Monday, November 1, 2010

The WWE Career Of Mickie James - Conclusion

I have been writing that the WWE did not like Mickie James as much as some people may have assumed since 2008. The evidence goes back even before I started talking about it. If you just ask why Mickie was even brought in to begin with and look at why and how the WWE pushed her after that, it seems clear as well. Her release did not catch me that off guard. I should have even saw it coming better. I was still upset about it. It is like when an elderly relative dies in your family. You know it is going to happen sooner or later, but it still can hurt.

Once again, I only did this little series to offer a response to those who buy what wrestling news sites offer as to why Mickie was released. I see a number of strong flaws in what they are arguing. I do not even feel like going over all of it now. It has been over 2 years and I am still waiting for a credible and neutral source to verify that Mickie James and John Cena actually dated. The evidence I see dirtsheets like to use is that John Cena said in an interview/live chat on WWE.com that he would have liked to continue the relationship with Mickie. First of all, the fact that it is a chat done on the WWE's own site, and combine that with the fact that Cena is a kayfabe supporter, it seems more likely he was talking in kayfabe and about his storyline with Mickie James. Second of all, he is the one expressing regret that the relationship is over, if you want to even take him seriously. So what did he do to Mickie James? The rumors also said that Mickie was being punished by being sent to Smackdown. Is that why she got used in the same vein as when she debuted? She was being used to eventually put a centerpiece over in some way. She even won the title. They never respected Mickie James as anything more than a tool. If she was really guilty of so many things, why would they not release her out of the blue? They released her at the same time as other people they simply didn't need or want around anymore. That was Mickie James.

I am not saying all this just for the sake of Mickie James. I see the same crap going on still. I see the WWE doing the same thing. I see dirtsheets doing the same thing. I see ignorant fans doing the same thing. Look at what the WWE did to Melina. Dirtsheets recently gave a stupid report that she is in the doghouse. Some fans obviously bought it. Melina commented on it herself. Mickie James commented on a certain rumor that came up shortly after her TNA return that tried to bury her. These women and men should not have to live their lives responding to every little rumor. I said before that Melina would be treated like this. I am not surprised some people fall back on the oldest excuse in the book to explain her depush. Smarten up. Melina is not a priority to the WWE. She is just a tool. They last used her as a credible face to allow McCool to unify the titles a few months ago. They didn't want McCool going over some mediocre face like Nikki Bella, or some heel. Once Melina served her purpose, she got depushed. Things are going to get even more interesting after AJ gets promoted to the main roster. Do I think they will release Melina or Beth Phoenix? Unless the WWE is afraid of feeding TNA all these women or these women have strong enough contacts with those high up (is Morrison important enough in the eyes of the WWE to keep Melina around?), they will be released. They have already used Natalya to phase out Melina a bit. Whatever happens, women like Melina and Beth are just meant to be tools in the end of the day. They are not the centerpiece. Who cares? If you are a fan of women who are tools and are complaining about it, I suggest you either start understanding this or shut your mouth.

But it will not be as hard when Melina gets released or becomes a lame duck, which is what happened to Victoria before she decided to leave. She is not that super over. Mickie James was. That is what made them releasing her so shocking for so many. I said before that I should have seen it coming better. I made the mistake of thinking her popularity would keep her around. Her popularity was one of the reasons they had to let her go. How do you explain that a woman so over is only a sidekick to women less over and less credible than her? How do you explain that a woman who was given 6 title reigns in 5 years is suddenly not getting the title at all year after year? There was no place they could push her outside of the title picture where they could properly bury her. I already noted that Mickie James NEVER got one storyline outside of the title picture that saw a proper finish and ended up doing anything real for her. Even a lot of her title feuds between her first and last were not that intricate or developed well. They never treated her in this respect as well as they did Lita. They did not want to add to Mickie's legacy at all. She was just in the way of the women they wanted to get over. That's right. The WWE decides who they want to get that great treatment to become monster over, not you or me. We are just supposed to follow like sheep. But you stand up for that company, right?

