Mickie James has not gotten to work with All Elite Wrestling yet but the Impact Knockouts champion knows who she will face if she gets the chance. The Impact star recently appeared on Women’s Wrestling Talk. During the interview, she revealed her dream opponents from all the major promotions.
Speaking about Tony Khan’s promotion, Mickie James went straight to the top and picked the current AEW women’s champion Britt Baker as her dream opponent:
“AEW, Britt Baker, I think, period, I feel like yeah, I really kind of, I’ve met her a few times. I’ve just recently actually got to know her, like, got to chat with her more to kind of get to know her a little bit recently. I just, I always She’s kicking down doors and doing so much amazing stuff over there.”
Mickie James continued by mentioning how Baker has been carving out her own unique path. The wrestling veteran applauded the AEW star for that.
The former WWE star also revealed her pick within her former promotion. She said that she would like to face the SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair because the two have never faced off in WWE.
Mickie James not only made history at Royal Rumble on screen but she also got closure on some past events backstage at the show.
The Impact Knockouts champion recently had an interview with SportsKeeda. She discussed her Royal Rumble appearance among other things.
During the talk, Mickie revealed that the new WWE president Nick Khan actually apologized to her for the infamous trash bag incident:
“Nick Khan came up to me at the show [Royal Rumble] and apologized. I think he was a part of the company but I hadn’t met him or knew who he was at that time, because it was an early transitional phase.
But even he apologized to me and (said) this should have never happened, and I agree.” said Mickie James, “It should have never happened, it shouldn’t have happened ten years ago, and now it will never happen again.”
For those who don’t know, the former WWE star was let go from her contract back in April 2021. It was part of the budget cuts that saw several other talents being released alongside the wrestling veteran.
However, James revealed that she was sent her belongings in a trash bag. This revelation stirred up a big controversy leading to the firing of senior executive Mark Carrano from the company.
The Royal Rumble PPV was historical for many reasons. One of them was the appearance of current Impact Knockouts champion Mickie James who competed in the women’s Rumble.
This was the first time a champion not belonging to the company made an appearance on the show and competed in the battle royal.
James talked about this moment recently with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture. She expressed the belief that it wasn’t a one and done deal:
“I think yes [we will work together again], I don’t know that it will be immediately, I think this was an opportunity for WWE to test the water, to see if it was something.”
Mickie James also discussed the possibility of the current Impact World Champion Moose making an appearance on WWE programming:
“I feel that now that they see the potential and how much the fans responded to it, the idea of it happening with the men, or with the World Championships, or something like that, now, at least the idea of that possibility and that door is open.”
WWE had talks with NJPW about a potential partnership last year. So James’ assumption that this collaboration may extend beyond the Rumble is not unimaginable.
Former WWE Superstar and IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James recently discussed her involvement in the WWE Royal Rumble match back on Saturday 29th January.
Speaking on her GAW TV show alongside SoCal Val and Victoria, Mickie revealed a moment in the match that she was not a big fan of.
“I didn’t love that at all [Melina being eliminated after 53 seconds],” Mickie began. “I did love that, you know, her entrance, people did exactly what we knew they were going to do. They erupted, like ‘holys**t’, it was so good to see her back.
“She hadn’t been in WWE for over a decade, so I think that was amazing to see her get teared up, and, it was awesome” the IMPACT Knockouts Champion continued.
Mickie James on Melina Elimination
“I didn’t love the whole she got eliminated first, no I didn’t love that because obviously as I wanted to be able to be in there with her and tangle it up, and I want her to have those moments with some of the other girls, you know.
“I know it was special for Sasha, and I know Sasha, I know it was special for Sasha to be in there with her” James concluded.
It has not been revealed if WWE is planning on bringing Melina back for any more segments or matches going forward. Right now, it appears as though it will be a one-off for the former WWE diva.
Legendary play-by-play commentator Jim Ross was over the moon seeing Mickie James enter the Royal Rumble on her terms.
The 2022 Royal Rumble took place inside The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Mickie is the Knockouts Women’s Champion for Impact Wrestling and she had been announced for the women’s Royal Rumble match weeks before the event.
JR On Mickie’s Moment
Jim Ross took to his Grilling JR podcast to share his take on Mickie James’ appearance at this year’s Royal Rumble event.
“I selectively tuned into the Royal Rumble because I’m a wrestling fan and I was here home alone. So, I thought, ‘Let me check this out.’
“I was so proud for Mickie. She’s one of my favorite ladies that I’ve worked with in my career. She’s very passionate in it and I still think she has a wealth of sex appeal, which never hurts.”
James was the 20th entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match. She lasted 11 minutes and 40 seconds, eliminating Michelle McCool along the way. She was ultimately eliminated by Lita, who will be challenging Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia.
