Former WWE Star Threw Up Before Inducting Mickie James Into TNA HOF
Other than being inducted into a Hall of Fame, being the inductee for a respected colleague and friend might be professional wrestling's highest honor. Naturally, both being the inductee and the inductor comes with a variable amount of nerves, depending on the individual, and sometimes that can become downright overwhelming. Such was the case for Lisa Marie Varon (aka WWE's Victoria and TNA's Tara) when she inducted Mickie James into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2025.
Appearing on "The Velvet Ropes," Varon reminisced on the evening, from being asked to participate, through the moments before the event itself. "Since I have the WWE Legends contract," she explained, "I immediately called WWE [and asked] 'Is it okay that I induct her?'" There was no problem there, and in fact, congratulated the two-time Women's Champion on the honor. "They were so, you know, open arms," she added, before recognizing the WWE-TNA relationship positively. And then, Varon recalled, it was time to get things together—more of a daunting task than one might think given the proximity of invitation to execution. "They called me like eight days before which, I don't have a dress, I don't have shoes," she said before explaining how she eventually pulled it all off.
On the day of the ceremony, nerves took over, something Varon said is commonplace for her. "I get there, I am a nervous wreck, and you know me," she said, "I get super nervous. Thank God Jazz was there, Tracy Brooks, and Mickie showed up [but] anyway, you know me, not to be graphic or anything but I did throw up a couple times cause I was just so, so nervous." All's well that ends well, of course, and it seems like everyone was pleased with how it was all pulled off, save for one note of constructive criticism from Varon. "TNA doesn't have a teleprompter. I wish they would get a teleprompter."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Velvet Ropes" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.