Mickie James’ upcoming induction into the TNA Hall of Fame is the culmination of a remarkable 25-year career, one that has far surpassed the expectations set for women when she first broke into the business. During a recent appearance on “The Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val,” James reflected on her incredible longevity and the harsh advice she received as a young performer.
James recalled the landscape of women’s wrestling in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where long-term careers for female talent were considered nearly impossible. She was explicitly told to temper her expectations and prepare for a very short run at the top.
“If anybody would have told me the first time in TNA as little Alexis Laree with Raven in the gathering that, ‘Hey, you’re gonna have some 25-year career’… that was the opposite,” James stated. “If anything, they were like, ‘You’ll get five years tops as a female. That’s it. That’s what you get.’ And then it’s next chapter. So if you get an opportunity to make it to TV, make the most of it, because it’s gonna be short and sweet, because that’s just how women’s careers were.”
That stark prediction stands in sharp contrast to a career that has seen multiple championship reigns in both WWE and TNA across different eras. James also opened up about a particularly difficult juncture in her career where she felt her time might be up, right before a pivotal return to TNA that would redefine her.
“At that juncture in my career, I felt so defeated and like I’d lost my dream and that I really messed up,” she admitted. “What was I gonna do? And then to get this opportunity to go to TNA, I don’t even think I recognized how awesome it was gonna be until I got there.”
That return allowed her to create the “Hardcore Country” persona, a character she feels was her most authentic self and one that reignited her passion for the business. “It almost reminded me of how much I love wrestling and why I love wrestling,” James explained. “It made me almost fall in love with wrestling all over again, and a whole new journey.” This reinvention propelled her into the next phase of her career, further defying the “short and sweet” prediction and cementing her path to the Hall of Fame.
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