Mickie has done quite a bit in the wrestling industry following her release from WWE in 2021. Billy Corgan has credited Mickie James with not only bringing an all-women’s PPV to life for the promotion, but also rekindling the relationship between NWA and Impact Wrestling.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Impact Wrestling pulled in the best ratings its done since February 2021 last week. On the heels of Mickie James being announced for the Royal Rumble match, Impact’s 1/27 show drew 182,000 fans and a 0.05 in the 18-49 demo. It’s the best rating Impact has done since the February 16th, 2021 show.
Impact Wrestling last Thursday on AXS, 8-10pm: 182,000 total viewers P18-49 rating: 0.05 (68,000)
Impact's highest total viewership since February 16, 2021.
The 2/16 show last year featured the debut of Juice Robinson and David Finlay. It was also the first show since the No Surrender 2021 show that had taken place that weekend. The promotion was about 2 months into the storyline that saw Kenny Omega invade the promotion. Omega would win the Impact World Championship from Rich Swann that April.
In addition to the Mickie James “Forbidden Door” bump, Impact also has a storyline right now featuring several members of Ring of Honor invading the promotion. The Honor No More stable consists of Vincent, PCO, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, and Maria Kanellis. Jonathan Gresham has also defended the ROH World Championship on recent Impact shows.
In the world title picture right now in Impact, Moose is gearing up to defend his championship against W. Morrissey next. They will face off for the belt on February 19th’s No Surrender 2022 show. Mickie James will also defend the Knockouts World Championship on that show against Tasha Steelz.
IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James made a historic appearance as part of the 30-woman Royal Rumble match on Saturday night.
James became the first woman in the contest’s history to appear whilst representing the top title of another promotion.
Following the contest, James spoke to Megan Morant about representing IMPACT Wrestling at the WWE Premium Live Event.
Mickie James Makes History at the Royal Rumble
“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” James began, explaining how it felt. “If you would’ve said to me that this moment would be happening right now, I would’ve said you’re insane. And here we are.
“We went out there and made history. I mean obviously, I wanted to win, I had my sights set high because obviously the winner goes on to WrestleMania, and I wanted that moment, but just to go out there as WWE family, as Mickie James – the legend, but also as Mickie James… ‘Hardcore Country’ Mickie James, something that the WWE Universe never saw, and to represent Impact as the Knockouts World Champion…
“I thought I did a great job, I had a heck of a showing and I’m sorry guys, I didn’t win, but in my heart the world won because we just broke down one of the biggest ceilings you’ve ever seen, and we did it for the ladies! You know what I mean?”
Mickie James is all set to make history at Royal Rumble this year by becoming the first outside champion to enter the battle royal. Though she is looking even further. The Knockouts champion is ready to defend her own title in a champion vs champion match at WrestleMania if she wins this Saturday.
The wrestling veteran hyped up her upcoming appearance during a promo on the latest episode of Impact Wrestling. She mentioned how it will be the first time a world champion that doesn’t belong to WWE will be represented at Royal Rumble. She then explained her plans for WrestleMania if she wins:
“For the first time ever, a world champion will be represented at the Royal Rumble that doesn’t belong to them, because it belongs right here.” said Mickie James, “I am truly honored and I can’t tell you how excited I am to walk into that Royal Rumble as your Impact Knockouts World Champion.
Hardcore country is going to bring everything she has because I am in it to win it. You talk about making history, I talk about at the end of the Rumble winning and walking into WrestleMania, putting my Knockouts Championship on the line. Title versus title. Champion vs champion. We’re gonna see just who the best in the world is.”
Mickie James won’t be the only exciting name returning for Royal Rumble. Stars such as Lita and Summer Rae have been announced for the show already. Reports suggest that there is another big return planned for the show which hasn’t been announced yet. Click here to read the spoiler on the surprise entrant.
Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James was the latest guest on Sam Roberts’ Notsam Wrestling Podcast.
James will make history this weekend when she competes in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble match. It will be the first time that a reigning Impact Wrestling champion appears on WWE programming.
Mickie James returns to WWE at the 2022 Royal RUmble
Mickie James and Sam Roberts spoke about the significance of her competing in the Royal Rumble, what it means for her to return to WWE, the NWA Empowerrr all-women’s pay-per-view and much more.
WWE released over 80 wrestlers in 2021. All of these departures were unfortunate. Some of the performers had just uprooted their lives and moved to Orlando, FL to work for WWE. However, the way WWE handled Mickie James’ release was perhaps the most callous of them all. After losing her job, her personal belongings were sent to her in a garbage bag.
Mickie James says she wasn’t worried about what to do after WWE released her. She loves the business and feels that she’ll always be able to carve out a niche for herself.
She had been released from the company before and knows there is life after WWE.
“I know it doesn’t seem that way, but there are so many different ways, especially now more than ever, to create your own value and be your own boss and to kind of make your own rules,” she said.
“And for me, I’m like, this is great, especially where I’m sitting, you know, for the length of time I’ve been in the business and what I see or how I want to continue to contribute. It’s a really powerful place for me to be sitting in too, it’s cool, it’s cool.”
Life After WWE
James hoped to end her WWE career in a “badass way.” As a veteran, she hoped to use her expertise and eventually be a backstage producer, where she’d work closely with the current generation of performers.
“I think it was definitely a conversation of like, ‘That is the next step,’ is to go to work behind the scenes. Because is just a whole new avenue to contribute to the future in a different way and to help the future and all the things. But I think that I was still like ‘Yeah but I still want to go out, bow out in like a badass way,’ you know?’ And yeah. I just didn’t think I was going to have a chance to do that [in WWE].”
Since her WWE release 9 months ago, she went on to executive produce the all-women’s NWA Empowerrr pay-per-view. She also captured the Impact Knockouts Championship for a fourth time.
Mickie James still has a lot more to contribute to wrestling. She writes the next chapter of her story this Saturday at the Royal Rumble.
Listen to Mickie James on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast:
Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James has detailed how her WWE Royal Rumble appearance is coming to fruition.
WWE turned a lot of heads by announcing Mickie for its upcoming Royal Rumble PPV. The company even acknowledged James as the Impact World Knockouts Champion.
WWE has acknowledged titles from other companies such as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but usually, that is only mentioned for a wrestler they’ve signed full-time.
Mickie James Talks Royal Rumble Appearance
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Mickie James recalled her initial reaction to WWE’s offer.
“It was a few weeks ago and Scott [D’Amore] had called me first just to kind of see where I was at and if I was interested.
“I think immediately I was excited because I think about, historically this has never happened before for WWE to do this or to have anyone participate in the Rumble, especially to acknowledge the championship.
“It’s really cool and it just shows a different, I don’t know, amount of respect. I feel really great about it. Plus, I think in my mind the last thing most people bring up or talk about was on the other end of the spectrum with it [trash bag incident].
“So, it’s just cool not to have that be the thing or the last thing or whatever that is. So, I’m just so excited, honestly.”
Mickie then discussed how talks of showing up at the Royal Rumble came to be.
“I feel like Johnny [John Laurinaitis] reached out to Scott first just talk to him professionally because it is [different] companies. This never has really been done before by them.
“So, definitely they talked first to see if this was gonna be something [that could happen]. Impact worked together with WWE in the past for other things for when Flair went in the Hall of Fame and Christian Cage and all that stuff.
“So, it wasn’t unforeseen that it could possibly happen. I think that’s why Scott first reached out to me to see what my interest was and obviously we were all able to make that happen somehow.”
Mickie is still signed with Impact, so this will be a one-off at least for now. There’s been a lot of talk regarding WWE’s motives for working with Impact.
It’s been said that the company wasn’t comfortable throwing in its developmental talent from NXT 2.0 and instead wants to rely on proven veterans for the Rumble match.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Impact Wrestling talent Deonna Purrazzo has shared her thoughts on Knockouts Champion Mickie James Royal Rumble announcement. The Royal Rumble takes place on January 29th.
When speaking on the WWE reveal, Purrazzo shared that it surprised her.
“I was equally as surprised, I think, as the entire wrestling world. I didn’t know that was going to happen, and I actually just got to my hotel room in Dallas, and Steve(Maclin) put on Smackdown, and there was that announcement, and I was like, oh, um interesting, okay,” said Purrazzo. She explained, “…WWE has kind of a closed-door policy with playing with others and to hear that I think was like the first time in history that they mainly acknowledge other companies like that.”
She also discussed the importance of WWE acknowledging Impact Wrestling.
“…I feel like we don’t get all the credit that we’re deserved and people kind of, you know, let things that happened in the past reflect their opinions on what we are doing now, and it was kind of like a really big thing for us,” said Purrazzo. She also noted that WWE sharing the news first concerned her because they were the main event of Hard to Kill, and they didn’t want new fans to think James WWE’s involvement was the reason. However, she believes that the news created more anticipation for their match.
"Mickie James has cleared her path to the @WWE Royal Rumble Match!"
James will make her return to WWE after the company released her last April. The WWE sent her personal belongings that she left in a trash bag to her to make matters worse. James spoke about the incident in an interview with Chris Van Vliet. SEScoop’s Chris Stephens transcribed the interview.
“I took it then as they think I am trash,” she continued. “I was with the company for four years, and they think I am trash. All these thoughts were running through my head. If you are already broken, they can be devastating. I am thinking about all of that and all the people who also got released beside me. I see my name on the bag, and it defines which bag is in which box. I’m thinking about the girls, and they wouldn’t say anything because you don’t want to mess up an opportunity for the future. But this Mickie James don’t give a sh*t. I am super grateful for my career and my ability; I couldn’t do it without WWE.”
It seems both James and WWE have settled their differences. James will make history as the first active Impact Knockout Champion to compete in the Royal Rumble.
