Divas Champion, Mickie James has given a fantastic interview with NZPWI, talking indepth about the current Divas roster as well as her classic feud with Trish and much more. Highlights below:
When asked about the current focus on actual wrestling matches amongst the Divas, it seems as though Mickie shares much of the same opinion as we fans as well as other women in the industry today:
I think that it’s like… huh… the thing is, the worst thing in the world is to watch bad wrestling. You know? So they can be the most beautiful women in the world, but if they can’t wrestle then it means nothing. They go out there, and it’s just like… ugh. Like, it’ll turn the biggest wrestling fan away, it’ll make them change the channel. So it’s important, I think… that’s why we’ve really worked hard with the girls to be the best that they can be. You don’t have to be the best in the world, just be the best that you can be. And everybody’s stepped up their game, and everybody’s working hard and everybody’s continuously trying to get better and better. Until, you know… and that’s important, because if you truly love what you do, you would want to be the best that you can be. And I think that’s important, and I think that’s what we’re really looking for now, it’s not just the pretty face. Like, those are a dime a dozen. We can have a million pretty faces but if you don’t have a genuine love and a genuine passion for what you do, then it shows, it shines through, and the people see it, it shines through on camera, it shines through in your work and everything, so I think that that’s what’s changing. People that have come in, now, like you always know the people that truly love what they do, and people that are just there… because. I think that even the casual fan can see that on TV. And that’s what we’re trying to really get rid of, because everybody goes out there and they work and they pour their heart and soul, and there’s nothing worse than someone that doesn’t care.
I thought this was a really interesting quote from arguably the top Diva in WWE right now. Considering that in just the last week we’ve heard the same thing from JR & off the record, one of the ex-Divas we speak to regularly, echoed both of their sentiments. Steven also argued similar points in yesterday’s Saturday Supplement. I think it goes to show that the feeling is unanimous amongst the girls themselves, people in the industry like JR and the fans. It’s time that WWE looked beyond pretty faces and put more effort into highlighting their talents. To be utterly fair to them, right now we have Gail Kim and Melina making good progress on their respective shows. Let’s keep it up!
You can read the whole interview or even listen to the audio of it, by clicking here.
After the cut, some quotes on Trish and more:
What would a Mickie James interview be without talking about Trish Stratus? Below, Mickie discusses debuting in such a high profile storyline & beating Trish at WrestleMania:
What was it like debuting on RAW, straight into an angle with Trish Stratus?
Amazing. I am so… because, I’ll tell you this: I was supposed to debut probably 5 times before that. And every time it got like axed. Like it went as far as, I actually went out there, it was going to be CM Punk and I, we were going to be like a team. And we went out there and I managed him, and everything, we had the match, and they pulled the match from the show. It got that far, so… and I pitched ideas and storylines and all this stuff, and it was frustrating, you know you’re sitting there going “oh god please please please” but everything… it worked out perfectly. Because I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Yes it took some time, and I got put out there and pulled back a few times, but that one was the perfect one for me. I think it worked, I’m very grateful for it, because I got to work such a beautiful storyline, and really pull on the people’s emotions, and really… it was really good for me, and almost as a way for… Trish kind of passed the torch to me, and I’m very honoured that I had that moment with her, because she, at the time, she was the top, her and Lita were the top, that was the best.
Well you were – sorry – you were the first Diva to win the Women’s Championship at your WrestleMania debut, you know, and that was huge. What was it like taking home the win in front of that huge crowd?
It was…. I mean, I’ve got chill-bumps just thinking about it. It was just… I cried like a baby. Because you know, after years… and you know, just so much, so many… that whole roller-coaster ride, and like doubting yourself, and then saying “no, never give up, don’t quit,” or whatever, the whole roller-coaster of emotions and stuff that I went through, I cried. As soon as I stepped back through that curtain I was just so… I thanked God, and my mom was there, and it was just amazing, and so… I couldn’t be more grateful and more thankful for the way that I came in, and the people that I’ve had a chance to work with, to grow from, to learn from, and that was just… and you know they say everything happens for a reason, so all those times that I was supposed to come up and then it was like “no OK never mind we’re not gonna do it, we’re not gonna do it,” and then finally I got this one angle, and it was the perfect angle. It was the perfect end for me. You know what I mean? And if I could go back in time I wouldn’t change a thing, because it was amazing. And being in Chicago in front of that crowd, and if you remember correctly, the crowd totally switched halfway through the show, like halfway through the match.
I’ve never really considered that Mickie was the first Diva to win the Women’s Title in her ‘Mania debut, that’s another accomplishment to add to Mickie’s history. Bravo to her. I also never realised the several call-ups they had in line for her, I think it worked out best for both that she never teamed with Punk. That kind of gimmick doesn’t always work [Katie Lea & Paul Burchill]. Mickie lucked out in debuting in the role she did.
