Mickie James: The Hardcore Country Superstar

When you think about the greatest female superstars in all of WWE history, you think about the likes of The Fabulous Moolah, Alundra Blayze, Trish Stratus, Lita, and of course, you think of Mickie James.

When Mickie first came onto the scene in 2005, the members of the WWE Universe were introduced to someone they've never experienced before. When Trish Stratus was being attacked by Victoria on an episode of Raw, an unknown woman came to her aide. The crowd didn't know what to think. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler didn't even know what to think. The only thing that was inside the minds of every viewer that night was "Who WAS that?"

Eyebrows continued to raise over the next few weeks as it then became clear how obsessed Mickie was over Trish. Their feud together was one of the most controversial and entertaining feuds in all of WWE history. When you remember how maniacal and vicious Mickie James was to Trish during this time, it gives you goosebumps everywhere. Not only was this feud the talk of the entire WWE, it made every single person watching reach the edge of their seats, wondering what Mickie was going to do next.

After all the obsessive promos, physical attacks, and kisses under the mistletoe, their remarkable rivalry culminated at WrestleMania 22 in one of the greatest women's matches the WWE Universe has ever seen. That night Mickie became the new Women's champion for the very first time.

The rivalry between Mickie and Trish was so intense and memorable that most members of the WWE Universe nowadays seem to forget who Mickie James' next rivalry was with. That person was none other than her future opponent at this year's Evolution pay-per-view, Lita.

This feud was all about the Women's championship as Mickie lost the title to Lita a few months after her WrestleMania victory. Lita, being the vixen that she was, then tried everything in her power to make sure that Mickie wouldn't get her title back. From tying Mickie's arm behind her back to putting shackles on her ankles, Lita was all about trying to humiliate and belittle Mickie James.

However, the night that Lita decided to put those shackles on Mickie's ankles, the plan completely backfired on her. The below video of this match shows that, with the antics of Degeneration X in the first row, Mickie James would end up defeating Lita, which would strengthen their great rivalry even more so.

Shortly after that moment, Mickie James would defeat Lita at Survivor Series to win her second Women's title, which was Lita's very last match (and feud) in the WWE.

In just one year, Mickie James not only won the Women's title on two separate occasions, she did so by defeating two of the greatest superstars in the history of the WWE. It goes to show how talented this woman was in that squared circle and how trusted she was by upper management to carry the title right off the bat.

After six reigns as champion in the WWE, Mickie James left the company in 2010 and started wrestling on the indie circuit until she went over to TNA. Her presence in that company was so incredibly important for their women's division and it helped bring the bar up to a respectable level for the entire female roster there.

Along with the likes of Gail Kim, Tara a.k.a Victoria, ODB, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne, and Awesome Kong, the TNA Knockouts division lifted each other up to a point where fans started to really become invested in women's wrestling.

With the years cruising by, however, the WWE Universe started to wonder when their beloved Mickie James would finally return to the place where she truly belonged. Their prayers eventually were answered in 2016 as Mickie would make a startling return to WWE TV, but it wasn't on the main roster...

In a surprising twist, Mickie would be introduced by William Regal on an episode of NXT as Asuka's next opponent at the following NXT Takeover event.

Fans all around the world were wondering just how much fight and how much heart Mickie James still had within herself. Well, guess what happened. It turned out that she had even MORE fight and MORE heart than she ever had before.

Mickie James versus Asuka was one of the greatest women's matches I personally have ever seen. I say that because Mickie was finally back to where she belonged and with that energy in the air, it created such an incredible emotion for all fans watching that match at NXT Takeover. Mickie James was back and she was better than ever.

Mickie made her return to the main roster when she aligned herself with The Goddess of WWE, Alexa Bliss. They would form a friendship on Smackdown Live centered around keeping the Smackdown Women's title around the waist of Bliss. Unfortunately, when both female competitors headed over to the Raw brand, their friendship quickly demised into an unbelievably entertaining feud.

The night after a successful title defense at the No Mercy pay-per-view, The Goddess decided to call out the entire Raw women's locker room. Mickie James had heard enough and decided to confront the champion, sparking the feud we never knew we needed.

Alexa was persistent in calling Mickie James an "old lady", which prompted Mickie to strike back with a monumental line that I'll always remember:

"I have broken bones, I have broken hearts, and I have broke down barriers for women in the WWE all before you were wearing a training bra!"

That line right there made my respect level for Mickie James increase even higher than it was before, which was something I never thought was possible. How on point Mickie was during this feud with Bliss made their rivalry such a memorable one. That and well, when Mickie decided to call Alexa the ever so amazing name of "Biscuit Butt", which left the crowd in attendance laughing and chanting it loudly.

Although right now these two amazing superstars are on the same team, I for one would LOVE to see "The Old Lady" and "Biscuit Butt" on opposing sides once again.

If I were to list the names of people I respect and admire most in this world, Mickie James would be near the top of that list. Not only is that because of her in-ring ability and her astonishing career in the WWE, but because of the kindhearted and hard working human being that she strives to be.

To be able to continue her career as a WWE superstar while also continuing her career as a country music artist is completely awe-inspiring. Along with having those two successful careers, she's also continuing to be a wonderful mother to her son Donovan and wife to the awesome Nick Aldis.

I believe that if you look up the word "superwoman" right now in the dictionary, there is no doubt in my mind that you'll see the face of Mickie James.

Thank you, Mickie, for all the years of entertainment in the sport of professional wrestling. When it comes to the Women's Evolution that is taking over the entire wrestling world, you will always be known as one of the catalysts that made it happen. To be able to follow your WWE career for all these years has been an absolute pleasure for me. Congratulations on all your success, and thank you for being one of the sweetest and most gracious people in this world.

She's a respected professional wrestler, she's one of the kindest people on the planet, she's Hardcore Country, and she's a future WWE Hall of Famer.

She is Mickie James.