Mickie James Recalls Feeling Disrespected During Last WWE Run

In an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Mickie James talked about her release from WWE, as well as the controversial trash bag incident that followed. Ultimately James compared the differences between the first time she was released and the second.

"The first time I got let go and I received my stuff like that, it broke my heart," James said. "It like totally, it hit me in a different way. Because I truly believed that was my dream job, I had worked so hard to get there. My dream was taken away, I was heartbroken, I was crushed. And now I get my stuff and my trash bag and my box, and it's 'this is just a complete statement of what they think of me.' This time looking at it I go, 'yeah they still do this.' But in reality of, all the things of me trying to come back, me not being able to come back. Being asked to be a producer or an agent, which is an awesome role if that's the kind of thing you like to do. That is a great role. But all I wanted was an out, or something like that before I stepped over into a position like that. Because you know, when you're playing player/coach, you always have this feeling of like 'oh there might just be this one last time or one last thing. This unfinished business kind of thing.'

"I just kind of come to the conclusion that I wasn't going to get that. I wanted to do, like an all female branded thing, an all female kind of thing, cause we have all the facilities and all the talent and all these things. Maybe I could do something like that and help lead that up, because I personally believe women's wrestling makes money. I kind of felt in my heart it was coming, because I felt like we were not, and it's just me. There are certain things I'm willing to compromise on and certain things that I can't. And it's just, on a soul level, I wasn't willing to compromise my happiness, or what I wanted out of the business. To where I felt I was truly giving something that was special. That's it. So it just felt like that's where we were at. And you know, the business doesn't compromise with you or me, and it doesn't have to. So there you go."

James also talked about how she felt disrespected a bit in her last run with WWE. Having worked there a combined fifteen years, while trying to be respectful the entire time, James often felt like she had to take lumps that she didn't deserve.

"I try to stay humble and I feel very respectful in a lot of situations," James said. "But I felt a lot of that. I don't deserve, like, had I not put up with enough shit at this point twenty some years in the business? Granted I was in the company for fifteen years. But I think it's because I've been wrestling on television for fifteen years. If you think about it, I didn't win the championship once in my last four and a half years there, not once. I was kind of in the title picture, but it never really had a pay off or anything like that. It was just kind of, I don't know. I don't know."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open Radio and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription