Former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James has described the name of NXT faction The Schism as a ‘massive turnoff’.
The Schism stable is comprised of Rip Fowler, Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid and Ava Raine, daughter of former WWE Champion Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Legendary Superstar James explained her views on the group on a recent edition of Sirius XM’s ‘Busted Open Radio‘ show, noting that whilst she did not like the name, she did enjoy the factions work:
“I just don’t like the name. I hate it so much. It’s a massive turnoff every time the word is said. And I know it’s not what that word means, but I feel like this is a representation of wrestling and our audience. I feel that about 80 percent of the audience is thinking the same thing I’m thinking, and every time they say the word, they’re all going, ‘Ew. Ew. What is it? What is it?’
“And I know Andre [a producer for ‘Busted Open Radio’] looked it up before during the break, and it means a split, which makes sense. I’m sure some hipster came up with this cool name, and really, now they’re clinging to it because I don’t love it at all. I like the idea of everything that it is, but even when I go, ‘Well, what is Schism?’ Are these guys Schismy?’ I don’t really know.”
“Ava’s involved, and I love Ava so much. Then I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to hate it; I wanna love it.’ And I like the masks and all the things, and the leader, and the whole thing. The package is cool. I hate the name. I hate it so much.”
When Did Mickie James Last Compete In WWE?
Mickie James was last seen in a WWE ring during the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble, entering at number 20 and lasting over 11 minutes before being dumped out by former rival Lita.
The appearance marked a significant crossover moment as James was the IMPACT Knockouts World Champion at the time and her appearance was cross promoted by both WWE and IMPACT.
H/T: WrestlingInc for the above transcription