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Profile: Mickie James
Beginning her indy career in 1999 as a manager for the likes of Tommy Dreamer and Steve Corino, Mickie James - known as Alexis Laree - gradually developed into an in-ring competitor in her own right, appearing in several all-female promotions such as Beautiful Babes of Wrestling and Women's Extreme Wrestling. She also wrestled on early Ring of Honor shows, and debuted on Total Nonstop Action's second weekly pay-per-view in late 2002 as part of a lingerie battle royal. In early 2003, she began making regular appearances as a member of Raven's Gathering, and participated in two Clockwork House of Fun matches. At the end of the second, Father James Mitchell of rival faction The New Church threw a fireball in her face, marking her final appearance for TNA.
In late 2003, she signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and began training in Ohio Valley Wrestling, feuding with many of the women there at the time. In July 2005, during her time in OVW, she appeared as former Gathering associate CM Punk's valet for a WWE Heat taping, but plans of teaming them together on TV were dropped and the match was never broadcast. She would not make her WWE television debut until October 2005, finally using her real name.
Playing the role of an obsessed fan of Trish Stratus who'd been inspired to wrestle by the multi-time Women's Champion, Mickie James spent months helping Trish while making her uncomfortable with her excessive devotion and occasional psychotic tendencies. She dressed as her idol for the Diva Hallowe'en Costume Contest on Raw, and started using Trish's trademark moves - including the "Mick Kick" - in the ring. As time went on, much to Stratus' discomfort, Mickie began displaying more physical signs of affection for the Women's Champion, catching her off-guard with a kiss under mistletoe on the Christmas edition of Raw. That month, James pinned Victoria to earn a shot at Trish's title, but lost the match at New Year's Revolution 2007. During the bout, Mickie showed signs of heel-like aggression, but returned to fawning over Trish afterwards.
The heel elements to Mickie's character continued to emerge however, as she attacked Ashley out of jealousy of her friendship with Stratus, and set up Trish's on-screen boyfriend to make it look as if he'd tried to force himself on her, apparently trying to get him out of the picture. Further unsettling behavior led Trish to ask for a little space from Mickie, finally leading James to attack her idol and set up a heated Women's Title match at WrestleMania 22.
In one of the most critically acclaimed women's matches in WWE history, Mickie pinned Trish at WrestleMania for her first Women's Championship. Stratus returned the mind games in the build-up to their rematch at Backlash, dressing and acting like Mickie, and won the match but not the title, as Mickie was disqualified for choking the challenger. During the bout, Trish dislocated her shoulder in a bad landing from the ring to the floor, taking her out of action.
Mickie then briefly feuded with Beth Phoenix, an old enemy from OVW who attacked her out of nowhere on the May 8 episode of Monday Night Raw and again in subsequent weeks. However, when Phoenix broke her jaw in a match against Victoria, the angle was cut short before a pay-off between the two.
After being cheated out of the Women's Title by Lita and guest referee Edge in August, Mickie became a babyface almost by default, and hugged Trish Stratus after their match on the September 11 Raw, Trish's final Raw appearance before her retirement bout with Lita the following Sunday. Mickie and Lita would continue to feud over the Women's Title, with James finally reclaiming the gold in Lita's own retirement match at Survivor Series.
Having lost the unstable edge to her persona, Mickie entered 2007 as a regular babyface champion, eventually losing the belt to Melina in February. During a European tour, Mickie accidentally became a three-time champion in Paris, when Victoria failed to kick out of her cover as planned in a triple threat match. Later in the night, on impromptu orders from Jonathan Coachman, Mickie defended the title against Melina and lost, earning herself the distinction of shortest Women's Championship reign in WWE history.
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