Scott D’Amore thinks Mickie James could’ve been the female AJ Styles of TNA.
IMPACT Wrestling executive Scott D’Amore recently appeared on Busted Open Radio and recalled when he tried to sign Mickie James nearly 20 years ago and explains how he saw her as a possible cornerstone of the company. James was then known as “Alexis Laree” and part of Raven’s “The Gathering” stable, and D’Amore says he wanted to sign her back then, but she ultimately left for WWE.
“Going back nearly 20 years, in the early days of TNA, I remember going into the office and pleading because I knew that Mickie [James] was going to get an offer from WWE and she wasn’t under contract with us and I just knew she was special. At the time, she was still in — ah, what was Raven’s group? Tommy [Dreamer], you’ve got to know this. What was Raven’s group with [CM] Punk and [Julio] Dinero and Mickie Eh, it’s Raven [D’Amore jokingly said].
“But no, she was one of the athletes I thought in the early days of TNA could really be the centerpiece. I always thought she could be the female AJ Styles for our company and it didn’t work out that way. She went on and as you alluded to Dave [LaGreca], had a first-ballot Hall of Fame career and I thought the window had closed for the opportunity to get to work with Mickie again but hey, wrestling’s a strange business and the world’s a strange place and here we are, all these years later, getting an opportunity to do it and she is still peak, peak performance and she’s a class-act.
“She’s a positive influence and just having somebody like Mickie as a role model around — if Mickie wasn’t still top-skilled, her wrestling skills weren’t still top-level, she would be worth having around just for the presence and the influence that she can have on a locker room. But then the fact is, she’s as good or better then she’s ever been in the ring so not only is she a leader for as far as how she conducts herself, how she shows up to the building, how she carries herself, how she does media. She’s also still going out there night in and night out with us and showing everybody, male or female, this is how to be a world class — as you said Dave, Hall of Fame-caliber performer. Night in, night out and being a true pro so I think that’s awesome for our company and grateful to have her and Deonna [Purrazzo] and guys, let’s kick ass this Saturday [at Hard To Kill].”
(h/t to POST Wrestling for the transcription)
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