Every year, right before WWE holds the grandest stage of them all at Wrestlemania, the WWE likes to honor the hard work and dedication of a select few who helped build the success of the business. These individuals, either wrestlers, behind-the-scenes employees or celebrities, are inducted into WWE’s version of the Hall of Fame. One of the inductees, as of the last four years, is usually a female wrestler. With that said, according to a previous report here on The Inquisitr , the one female for next year’s WWE Hall of Fame might be Mickie James .
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people within the WWE Universe who feel Mickie James doesn’t deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame . The primary reason is there are plenty of other female wrestlers who have paved the way for the WWE still waiting for their invitation to the WWE Hall of Fame. A couple of examples are Rena “Sable” Mero and Terri “Marlena” Runnels, two of WWE’s females who helped initiate the WWE Attitude Era. Personally, I think the female wrestlers who should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame are Madusa and Alundra Blayze. Why they aren’t in yet still dumbfounds me.
Still I – along with other websites such as What Culture – agree Mickie James deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. She’s entertaining and a great wrestler. If WWE lets her back in, Mickie will help get the division out of the funk it is in. And even though she has some questionable past choices, which were made while on the independent circuit, Mickie James is easily one of the best females choices for induction in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Below are the top five reasons why.
#1. Mickie James Worked In The Business For A Long Time (Five Years In WWE)
Mickie James is in her thirties right now, but has skinned the cat when it comes to career-threatening injuries, which is amazing when you learn the length of her career. Before WWE, Mickie started wrestling after turning 20 and participated in the independent circuit for two-thirds of her wrestling career, primarily as Alexis Laree. Then the other third, being about five years, was spent in WWE (where she finally got to use her real name).
During her tenure in WWE, Mickie James was a hard worker, durable, and consistently performing at a high level. Most of her matches are memorable among the many women’s matches in the WWE. A great comparison to use for her induction into the WWE HOF would be to Tammy “Sunny” Sytch. Tammy wasn’t a consistent worker in the WWE, hardly wrestled and was only there for about three years. Even Trish and Lita were in the WWE about six years. Yet Tammy was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In that case, wouldn’t Mickie James, and her five year stretch in the WWE, be valid enough to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?
#2. Mickie James Is Entertaining In WWE Promos
When it comes to promos, probably the best of both genders are CM Punk and AJ Lee a.k.a “The Best In The World” and “The Best Diva In The World.” But one of the most exciting promo performers, prior to them, was Mickie James. It was because of divas like her that the women’s division was taken seriously back then, especially when it came to story lines. And trust me when I say this, the WWE Universe recognizes a great performer on the mic, and Mickie James was one of the best.
Let’s go down the line of Mickie James’ promos in the WWE. She’s been an obsessed fan of Trish Stratus, a fighting champion against the tyranny of the paparazzi, and of course, the girl who stood up against her fellow female wrestlers who were bullies. All in all, Mickie James’ promos were always entertaining, always believable, and delivered with precision for the live shoot.
#3. Mickie James Is Entertaining As A WWE Face Or Heel
To this day, I still believe that Mickie James makes a better heel than face, which was enforced during her tenure in TNA. However, in WWE, she had only one major heel run and that was in the beginning. Just like the WWE Universe recognizes someone who is great on the mic, they will recognize a great heel or face. I will explain this a bit more in my #5 reason, but for now…
#4. Mickie James Is A Great Wrestler (Not Just In WWE)
Mic and promo skills will only get a wrestler so far. They also have to be great in the ring. Lucky for Mickie James, she is great in the ring. Once again, this was enforced during her tenure in TNA. Nevertheless in the WWE, she had some incredible worked matches. During her title runs, she wrestled against Melina, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya. During her final run, she wrestled against Lay-Cool (Michelle McCool and Layla).
Then there are, of course, her varied moves and her signature finishers. The WWE made Mickie James use the Mickie-DDT (Implant DDT) in her latter years for closing matches, but she’s known for stealing Trish Stratus’ finishers (Stratusfaction and Chick Kick) and having a ruthless submission (Cross-Legged STF). However, Mickie James is probably remembered for her controversial finishers. Actually, one of them was in the WWE, and it was called the Long Kiss Goodnight, a full-on liplock with her opponent (usually a female), followed by a reverse spinning roundhouse kick. And if you really want to see the most controversial finisher Mickie James has ever performed, look up the “Crotch-Face Crippler.”
This reason also helps reinforce the final reason Mickie James should be in the WWE Hall of Fame, and that is…
#5. Mickie James Is One Half Of The Best Female Rivalry In WWE History
Anyone who knows WWE history, especially when it comes to Mickie James, knows her best rivalry is against Trish Stratus. Actually, we can even say that Trish Stratus’ greatest rivalry is against Mickie James, which is a feat on its own since she had some great WWE rivalries prior to theirs. There is just something worthwhile about this rivalry that exceeds the expectations of the WWE women’s (divas) division, and it utilized the above three reasons why Mickie James should be in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Mickie James made her debut in the WWE as a face. Her angle: obsessed fan for Trish Stratus. As time went by, her obsession would turn crazy with a dash of lesbianism, thus her persona would transform her into a heel. The high-point of the angle was at Wrestlemania XXII when they both squared off for the Women’s Championship. Mickie James won that match, which would be significant in two ways, and I don’t mean all the sexual innuendo it had.
First, it is the initiation of the only significant female wrestler undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. Second, it was her first WWE title reign, which was followed by four more in WWE and one in TNA. With one less than Trish Stratus, Mickie James has the most title reigns across the major brands in wrestling. This was during a time when “HLA” (Hot Lesbian Action) was being incorporated and peaked in WWE during the “Room 357” promo with Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson.
Also, their match at Wrestlemania XXII is considered, to this day, the best Wrestlemania divas match in the history of WWE, probably the best divas match period. Nobody has ever come close to what Mickie James and Trish Stratus accomplished in the ring and in their rivalry. It is to some, the Macho Man Randy Savage versus Rickey “The Dragon” Steamboat of the divas division… minus the “V” lick of course.
Well, those are the top five reasons why Mickie James should be inducted in next year’s WWE Hall of Fame. True, there are a lot of other reasons why Mickie James should be in any wrestling hall of fame (her worked matches with Lisa Marie Varon in TNA are phenomenal), but I am going with what the WWE will most likely utilize. If you think there are other reasons why Mickie James should be in the WWE Hall of Fame, or not, fire off in the comments below.
[Image via WWE Promo]