Mickie James opens up on her “Last Rodeo”.
James has been in the business for over twenty years, and she recently announced that she’s embarking on her “Last Rodeo” in IMPACT Wrestling, where she’ll retire if she loses again.
Speaking on the Bound For Glory Press Pass, when asked about the mindset behind the “Last Rodeo” by Lucas Charpiot of VL Media, James described how she wants to prove that she can still compete at a high level. The veteran stated that if she can’t be the Mickie James she needs to be, she doesn’t belong in the ring anymore.
“I had to go home and I had to think about a lot of things, and the reality is that I love this business so much, and I love it too much to not be the best that I can be,” James said. “Over the last two decades, I’ve seen the business evolve, devolve, and then come back again for the women, and it’s true. We have, everywhere you look, is some of the greatest talent out there that are in television. I always said that I never wanted to fade away. I just don’t want that. I don’t wanna go out a shell of what I used to be, and if I can’t be that champion and I can’t fight the way I need to fight, because the truth is my body hurts and I love it so much and I give everything that I have and then it takes me longer to come back, it takes me longer to heal.
“I just wanna be able to spend time with my son, and he’s only eight years old. I wanna be able to go to his games and do all of these things and still be able to be my best self for him. But I also wanna be, if I’m gonna stay in the business and still be here, I just wanna be the best champion and be the best Mickie James that I can be. If I can’t be that, then I don’t belong here anymore, and that’s just the reality.”
The former IMPACT Knockouts World Champion then emphasized her love for the business and the way it has evolved over the years.
“I love this business so much, and I’m so grateful that we’ve come so far and I’m so grateful that the women are getting all these opportunities,” James said. “I think it took a long time and a lot of women to get here. To be able to live in this journey for so long, and to see it and see so many women thriving and being truly seen as equals and being able to make the money and main-event the shows and do all of these things, it’s amazing.
“It’s amazing, and if you would have told little Alexis Laree when I was first at TNA that these things were gonna happen, I would have thought you were insane because we were just novelties. You were lucky to get a spot, you were lucky to be a manager, you were lucky to get a match. Now, it’s true equality, and it’s awesome.”
RELATED: Jordynne Grace Discusses The Importance Of Mickie James, Potentially Retiring Her