The forbidden door has flown off its hinges with the recent news of a WWE and IMPACT Wrestling crossover.
In the anticipation of the annual Royal Rumble event, WWE revealed some of the entrants in this years Women’s Royal Rumble match, including seven legends. Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Lita all make their exciting returns to the match on January 29th. In addition, Summer Rae returns to WWE for the first time since 2016. Most notably though, former WWE superstar and current IMPACT Knockouts World Champion, Mickie James, was amongst the announced entrants into the Royal Rumble.
Since her release from WWE last April, James has once again risen in the ranks of professional wrestling. Leading the charge in producing NWA’s first ever all-women’s pay-per-view Empowerrr, Mickie James has simultaneously catapulted her stock over the course of the last six months. After engaging in a high intensity feud with “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo, James re-captured the Knockouts Championship at IMPACT’s Bound For Glory in October. This marked the beginning of James’ fourth Knockouts Championship reign.
Since then, she’s defeated the likes of Madison Rayne, Mercedes Martinez, and Kiera Hogan, and remains undefeated in singles competiton since August. Most recently, James rekindled her spark with rival Deonna Purrazzo in a heated Texas Death Match, in which Purrazzo invoked her rematch clause for the Knockouts Championship. Mickie James would go on to once again defeat “The Virtuosa” at IMPACT’s Hard To Kill event, guaranteeing herself to walk into the WWE Royal Rumble as the Knockouts World Champion.
The addition of Mickie James to the Royal Rumble has sparked intriguing conversations as to what James’ exact role will be in the match. With the shocking addition of Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair as well, the wrestling community, and Mickie James herself, have seemingly started the campaign for these two decorated champions to finally meet one-on-one.
During Mickie James’ second run in WWE (2016-2021), “The Queen” and herself nearly evaded any interaction in a ring together. The two fierce competitors found themselves on separate brands, until the Superstar Shakeup of 2019. There, Flair and James were both assigned to Smackdown. Charlotte would assume a feud with her WrestleMania rival Becky Lynch, reclaiming the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank. The same night, Flair fell victim to a successful Money in the Bank cash-in from Bayley.
Meanwhile, Mickie James was kept off screen. She would return to live events in late May of 2019, facing off against a former Smackdown Women’s Champion, Carmella. However, her return to a WWE ring would be short lived, as she sustained an ACL injury while on the live event tour. Surgery would then keep James out of action for over a year, before she made her eventual on-screen return in August of 2020.
James would begin a short series of matches against the likes of Natalya, Zelina Vega, and Asuka on Monday Night RAW before suffering from a broken nose, and disappearing from television. Mickie James would then reemerge in the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble, which ended up being her last match in WWE.
Entering the fray at #19, James joined the match with the likes of Bianca Belair, Naomi, and…Charlotte Flair (who entered at #15).
After James knocked down her opponents, she stood tall to be met eye-to-eye by Charlotte Flair. “I’ve been waiting for this a long time, baby,” she exclaimed to Flair, before the two engaged in a series of strikes. Flair would contribute a series of chops before the two respected competitors moved to the corner turnbuckle. James would retort with a slap before landing a hurricanrana on “The Queen”, sending her flying across the ring. Flair would quickly bounce back, tossing James through the ropes and onto apron, attempting to eliminate the six-time women’s champion.
This moment would be the only moment that these superstars would ever engage in the ring together in any capacity. Mickie James wants more though.
In a recent interview with Tru Heel Heat, James revealed that she wants more magic with the current Smackdown Women’s Champion:
“I still would want a moment with Charlotte because I never got it, that’s number one. That will always be…I really wanted to have that moment with her. I don’t know why it matters so much, I’m just like ‘God, we finally got that little moment in the Rumble,’ a little beat, and it was pretty awesome. My whole tenure there, the whole time I was back, we were never in the ring together until that moment, which is so crazy to me.”
Similarly, Charlotte Flair also declared two years ago that she’d like a true match with the current Knockouts Champion:
Mickie James and Charlotte Flair barely scratched the surface last year, but now, there is hope for that true moment between the two decorated champions.
Since the announcement of James’ presence in the Royal Rumble and the surprising addition of Charlotte Flair, James has seemingly set her sights on the Smackdown Women’s Champion.
In an intriguing move by WWE, Charlotte Flair announced herself as an entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble. This will mark the first time in the history of the Women’s Royal Rumble that a champion will enter their respective Rumble match. No formal explanation has been given, but perhaps if Flair wins this year’s Royal Rumble, she will hand select her WrestleMania opponent?
It’s a definite possibility.
On the other hand, Mickie James enters the 2022 Royal Rumble as the IMPACT Knockouts World Champion. Moreover, WWE acknowledged James as the Knockouts Champion when announcing her entry into the Royal Rumble. Though James is a certified WWE legend, never before has World Wrestling Entertainment crossed over with IMPACT Wrestling in an exciting headline like this. As of this writing, Mickie James and Charlotte Flair enter the Royal Rumble match as the only two singles champions. Besides that fact though, there is one other link between the two legendary superstars that could and should cause that dream one-on-one matchup.
