Mickie James has spoken at length about the unfortunate events that happened following her release from WWE where her belongings were returned to her in a trash bag.
James posted a photo of the trash bag in question on Twitter and tagged WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to bring it to his attention. In the time that followed both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon both issued apologies on social media. They also confirmed that the person responsible no longer worked for the company.
Speaking on GAW TV Mickie James laid out her feelings about the whole situation. According to James she almost deleted the Tweet before it garnered all the attention that it did.
James explained:
“All I can do is laugh about it. It’s not even about the trash bag. I was astonished at how it took off, I almost deleted the post because I felt like it came off as too nasty or bitter. I was being sarcastic and laugh at myself and the situation [and] I got my stuff the exact same way ten years ago. The difference is, at that point, I honestly believed it and took it to heart and thought ‘this is what the company thinks about me.’ I know I made bad decisions, but at the same time, it didn’t spark there.”
“Between the Piggy James stuff and even in the last run, it’s just how I felt positioned in the last three years. It’s okay. I’m good now because I’m in a good space and can express myself in a real fashion. I was like ‘Wow, they still do this. This is bullsh*t.’ It’s also kind of comical because it’s literally how I felt that they thought about me for the last three years whenever I’d pitch anything or talk about anything.”
James then discussed former Head of Talent Relations Mark Carrano. Carrano was let go by the company shortly after James’ social media post. Although WWE has not officially made any correlation between these two events.
James stated:
“I know it wasn’t a direct thing. I empathize with Mark and feel bad he’s taking the full brunt, it sucks, but I guarantee his pension package is more than what I got paid in my last run. So, I don’t feel that bad. He was not happy in that situation. I’m p*ssed and don’t want to come across as angry, but it is a direct reflection of everything I’ve experienced in coming back. I was happy to take a backseat and take a trainer role. All I asked for was a curtsy out the door. It was never ‘I want one last run’ or ‘I want to wrestle for the next five years.’ All I wanted was a little respect so it wouldn’t feel like unfinished business.”
“I felt because I was asking for this one thing, it was going to come with a price. I’m not saying that’s from Vince because he’s always been respectful to me. He called me on the phone to apologize for this incident and to let me know that this isn’t what he thought of me. I tagged Vince because he needs to know. There’s a lot of stuff that happens under his nose that he is oblivious to because he’s running a multi-billion dollar company.”
James then details how she felt ageism played a part in how she was presented, noting that she came up against challenges that her male counterparts did not:
“The small-minded mentality sometimes leads to thoughtless behavior. Especially for me, to constantly be presented as old, when I’m 41 years old and every single male champion has always been my same age or older and has been glorified for those reasons. As they should be, they’re amazing. Why is it different for women or for me? Ageism is a real thing and it’s bullsh*t. I’m grateful for the strides we’ve made to be seen as equal, but it’s not true for every person and it’s unfortunate. I don’t know why I was made to feel like I didn’t deserve it. I did everything in my power to be a company girl.”
Mickie James finished by saying that the person she really felt hurt by still has a job within WWE:
“The fans were way more offended than I was. The person who is responsible for me feeling like sh*t and trying to devalue me or sabotage me or make me feel less than is still very much employed.”
The six-time WWE Women’s Champion also discussed how her creative pitches were ignored time and again in the last few years with the company.