NWA EmPowerrr executive producer Mickie James joined Busted Open Radio to promote the all women’s wrestling show, taking place tonight as part of NWA’s weekend at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. James got emotional talking about putting together the show and how cool it was to take the reigns of something she’s long been fighting for.
“I’m really passionate about it,” James said. “And I think, through all the things, a lot of things can be taken out of context. Because people have never been in my shoes, they don’t know what it’s like. Your life really depends on what someone else’s opinion of you is, you know what I mean? So it’s really cool to be able to take the reigns and present women’s wrestling and do what I was fighting so hard for, and be given the platform to do what I was fighting so hard for. It’s really amazing and it makes me cry because Impact didn’t have to do any of that. They’ve gone above and beyond to help me because they believe in me and they love me and obviously we have a really good relationship. And they wanted to see EmPowerrr be successful, because they want me to be successful.
“It’s been really amazing to see that and to see the bumpers, the video package and all these cool things to promote the show that isn’t even their show. But even like Billy giving me the platform and to be able to present the show in a way I kind of saw it in a vision, or however it is. It’s just really cool, and it’s cool because I don’t, I didn’t want people, because of how things ended with WWE, I think people think I have this bitterness or this anger whatever. I’m more of a sarcastic person, if you know my sense of humor, I joke about a lot of things because it’s easier to hide my emotions underneath jokes. But I really wanted to do something special and I really wanted to do something powerful, and I couldn’t do that alone. And I think I found the right women to present and everybody’s come together, and it’s amazing. It’s amazing and it makes me cry sometimes. Because I love wrestling.”
James also talked about all the decision makers involved with EmPowerrr being women, with Gail Kim, Jazz and Madusa assisting her in putting the show together. It was important to James that this be the case.
“That was important to me too and that was a conversation with Billy and I where we were like ‘we need to have where it’s like an all (women’s produced show),'” James said. “There’s obviously going to be men back there helping, between Pat and Billy and Daivari or whoever else. But the people at the decision making table needed to be women and I was like ‘well I feel they needed to be women who represented the generations of pro wrestling.’ Who all overcame they’re own adversities, who kind of kicked down glass ceilings and the doors. I remember when I first tried out for ECW, Jazz was there and I was like ‘holy s**t.’ She was a bad ass. She was so different and when I first got into wrestling that was what I wanted to be. I wanted to be one of the best wrestlers and not just one of the best female wrestlers, just one of the best wrestlers. To me Jazz was that, because she would wrestle like the guys. And everything she did looked legit and it was impactful and it was powerful, yes she was still beautiful and still a woman and she was a strong, bad ass woman in a man’s ring. And that was the big difference maker.
“I think every women’s career that I’ve chosen is significant and they’ve all broken down those glass ceilings for themselves, for the generations and for people to come back and want to aspire to be like them. From Madusa, you know, even Beth (Phoenix) has said that was her favorite, and she was one of her biggest inspirations. I think we all have our stories. Everybody in wrestling has their stories and their obstacles and all the things. But it’s really cool that it’s a multi-generational women’s kind of (thing). The road that had been paved to get to where we’re at now with all these women, it’s just pretty remarkable. And it’s multicultural, multi-generational, multi-bad asses. And I can’t say enough about Gail. I love Gail so much and what she’s done with the Knockouts too and what she was able to do with Impact. It’s just really cool. And they’re all my friends and I love them and I respect them, and I respect their opinions. We’re all on the same boat on the same team. It’s good, it’s really, really good.”
While James won’t be wrestling on EmPowerrr as she focuses on producing it, she will wrestle at the NWA 73 Anniversary Show the next night, taking on Kylie Rae. James is over the moon about the matchup.
“I’m very excited about it,” James said. “Obviously Kylie is amazing and anyone that I’ve talked to and I’ve seen, I saw her perform at the last set of tapings and that was the first time I’ve met her. I think she’s incredible. Everyone’s compared her to me in a lot of ways and I’m like ‘oh I don’t know. She might be better (but not really).’ No she’s incredible and I’m very excited. It’s the right match as well because it’s a good homecoming. It’s my first match back in a ring in a long time and it felt right, because she’s a babyface, Smiley Kylie. And I know that she’s going to go out there and we’re going to have a killer match. And that was kind of what it’s about, and that’s to go out there and have like a first match back that felt good for the people, that felt good for me, that felt good for her. And I think it’s going to be awesome.”
James also talked about her good friend Melina, who will be wrestling Deonna Purrazzo for the Impact Knockouts Championship on EmPowerrr. James really put over Melina and how she’s working to overcome set backs that have recently plagued her, with James’ encouragement.
“I look at Melina and her career and everything and I know Melina, and I know her heart and her soul,” James said. “She’s very passionate. I felt like, especially after her knee injury and she almost went back and then she didn’t end up going back, she’s just had a lot of setbacks. We all have during the pandemic and stuff. It was never, I can always try to remind her like ‘those have nothing to do with you or your talent and ability. Because you’re amazing and you’re a star.’
"We get so humbled all the time that I think we forget how bright our star shines. And we almost kind of downplay our successes or downplay our victories and downplay all these things because we’re not supposed to celebrate them. I just want to shake her sometimes cause I’m like ‘you’re Melina. You’re amazing, you’re a star and and you are a multi-time Women’s Champion and you’re going to go out there and kill it. And I think we all need that one person to remind us that we’re freaking amazing, because you’ll have a whole lot of people try to tell you that you’re not.”