Though the Flair and James have never engaged in action outside of the Royal Rumble, there is a huge story and date that has the power to spark this potential forbidden door match: March 26th, 2019.
For thirteen years, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus held the record the most women’s championship held by any competitors in WWE, with an outstanding seven reigns. In March of 2019, Charlotte Flair changed that. Defeating Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship on an episode of Smackdown, Flair claimed her eighth women’s championship in the company. There, she cemented herself in WWE history with the most Women’s Championship reigns of all-time, now ahead of Stratus.
Upon her second return to WWE in 2016, Mickie James was one title shy of tying the record then held by Stratus. James found herself competing for various championships, including a six-pack challenge for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, an Elimination Chamber match for the RAW Women’s Championship, and against Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Title on two occassions. In every opportunity however, James fell short.
James would meet Trish Stratus in the 2018 Royal Rumble, as Stratus taunted James by holding up seven fingers in her face, symbolic of her historic seven championship reigns. From 2010 until 2018, Mickie James was always second behind Stratus in the WWE history books. Every appearance of James on WWE programming following her sixth championship win, raised the stakes of her potentially tying history with Trish Stratus. Unfortunately, Mickie James never reclaimed a championship in WWE following her sixth Women’s Championship victory at the 2010 Royal Rumble.
James would forever trail Trish Stratus by one reign in the history books for the record, until 2019. Charlotte Flair would be the one to surpass Stratus on March 26th, 2019, becoming the Smackdown Women’s Champion and solidifying her eighth title reign in WWE.
Charlotte Flair reached a feat that Mickie James failed to do in her collective nine years in WWE. That realization is the fuel Mickie James needs to use upon her return to WWE. If James was never going to break Stratus’ record, perhaps a grudge match with the woman who did might provide her character some closure.
Flair has already beaten Trist Stratus’ record, and beaten Stratus herself at SummerSlam 2019. Then again, Mickie James has also beaten Trish Stratus, in her WrestleMania debut in 2006, ironically on the same day as this year’s WrestleMania: April 2nd.
Charlotte Flair will forever have a leg up on James in terms of the history books, but James might finally have a chance to change her fate this year. The addition of Charlotte Flair and Mickie James to the Royal Rumble could possibly lead to an ultimate forbidden door collision: Champion vs Champion.
Mickie wants it. Charlotte wants it. Now, it’s up to WWE and IMPACT to capitalize on the momentum and buzz.
Royal Rumble entry placements for Flair and James are still unknown at this time, but the drawing value is undoubtedly there. It is an absolute MUST that these two formally meet this year.
NOW is the time to book Mickie James versus Charlotte Flair.
Mickie James could be bound for the WWE Hall of Fame, according to HOF talent and AEW broadcaster Mark Henry.
WWE turned a lot of heads in the wrestling industry on the Jan. 7 episode of SmackDown. The promotion announced participants in the women’s Royal Rumble match but one name, in particular, stood out from the pack.
Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James is among the legends returning for this year’s Royal Rumble. WWE has not shied away from the fact that she’s the Impact women’s champion.
Mickie James Hall of Fame?
While the talk with Mickie’s surprise WWE return has been centered around cross-promotion, Mark Henry is more intrigued at the thought of a Hall of Fame induction. Here’s what he said on Busted Open Radio.
When asked if Mickie James belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame, Henry replied, “She does and without a doubt, she’s been one of the great women’s wrestlers of all time, wrestlers period. I mean, she got the job done.”
“She helped the business to be better and not many people can say that. Even if it’s not about the titles, which she held a lot of them, there’s no reason that she shouldn’t be put in the forefront and in the hallowed halls of the Hall of Fame.”
Henry sees the Royal Rumble appearance as the perfect setup for James’ induction.
“I think this will be a great step,” he said.
Mickie recently had a successful title defense against Deonna Purrazzo in the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill PPV. This means she is scheduled to make her Royal Rumble appearance as the Impact Knockouts Champion.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James retained her Championship in the main event of the Hard To Kill PPV event in Texas.
James defended the title against Deonna Purrazzo in a Texas Deathmatch, with both women taking massive bumps throughout.
The finish saw Mickie hit her Mick Kick followed by the Mick-DT, gaining the 3 count and then burying Purrazzo underneath a broken table and chairs to stop her from answering the 10 count.
James now heads into the 30-Woman Royal Rumble match for WWE at the end of the month, being the first-ever reigning IMPACT Knockouts Champion to do so.
Mickie James WWE Royal Rumble
Mickie James will be joining the likes of Nikki and Brie Bella, Kelly Kelly, Summer Rae and Charlotte Flair in the 30-Woman match at the end of January.
