moment. And I was like, no, what we’re going to do is we’re going to go out there and we’re going to make it gold, and we’re going to make it better than they ever expected. And it did,” James stated. “And not only did it really land in the hearts of a lot of people, I have people that still come to me about that whole story and how much it helped them… but it helped launch Lay Cool. I think they were looking for something to turn them into monster heels… and they chose me to do that. I should be honored that they believed in me enough to be able to help in that story.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight With Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or watch the interview on Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube channel.
