The Latest On Mickie James & WWE - Is She Leaving?

According to those close to Mickie James, the multi-time women's champion has begun contemplating retirement.

As noted earlier, James, who is now 30 years old, has been very frustrated with her standing in the company in recent months. It has also come to light that she has been working with a debilitating arm injury. As a result, James has begun contemplating leaving the industry which she has spent the last ten years in.

James has prepared herself for life after wrestling as she began pursuing a college degree online a few years ago. She has received her Associate of Arts degree in business administration and at last word, was studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management.

"I felt like I needed to do this, and I wanted something to fall back on. You never know ? if I got hurt or something like that ? where would I go from there?" James told WWE.com in a 2006 interview. "I set myself up so I'm prepared, no matter what."

By earning her bachelor's degree, James would be able to open and run her own businesses ? something she has many ideas about.

"I've always wanted to run my horse farm. So I'd definitely like to have a background to understand that," she said, referring to her lifelong passion for horses."

We also posted last week here on the site that Mickie was interested in a country music career. Here is what we reported:

It would appear that Mickie James has her sights set on becoming a country music star. Radio and music industry website AllAccess.com is reporting that the WWE Diva has signed with Nashville-based management agents James and Sherry Massaro of Skyline Management Group, which specializes in the development of country music artists. The multi-time Women's champion has also signed on with Absolute Publicity to handle her public relations. The article states that she is expected to announce her intentions within the next few weeks. Mickie recently hired Nashville-based image consultant/stylist Lori Bumgarner to help further her burgeoning country music career. Click the link below to see a photo of the two together backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. The multi-time Women's Champion is listed as a "singer/songwriter."