The IMPACT Hard To Kill show is available to watch now via FITE TV, with replays ready to stream following the conclusion of the event from Texas.
Here’s the full card for the event:
Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey vs. Laredo Kid in a Fatal 4-Way Match
IMPACT X-Division Championship Match – Trey Miguel (c) vs. Steve Maclin – if Maclin loses he can’t challenge for the championship again whilst Trey Miguel is champion
IMPACT World Championship Match – Moose (c) vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey
IMPACT Knockouts Championship Texas Deathmatch – Mickie James (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Knockouts Ultimate-X Match – Alisha Edwards vs. Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Lady Frost vs. Rosemary vs. Tasha Steelz
ROH World Championship – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
Josh Alexander vs. Jonah
Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering) in a 10-man Hardcore War
The IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill PPV event has already begun, and it has been confirmed during the show that the IMPACT Knockouts match will be main eventing the broadcast.
This will be the first time in both TNA and IMPACT history that a Knockouts Championship match will be main eventing a PPV event.
Mickie James will be defending her IMPACT Knockouts Championship against Deonna Purrazzo in a Texas Deathmatch.
This comes after it was revealed that Mickie James would be part of the 30-Woman Royal Rumble match for WWE at the end of the month.
Hard To Kill 2022 Main Event
The show is available to watch now via FITE TV, with replays ready to stream following the conclusion of the event from Texas.
Here’s the full card for the event:
Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey vs. Laredo Kid in a Fatal 4-Way Match
IMPACT X-Division Championship Match – Trey Miguel (c) vs. Steve Maclin – if Maclin loses he can’t challenge for the championship again whilst Trey Miguel is champion
IMPACT World Championship Match – Moose (c) vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey
IMPACT Knockouts Championship Texas Deathmatch – Mickie James (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Knockouts Ultimate-X Match – Alisha Edwards vs. Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Lady Frost vs. Rosemary vs. Tasha Steelz
ROH World Championship – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
Josh Alexander vs. Jonah
Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering) in a 10-man Hardcore War
Impact Knockouts World Champion Mickie James was announced as participating in the Royal Rumble last night on Smackdown. James was released by WWE in April of last year.
WWE acknowledged that James is the current Knockouts champion when announcing her participating in the Rumble. James will defend that title tonight at Hard to Kill against former champion Deonna Purrazzo, however.
“WWE wanted it, Mickie wanted it and IMPACT Wrestling’s philosophy is always to work with other major promotions to create buzz for the fans,” said IMPACT’s Scott D’Amore. “Everything is signed and agreed with WWE and IMPACT Wrestling – the only question is whether or not Mickie will enter one of WWE’s most historic annual matches as the reigning Knockouts World Champion.”
“There’s never been a time like this for wrestling fans. In a 12 month period, IMPACT Wrestling has worked with NWA, AAA, New Japan, AEW and now WWE. IMPACT Wrestling is the nexus of the forbidden door era.”
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Alisha Edwards vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Mickie James has played a key role in moving things forward with the women’s division in America for companies outside of WWE and AEW. She was key in the success of NWA’s EmPowerrr PPV and is the current Impact Knockouts Champion.
Mickie James Participates In Royal Rumble
Mickie James was released by WWE as part of budget cuts back in April 2021. Less than a full year later, she’ll be returning to the company for one night under circumstances that very few could’ve envisioned.
WWE has officially recognized Mickie as the Impact Knockouts Champion and she will be in the 2022 Royal Rumble.
We’ve seen AEW work with numerous promotions such as Impact, NWA, NJPW, AAA, and others. While WWE has worked with other promotions in the past, we don’t typically see the company recognize other organizations in this manner.
Mickie James has spoken previously about wanting to have worked an angle with Chelsea Green that mirrored the one she had with Trish Stratus leading up to WrestleMania 22. She recently spoke to Metro UK about what she felt when WWE decided not to go forward with the idea.
“Within the pitch of Chelsea Green on the way out, it would’ve been a perfect, magical re-circling way to build Chelsea and elevate her and make her a star as I was transitioning to find my foot into this other [backstage] role,” James said.
“For me, I felt like it was the perfect set of business but didn’t seem to hit on that level, and whatever. I don’t wanna say, “I get it” because I don’t get it.”
Green would have portrayed the stalker role similar to what James did in 2005/06 while James would have been in the Trish Stratus role.
“I know that that story would have been money and I know that would have ended up probably rivaling Trish and I’s angle, because it was going to mimmick and mirror it, but in a different capacity so well,” James continued.
Leading up to WrestleMania 22, James’ character was portrayed as something of a stalker for Trish Stratus. James won the WWE Women’s Championship from Stratus on the show, just months after making her debut with the company.
