Mickie James

Mickie James (born August 31, 1979 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American professional wrestler. James was signed to a developmental contract by World Wrestling Entertainment in October 2003. In October 2005 she was promoted to the main roster and assigned to the RAW brand. She is the current WWE Women's Champion in her first reign, after defeating Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 22. She wrestled many years using the ring name Alexis Laree.

Career

Alexis Laree made her professional debut in the summer of 1999 as a ring valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling in Manassas, Virginia. She started out managing some of the most popular stars in the promotion such as Steve Corino and Tommy Dreamer, but eventually found herself being drawn into feuds with other wrestlers and their valets and managers. Eventually Laree chose to step into the ring as a wrestler herself. Although most of Laree's matches have been against women, some of her most memorable matches would be against men. She scored her first big win in a match against Sean Lei. One of the most highly acclaimed matches she has participated in was in June 2003 for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a member of The Gathering. She teamed with Julio Dinero against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett in a 2-on-1 Clockwork Orange House of Fun match. This match pits competitors inside a steel cage adorned with weapons of various types. Laree's career has gone through many promotions. In late 1999 she expanded out to other promotions including all-female promotions Beautiful Babes of Wrestling (BBOW) and Professional Girl Wrestling Association (PGWA). She probably made her largest impact wrestling for Maryland Championship Wrestling, where she engaged in several long-running feuds.

In January 2001 Laree made her debut appearance for two new women's promotions, Dangerous Women of Wrestling (DWOW) and Women's Extreme Wrestling (WEW). Both promotions worked together to promote women's wrestling with a hardcore edge, and WEW had regular monthly pay-per-view matches. Laree's feuds from here include matches against "Prime Time" Amy Lee, Dee-Dee Venturi, a re-ignition of her feud with Candie from MCW, and the start of a new series of feuds with "Simply Luscious" Ronnie Stephens. Her matches against Stephens stretched to many independent promotions in the northeast. She had a kayfabe sister called Valentina Laree as part of an angle during her indie days.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

On March 26, 2003 Alexis Laree appeared on a NWA:TNA PPV. Although she was on NWA:TNA's second-ever PPV in late 2002 as part of the all-women's lingerie battle royal, her arrival in 2003 marked the first time she was highlighted, as she helped out The Amazing Red in a mixed tag-team match against Kid Kash and valet Trinity. Two weeks later the two women would have a match against each other which ended prematurely when James was dragged away by the recently debuted Raven. Later that evening, it emerged that James had somehow become a part Raven's new group, The Gathering, which would later be expanded with the addition of Julio Dinero.

The Gathering was a smaller part of Vince Russo's "Sports Entertainment Xtreme" (S.E.X.), and with Raven assuming some control of the group, they immediately focused on Raven's attempt to take the NWA World Heavyweight title away from champion Jeff Jarrett. Over the next few weeks The Gathering broke away as James and Dinero helped Raven win his matches and would even start engaging Jeff Jarrett himself. On April 16, 2003 Jeff Jarrett was challenged to a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match against James and Dinero, marking the first time a woman had ever participated in this dangerous style of cage match. Jarrett powerbombed James from the top rope and through a table with Dinero laying on top, however Raven would run in, attack Jarrett with his "Raven Effect" DDT, and put Dinero on top for the pin. Raven would lose his first-ever NWA World Heavyweight title match against Jarrett two weeks later. The Gathering would arise again shortly thereafter, starting a feud with Father James Mitchell and his Disciples of the New Church faction. On July 30, 2003 The Gathering would lose a Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match against The New Church. James again participated in this match, making her the only woman to participate in it twice. At the end of the match James was hit in the face by a fireball from Mitchell and would not be seen on NWA/TNA broadcasts again.

On August 18, 2003 James was offered a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Despite some reports, she wasn't replaced by CM Punk, Since they were both in The Gathering at the same time, she was just shifted out of it.

WWE Development

October 2003 would mark a new calling for Laree, however. After appearing on several PPVs for NWA-TNA, she caught the attention of World Wrestling Entertainment. She was signed to a developmental contract and immediately sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky to begin training.

In early 2004 she started making television appearances for the OVW promotion, being regularly included in storylines including feuds with Jillian Hall, Melina, Trudi Denucci, Nikita Fink, Passion, Shaniqua, Melissa Coates, Ms. Blu, Beth Phoenix, & Shelly.

