Ex-WWE Star Mickie James Returning To TNA For Special Role At Bound For Glory 2026
Former WWE star, and TNA Hall of Famer, Mickie James is headed to TNA Bound for Glory 2026, according to the company's president, Carlos Silva. Silva took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to reveal James' special role at the event.
Silva said that James will be the special guest referee in the TNA Knockouts World Championship match. The bout will see champion Xia Brookside defend against Indi Hartwell.
"There's been a lot of problems with Santino [Marella] and Daria [Rae] and as you know, Daria has even been suspended," Silva said of his authority figures in the video attached to the post. "So, I've decided to jump in and make the special announcement that we're bringing in Mickie James to be the guest referee for this match, in Tampa, at Bound for Glory on Sunday."
Rae, TNA Director of Operations, originally opposed Hartwell's claim to be Brookside's next contender, telling her title shots are earned, not given. The feud between the pair saw the debut of Rae's former Pure Fusion Collective stablemate in WWE, Zoey Serrano, who attacked Hartwell, and at another point in the story, Marella, TNA Director of Authority, worked to get Rae suspended.
EXCLUSIVE: @carlossilva has a special announcement about the role @MickieJames will play at #TNABoundForGlory THIS SUNDAY in Tampa!
Use code NXT50 for 50% off tickets HERE: https://t.co/w3Q52rjwnr! pic.twitter.com/Iqe5lE4YtG
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 9, 2026
Rae slapped Hartwell on an episode of "TNA iMPACT," which Marella witnessed. He took the footage to the TNA board of directors and was successful in getting his fellow authority figure suspended ahead of the pay-per-view. In addition to Hartwell getting her title shot, Serrano will team with the incoming Shayna Baszler to challenge for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships.