James began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in June 2002, where she gained national attention.After only a few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into angles with the group. She is also the only woman to be involved in Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches.
James appeared in WWE in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus, in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which lasted almost a year. She received a push, and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, a title she has held a total of five times. James also won her first Divas Championship at Night of Champions in 2009 to become the second Diva to hold both the Women's and Divas titles, making her a six-time champion overall. She, however, was released from the company on April 22, 2010.
Personal life
James owns three Morgan horses named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova. After she has finished her wrestling career, James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer.James also owns a dog named Butch.
Outside of wrestling, James has received her Associate of Arts degree in business administration and is studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management.
She was previously engaged to wrestler Kenny Dykstra.She was previously in a relationship with Adam Birch, better known by his ring name "Joey Mercury". James has two tattoos: an Asian symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle and a dragon that wraps around it.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1999-2003)
After a suggestion from a friend, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. area. She made her professional debut on the independent circuit in 1999 as a valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the ring name Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name. As Laree, she managed several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship.In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the Funking Conservatory, a workshop run by Dory Funk, Jr., and an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) dojo. She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling, where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton. Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003)
While working in Ring of Honor for a year, James also debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the company's second ever weekly pay-per-view under her Alexis Laree gimmick as a participant in a lingerie battle royal. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against Kid Kash—the X Division Champion—and Trinity.Weeks later, she became the first member of the Gathering, a stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett.She continued to wrestle with the stable when they feuded with The Disciples of the New Church, taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchell kayfabe burning her with a fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2003-2005)
After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls, as well as wrestling a tryout match with Dawn Marie, James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), their farm territory, in August.Still using the Alexis Laree name, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004 and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween Costume Contest on October 30 and defeated Jillian Hall in a $1,000 match on November
On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship. She defeated Mike Mondo in the first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next one.She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29 which Laree lost.[ Their angle continued into September, with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005-2010)
Trish Stratus' fan (2005–2006)
James debuted in WWE on the October 10, 2005 episode of Raw, continuing to use her real name, under the gimmick of WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus' biggest fan.The angle had the two WWE Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus.The storyline included a Halloween Costume Contest in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time.She even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James became the number one contender for the Women's Title on December 12 by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year's Revolution. Subsequently, the storyline between James and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle after James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe.In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James lost to Stratus but continued to be enamored of her the next night on Raw, and she confessed her love for Stratus at the Royal Rumble.
On March 6, 2006 the storyline had Stratus confronting James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. The duo teamed together at the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James' character made a complete heel turn by attacking Stratus in the ring and later vowing to destroy her.The two women wrestled each other at WrestleMania 22, where James won the match to claim her first reign as Women's Champion. During the match, despite the fact that James was playing the heel character, the fans frequently cheered James and booed Stratus whenever Stratus hit an offensive maneuver.Her win at WrestleMania made her the first Diva ever to win their first Women's Championship at their debut WrestleMania. The angle continued into Backlash during a rematch after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring.
Women's Champion (2006–2008)
James dropped the Women's Title on August 14 to Lita after Lita hit James with the title belt while Lita's on-screen boyfriend Edge distracted the referee, resulting in a face turn for James' on-screen persona.After the Women's Championship was vacated due to the legit retirement of Trish Stratus, James entered a tournament to determine the new champion.She defeated Victoria and Melina in the qualifying rounds before making it to the finals at Cyber Sunday, where she lost to Lita.The two Divas wrestled in a series of matches, all of which were scripted to hinder James' wrestling ability as they were chosen by Lita. The storyline feud ended at Survivor Series, where James defeated Lita, in a retirement match, to win her second Women's Championship.
An angle was then created between James and Melina, beginning on January 29, 2007, when Melina became the number one contender for the Women's Title. Following a successful title defense on February 5,James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro. After Melina pinned James for the victory, she challenged her to a rematch for the title. James dropped the Women's Championship to Melina on February 19 and, in continuation of their storyline feud, failed to regain the title during WWE's first women's Falls Count Anywhere match. The match saw both James and Melina fight backstage for a majority of the match. This represented a rare moment in the WWE where Divas would compete in stipulation based matches. During the finish of the match James fell from the turnbuckle and landed on her neck, which resulted in a rushed finish. James, however, was not seriously injured.
James in 2007
The scripted feud between James and Melina re-started on April 2 when James interrupted and attacked Melina during a photo op on Raw.At a house show in Paris, France on April 24, James won her third Women's Championship during a Triple Threat match that also involved Victoria. Since James pinned Victoria, however, and not Melina, Jonathan Coachman announced that a rematch would take place immediately. James dropped the title back to Melina preze,giving her the shortest Women’s Championship reign in WWE history. James later got rematch for the title at Backlash but was unsuccessful. After Backlash, James would make sporadic appearances on television wrestling occasionally in tag-matches and rarely in singles competition. At SummerSlam James competed in a 12-Divas battle royal to determine a number-one contender for the Women's Championship, however she was eliminated by Melina preze. Throughout the month of September James was involved in a rivalry with Jillian Hall. On the November 26 edition of Raw, James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Beth Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title.