In summer 2005 she and CM Punk were reunited for the first time since The Gathering, Laree and CM Punk were literally briefly reunited as a new team in WWE, with James serving as Punk's valet for a taping of WWE HEAT in Cleveland, Ohio on July 25, 2005. The match was not aired, for conflicting reasons and plans to team the two together and bring them up to TV were abandoned. Prior to this, she also briefly appeared on television for Memphis Wrestling on April, 2005.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Laree made her debut on the main roster during the October 10, 2005 episode of WWE RAW under her real name: Mickie James, and was billed as an obsessed fan of Trish Stratus coming to her and Ashley's rescue following an attack on them by Victoria. In her first televised match a week later — a tag team match with Ashley Massaro and Stratus against Victoria, Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson — ended with James being pinned by Victoria. Several weeks later at Taboo Tuesday 2005, James "sacrificed" herself in a "Fulfill Your Fantasy" Diva battle royal for the WWE Women's Championship at , ensuring that Stratus would retain her title by sacrificing herself in order to eliminate Victoria. On the December 12, 2005 edition RAW Mickie James defeated Victoria to receive a match against Stratus for the WWE Women's Championship at New Years Revolution.

In the ensuing weeks. James developed a lesbian crush on Trish Stratus, frequently getting her into various compromising situations, such as talking with her beneath a mistletoe and interrupting her shower. Following her pinfall loss to Stratus for the WWE Women's Championship, James commented that it "felt like silk" when her skin touched Stratus's.

Hints at James' heel turn began after she attacked fan favorite Ashley Massaro during a tag-team match. She also claimed to be a victim of an unwanted advance by Stratus' boyfriend, Jack and provocatively licked an oversized photograph of a lingerie-clad Stratus on television. Stratus confronted James and asked that they "maintain their space."

On the March 18 WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, James completed her heel turn by attacking Stratus after a tag team match; the two shook hands as though they were parting ways, but James attempted to hug and kiss her partner. James attacked after Stratus pushed her away. James would continue to play mind games with Stratus for several weeks stating that even though "I (James) admired Trish for so long" at WrestleMania she had two goals, to take the WWE Women's Championship and also to see Trish's destruction.

WWE Women's Champion

At WrestleMania 22, James defeated Trish Stratus following a Mick Kick. James became the first Diva to win the Women's Championship on her WrestleMania debut since Wendi Richter at the very first WrestleMania.

When James came down to the ring, she had her hair dyed blonde, wearing Stratus' wrestling outfit and came down to the ring with a theme music that began like Stratus' own. Stratus responded by dressing and acting like James in an attempt to play mind games with her rival. James was disqualified in her WWE Women's Championship match vs. Stratus at Backlash 2006.

On May 1, following James' attack on Maria, an unknown woman confronted James and attacked her. The woman — later revealed as Beth Phoenix — attacked James on RAW for several weeks, repeatedly shouting "I won't let you (Mickie) get away with what you did." This feud was cut short after Phoenix injured her jaw in a match vs. Victoria. James' appearances on RAW started to suffer after this event. With few opponents available, WWE opted not to bring in "jobbers" for James to compete against and defend the WWE Women's Championship. Instead they decided to take her off of television except for the occasional appearance in a vignette. To add more insult to injury, James was forced to compete with the other WWE Diva's not in a ring, but in a bull-riding competition that was to air on Saturday Night's Main Event on July 15th, 2006. James complained on WWE.com that she did not like being associated with the other women who were not at her calibre of wrestling, and having to compete in a non-wrestling contest. James only lasted 14 seconds in the first round and did not move on. On July 16th James fell off of the Power25 rankings for the first time in months, it was specifically cited that her lack of title defenses is what lead to her removal, even though the lack was of WWE's own doing.

Finishing And Signature Moves

Mickie-DT (Tornado DDT)
Impaler DDT (Jumping Implant DDT)
Mick Kick (Roundhouse Kick)
Spinning Back Kick
Mick-a-rana (Headscissor takedown from the turnbuckle)
Mick Kick Combo (Spinning-back kick to the mid-section; forward kick to the face and chest; ending with a high spinning back kick to the head)
Baseball slide
Flying forearm

Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog)
'' Mickie James used Trish Stratus's finishers during the feud she was having with her. After Mickie won the championship and stopped dressing like Trish she no longer uses the Stratusfaction as her finisher.

As Alexis Laree

Laree DT (Tornado DDT)
Swinging reverse DDT

Personal information

Mickie worked as a waitress in an Olive Garden restaurant in Richmond, Virginia while she was training as a professional wrestler. At one time, Mickie was romantically linked with Adam Birch (Joey Mercury) of MNM fame. Mickie is currently engaged to Kenny of the Spirit Squad. ^*

She is an accomplished violinist.