I see some people want Mickie James to return one day to the WWE. Unless the WWE changes their ways, I say she would be stupid to want to go back there for anything more than a one-day appearance. Lita returned to Raw tonight. Glad to see her back. And I was laughing. No, I was not laughing at what she did to those other divas. I was laughing at her. Did Lita not comment last year that the huge battle royal they had for the divas was a joke? Did she not say they were like prostitutes or something along those lines? Did dirtsheets botch reporting what she said or quoted from an impostor? Wouldn't be the first time. Assuming Lita actually thought that way about it, I find it hilarious that she would just pop in for a comedy diva segment to knock down some face divas and Mark Henry. Contributing to guest star crap. If she wanted to be a part of THIS diva division so bad, she should have pushed harder to be a part of the prostitutes last year.

Until the future tells what Mickie James and the WWE do, Mickie James still earned her spot in the WWE more than the WWE ever wanted. Let me end it with something I am told Jim Ross once said. He once said that many did not think Mickie James would make it in the WWE. Let me not spin his words around and misquote him, but is it really hard to imagine that many did not WANT Mickie James to make it. Even after she achieved what all pro wrestlers really want to achieve in this business, the WWE still kept looking for someone to replace her. There was no good reason not to continue to run with her for her own sake. They didn't care. They were always counting on something else. More than 6 months later, no one they have been counting on has gotten the job done. They cannot connect with those WWE fans like Mickie James worked to do.

2 comments:

  1. Good series.

    You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder why they hired Mickie in the first place. There are lots of good and pretty talent in the indies that they didn't sign at the time, so why hire her and expect her to fail?

    Someone for Trish I guess.

    Your comments about her storylines outside of winning the championship ring true too. They could have pulled the trigger on lots of stories (Cena/Murdock/Punk) but they didn't. They just wanted her to put over talent they wanted to succeed. Why didn't I see this earlier?

    As for Melina, I'm just can't feel sorry for her. She was involved with main events, male talents, booked twice at Wrestlemania and got to speak way more than Mickie and other Divas did. She's had more than a fair chance. I feel more sorry for Jillian who only got a 1 minute reign and treated as a joke.

    One last thing: Watching Mickie in TNA puts to rest any ideas that Mickie's talent was going down the pipe. Like I said on your other blog, she was having to wrestle Rosa and Maryse all the time and had to make them look good in her last year in the WWE. Gail Kim knocked herself out.

    Mickie pulling off hurricanas, sick looking Mick Kicks, and moves on the outside in the short time she's been in TNA proves to me that the WWE was telling her to tone it down. This isn't something she could pick up in the short time between her firing and her debut in TNA.

    Same thing for her weight. She has a slight pudge, but she wasn't someone that looked like she let herself go. To hear the WWE and some fans say it, you would think she looked like Amazing Kong. I'll never forgive McCool for that storyline.

    So while I may miss Mickie in the WWE, it's only because I selfishly like their production values better. If Mickie to put out great matches, I'll take TNA's getup any day.

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  2. The WWE did not really hire Mickie James and expect her to fail. They expected to use her as they saw fit and then toss her around where they wanted, not for her to get as over as she did and be treated as a centerpiece. You see the WWE doing this with Melina, Beth, and the other credible wrestlers as well. Even during Trish's era.

    You don't have to feel sorry for Melina or whichever other diva. Speaking for myself, Beth is the one I did not feel sorry for. She was pushed and hyped way too hard and failed to get over. I did not even feel too impressed with a lot of the stuff she was doing. But they all, or mostly all, are in the same boat. Trick is, some are in the end that is sinking first.

    And Mickie's ring work in TNA does speak for itself. With better workers, more time to work, and better expectations placed upon her by the company, she is doing fine. Botches may happen, but they happen to the best of them. She is still getting to show that she is more than what many thought they saw in WWE. And Mickie's weight is no problem either. Just because she does not look like the stereotypical WWE diva does not mean she is fat. I see divas in the WWE without exactly a great midsection. Whether they do or not, I still find Mickie James more attractive than most of them. She's got those hips and nice thickness. Ain't the kind of woman I would call fat.

    If the WWE ever changes their ways, I will be pushing as hard for her return as some have. Until then, I am happy with where she is too.

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