On the April 14, 2008 edition of Raw, held in London, James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. This win made her the fourth woman to have held the Women's Championship four or more times (the other three being The Fabulous Moolah, Trish Stratus and Lita). After the match, James was in tears and even ended up planting a kiss on Raw interviewer Todd Grisham. At Judgment Day James successfully defended her title against Melina and Beth Phoenix in a triple-threat match. James would then enter a feud with Katie Lea Burchill. She successfully defended the championship against Burchill at Night of Champions and on an edition of Raw. James re-entered into a feud against Beth Phoenix in mid year 2008 where she and Kofi Kingston teamed up against Phoenix and Santino Marella. At SummerSlam in a Winner Take All tag team match for both the Women's and Intercontinental Championships, James and Kingston lost their titles to Phoenix and Marella.After James lost her Women's Championship, she had two rematches for the championship but was unsuccessful in regaining the title.
Divas Champion, Move to SmackDown (2009–2010)
Following an appearance in the 25-Diva battle royal at WrestleMania XXV, James began feuding with WWE Divas Champion Maryse going into Night of Champions on July 26, 2009. At the event, James defeated Maryse to win her first Divas Championship, becoming only the second Diva in history to have held both the Women's and Divas titles. Throughout the summer, James successfully defended the title against Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix on editions of Raw, and against Alicia Fox at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 4. The following week on Raw, James dropped the belt to Jillian Hall after an approximate three month title reign. After the show, James was moved to the SmackDown brand for the first time in her career due to a Diva trade made by Raw guest host Nancy O'Dell.
James made her SmackDown debut on October 23 by defeating Layla. The next week, a controversial angle began that saw Team Lay-Cool bully James, resulting in a five-on-five elimination tag team match at the November pay-per-view event Survivor Series, where James' team prevailed over WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool's team. On the December 3 edition of SmackDown, James became the number one contender for McCool's title by defeating Beth Phoenix and Natalya in a triple threat match. The following week, James challenged McCool for the Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but was unsuccessful after interference from Layla. The storyline feud continued into the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010 where James finally defeated McCool to win her fifth Women's Championship.Over the next couple of weeks, SmackDown consultant Vickie Guerrero was introduced into the rivalry, choosing to side with Team Lay-Cool after James accidentally doused her with cottage cheese. On the February 26 edition of SmackDown, McCool used her rematch clause to face James for the Women's Championship, with Guerrero acting as special guest referee. After Guerrero slapped James in the face, McCool pinned her to regain the title.
On March 9, WWE.com announced that James was diagnosed with a staph infection on her right knee. She returned on the March 22 edition of Raw, where alongside Kelly Kelly, she accompanied Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim in their losing effort against Michelle McCool, Maryse and Layla, who had Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox in their corner.This set up a 10-Diva tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI in which James made an unsuccessful in-ring return after Guerrero pinned Kelly following a "hog" splash.James' final match in WWE was aired on the April 23 edition of SmackDown, teaming with former rival Beth Phoenix against Team Lay-Cool in a losing effort.
World Wrestling Council
James made her in-ring return in April as part of WWC, teaming with Carlitos to defeat the team of ODB and Christopher Daniels. James won the bout, pinning Daniels after a Mickie-DT.On July 11th as part of their Anniversary weekend, she defeated ODB in a singles match.
Other media
On April 13, 2008, James, along with Layla, Melina and Kelly Kelly, appeared in an episode of Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp.On September 5 of that same year, James appeared on the USA Network show Psych, playing a roller derby girl called Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood.James made a special appearance on Redemption Song which is hosted by Chris Jericho along with Candice Michelle, Maryse, and Eve Torres. It was originally aired on November 12, 2008.
James currently has one country music album. She released her first single, "Are You With Me?", on February 16, 2010. Her first album, Strangers & AngelsPage title, was then released on May 18, 2010 the album is also on iTunes.
In wrestling
Finishing moves
Long Kiss Goodnight (Reverse roundhouse kick, occasionally preceded by a kiss)
Mickie–DT 2005–2010 / Laree DDT (Independent circuit) (Standing tornado DDT or a jumping DDT)
Mick Kick (Roundhouse kick) – 2005–2006; used during her storyline with Trish Stratus
Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog) – 2005–2006; used during her storyline with Trish Stratus
Signature moves
Arm trap neckbreaker
Mick–A–Rana (Rope aided twisting Hurricanrana)
One-handed cartwheel into a standing monkey flip
Snapmare followed by a baseball slide to an opponents face
Thesz press followed by multiple punches (sometimes from an elevated position into a pin
Victory roll as a wheelbarrow counter
Wrestlers managed
A.J. Styles
Amazing Red
Chris Cage
CM Punk
Joey Matthews
Julio Dinero
Raven
Steve Corino
Tommy Dreamer
Trish Stratus
Victoria
Nicknames
"The Psycho"
Entrance themes
"Day Dreamin' Fazes" by Kottonmouth Kings (ROH)
"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes(ROH)
"Obsession" – Jim Johnston
"Time to Rock & Roll (with altered intro)" – Lil' Kim (Used during her feud with Trish Stratus)
Championships and accomplishments
Mickie James is a five-time WWE Women's Champion.
CyberSpace Wrestling Federation
CSWF Women's Championship (1 time)
Delaware Championship Wrestling
DCW Women's Championship (1 time)
Impact Championship Wrestling
ICW Super Juniors Championship (1 time)
Premier Wrestling Federation
PWF Universal Women's Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked her # 1 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2009
PWI Woman of the Year (2009)
Southern Championship Wrestling
SCW Diva Championship (2 time)
Ultimate Championship Wrestling
UCW Women's Championship (1 time)
Ultimate Wrestling Federation
UWF Women's Championship (2 times)
World Wrestling Entertainment
WWE Women's Championship (5 times)
WWE Divas Championship (1 time)
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