Both Chelsea Green and Mickie James were released earlier this year on April 15th, 2021. Green and James are both now with the NWA and Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling is finishing off 2021 by airing two “Best of 2021” episodes. Last night’s broadcast included some of the best matches of the year as well as the announcement of multiple award winners. More year-end award winners will be announced on next week’s episode.
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) were named the promotion’s tag-team of the year.
Last year, Deonna Purrazzo won both the Knockout of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards. She’s won the Knockouts of the Year award 2 years straight now. The Wrestler of the Year award will be announced next week.
In addition to the awards given out last night, a new match for the Hard to Kill PPV was also revealed. Trey Miguel will defend his X-Division Championship against Steve Maclin on the show.
Impact Hard to Kill 2022 will take place January 8th, 2022 from the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The matches below have been officially confirmed for the show:
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Josh Alexander vs JONAH
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel (c) vs Steve Maclin
Knockouts Tag Team Championships The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) (c) vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood) (with Kaleb with a K)
ROH Championship Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Chris Sabin
10-Man Hardcore War Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering)
Impact World Champion Moose has his first championship defense set for Impact’s next Pay Per View, Turning Point, on November 20th.
Impact Wrestling is currently taping episodes of their show at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada. A Fan uploaded clips on Twitter from yesterday’s tapings that revealed the number one contender for the Impact World Championship.
Spoiler for Number One Contender for Impact Title
A triple threat match between Matt Cardona, W. Morrissey, and Eddie Edwards happened during the tapings. Edwards won the match by pinning Cardona and became the number one contender to face Moose at Turning Point. Edwards will try to become a two-time Impact World Champion with a win over Moose.
Edwards becoming the number one contender at Turning Point raises the question of what Impact Wrestling is doing with Josh Alexander. Alexander seemed to be Impact’s next babyface champion after defeating Christian Cage at Bound for Glory on October 23rd. However, Moose would defeat Alexander shortly after to win the title. Fans watching the event questioned Impact’s motive for taking the championship away from Alexander. It now seems that Alexander won’t be getting a rematch for the title anytime soon.
While Alexander is not in the title picture, Impact Wrestling promoted that he’d face Minoru Suzuki during the tapings. It is unclear what Alexander will do at Turning Point or when he will get his rematch.
Another match that is Impact Wrestling teased during the tapings was Mickie James vs. Mercedes Martinez for the Impact Women’s Championship. Martinez challenged James to a title match at Turning Point. However, the match has not been made official by Impact Wrestling. The promotion will air the taped episodes for several weeks, starting this Thursday.
Mickie James has commented on winning the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship for the fourth time.
James challenged Deonna Purrazzo for the gold at Bound For Glory. Mickie ended the 343-day reign of Purrazzo.
Mickie James Admits Knockouts Title Win Means More To Her Than She Thought It Would
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Mickie James said that despite winning numerous world titles throughout her career, this one was special.
“It feels so good. Honestly, I didn’t think it would matter as much to me as it did in a sense because I have been a champion several times and I’ve had such a tenured career. We always go, ‘God, I don’t need the championship. I’ve done so much.’ There was nothing sweeter than winning the championship. I hadn’t won a championship in eight years. My last championship was the one that I lost in IMPACT against ODB. When I think about that I go, ‘Wow, that’s a long time.’ I’ve done a lot, but not really for me. It was a great moment, it was powerful, and it felt good.”
It’s a feel-good moment for Mickie, who was released by WWE back in April. Mickie aired out WWE for being unprofessional by sending her stuff in a trash bag. WWE acted quickly and fired the person responsible.
Since being released by WWE, Mickie played a key role in the creation of an all-women’s NWA PPV. Billy Corgan has credited her with making a lot of the cross-promotion deals a reality.
Tensions have been running high in the IMPACT Zone recently, specifically between reigning Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and three-time champ, Mickie James.
Months of brewing animosity reached a climax on last week’s episode of IMPACT, where Purrazzo shocked James with an unannounced visit to her personal home, in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the horse stalls of James’ backyard, the two Bound For Glory opponents traded strikes and fiery words in one of the most hectic brawls in IMPACT Wrestling history. There is certainly high levels of tension between these two fierce wrestling competitors, but perhaps, not ALL love is lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xXiI88Pzk
SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay recently appeared on the latest edition of IMPACT Wrestling Press Pass and chatted with current IMPACT producer, Gail Kim, alongside the Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, and “Hardcore Country”, Mickie James.
In the spirit of celebrating women’s wrestling this weekend at IMPACT’s Knockouts Knockdown event, James and Purrazzo shared one admiration they each had towards their fellow women’s wrestler.
“I will say what I admire most about Deonna is what she’s done since she’s walked into IMPACT Wrestling and she’s really carved out her own name,” James explained. “I think that you’ve done a remarkable job, Deonna. I will say that, from professional to professional. She’s an amazing talent. I’ve watched her matches and her ability to go in there with all of her opponents and have what I like to say is the match of the night, and I know that at Bound For Glory, regardless of what anyone says, you’re going to be up for the fight of your life, and I expect nothing less than that from you. So, the real winners, hopefully, are the fans.”
