Dave's Battle Axe: Wherefore Art Thou Mickie James

When future Hall of Famer Mickie James stepped back into a WWE ring last November to take on Asuka at NXT Takeover Toronto, it marked the return of one of the pioneers of the women’s revolution not just within the company but across the wrestling spectrum.

Her epic tussle with the Empress of Tomorrow that night was supposed to usher in a new era for Mickie as she was shortly signed thereafter to the main roster for a multi-year deal with WWE, first on Smackdown and now currently on Raw.

Or should I say Main Event? In the months since her inclusion to the main roster, Mickie has drifted further and further into the background, occasionally serving as just ‘enhancement’ talent to put other, younger Superstars over. I get that that’s the formula WWE likes but we are talking about Mickie James here, right?

The 6 time WWE women’s champion. The crazy glue that held the late Attitude Era women’s division together. The 18 year veteran/singer/mom/superheroine who’s won championships all over the world and has a bag of tricks a mile deep for anyone who really wants to challenge her in the ring.

Now sure, it’s easy to overlook the body of work of Mickie James if you’re a current WWE fan. The next generation of fans don’t remember her stellar past matches and so far, the booking for her has been unmemorable to say the least, so how can you remember anything other than her colorful, old school ring gear?  And this generic baby face thing they’ve got her doing? So NOT Mickie. I’d say it’s sad to watch but that would be elevating things where they are not.  

But maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe she needs time during her schedule for family or work on other projects. If that’s the case, I hope Mickie is smiling all the way to the bank. But if not, ask yourself this - would Chris Jericho be treated like this upon return? 'Hell no' is the correct answer.  

Mickie James left WWE in 2010 before being sucked into the sad direction the whole Divas era took. Now that 'Divas' is just the name of a TV spinoff and the women’s division is back stronger than ever, would the real Mickie James please stand up?

I don’t care if it’s crazy stalker Mickie or crazy awesome Mickie, I just need more of her and a legit push for another title. As I look over the roster for the #MaeYoungClassic, I see a lot of young Mickie’s waiting to come up. Let’s give those ladies a shot of the original, rattlesnake tough, 80 proof flavor in the women’s division.