Deonna Purrazzo on Mickie James
Deonna Purrazzo then similarly expressed a positive regard towards Mickie James:
“I admire most how headstrong Mickie is about women’s wrestling, and how much she loves it, and wants, again like we’ve been talking about, to put it at the forefront of professional wrestling. That is something I dreamt about doing myself as a child growing up, wanting women to be more than they were perceived to be. So to be working with women who feel that same way, and are in a position to make it happen, is very special to me. So that is what I most admire about you [Mickie].”
Deonna Purrazzo is scheduled to defend her Knockouts Championship against Mickie James on October 23rd in Las Vegas, at IMPACT’s popular Bound For Glory pay-per-view in a dream match anticipated by many.
It will be interesting to see if the conversations held at Press Pass will hold any value to either competitor going forward, or if things will continue to heat up ahead of this historic bout.
You can view the entire 10/5 edition of IMPACT Press Pass on Facebook or in the player below:
Impact Wrestling has unveiled the announce team for Knockouts Knockdown.
The special all-women’s event is scheduled to take place on Oct. 9. This will be the first time the event will be held since 2017. It used to run annually beginning in 2013.
Gail Kim made the announcement that the event is making a comeback. The show will feature the likes of Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Mercedes Martinez, Lady Frost, Renee Michelle, and more.
“BREAKING: Here is your Knockouts Knockdown announce team!
Ring Announcer: Melissa Santos
Color Analyst: Mickie James
Play-By-Play: Veda Scott”
In addition to the announce team and the wrestlers revealed for the show, there will also be a Monster’s Ball match in honor of the late Daffney. Here’s what Impact had to say about the memorial match.
“Knockouts Knockdown will feature the Daffney Memorial Monster’s Ball match – a tribute to Daffney, who competed in the first Knockouts Monster’s Ball alongside Taylor Wilde in 2009.”
Keep it locked on SEScoops.com as more details of the Impact Knockouts Knockdown event become available. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on additions to the show as well as any potential changes.
Wrestling legend Mickie James is a fierce advocate for women’s wrestling. She was the driving force behind the recent NWA EMPOWERRR all-women’s pay-per-view.
During a recent interview with Nashville’s SportsLine One, James spoke about all things women’s wrestling, including EMPOWERRR, WWE’s Women’s Revolution and more.
The multi-time Women’s Champion says she once pitched an all-women’s brand to WWE. However, it not meant to be.
“It was met with a lot of resistance and maybe not understanding of why I was fighting so hard.”
– Mickie James
Mickie James presented the concept to some ‘very important’ people in WWE. She thought the idea made a lot of sense, because it would provide content for the Network while utilizing the company’s vast women’s roster.
“I had very important conversations with very important people,” she said. “I said, ‘Hey, let’s do an all-women’s brand. We do 205 Live and all these other things. We need content for The Network.”
Mickie James went on to explain how the all-female brand could have been a place for female stars to find their voice and wrestle until they were ready for live television.
“We have an immense amount of talent, talent that isn’t necessarily getting used on television right now. This could be a wonderful place for them to grow.'”
WWE Not Interested
The veteran wrestler revealed that her pitch to WWE about an all-women’s brand was met with a lot of resistance.
“It was met with a lot of resistance and maybe not understanding of why I was fighting so hard. I wasn’t just fighting for me and I wasn’t the only one who posed this question or went to the well. When I realized that this was the fight that I was hanging my hat on, it was unfortunate that it didn’t happen the way I wanted to in that moment.”
Mickie James was released on April 15 from WWE along with several other talent. Prior to her release, she worked with the company in a backstage capacity and also did some commentary work on shows such as Main Event and NXT. James talked about her behind-the-scenes role in the company prior to her departure and gave some details on how it was like.
Mickie James said that she doesn’t know if she had a “seat at the table,” but she used to attend creative meetings in the WWE and would sometimes give her input if it was applicable. “I don’t know if I had a seat at the table. I was more in a position where I was able to sit in on some of those [creative] meetings and perhaps give my opinion — but it was very rare where I spoke up unless it was pertaining to me,” James told TVInsider.
James added that she was feeling it out for a producer or agent role, but it was mainly a learning process for her. “I was feeling it out for a producer or agent role. I would honestly express my opinion to someone I loved and trusted, if it was something I felt like I should speak up about, but I was more in the learning phase of how it operates,” she explained.
Recently, Mickie James served as an executive producer for NWA’s all-women EmPowerrr pay-per-view event. According to NWA president Billy Corgan, James is still a free agent. James has said that she wants to help build the next generation of female NWA stars, and that is why she worked in a backstage capacity on the show instead of wrestling on the show because she wanted to give the other women a chance to shine.
