Mickie James Mickie Laree James - Aldis ( August 31 , 1979 ) is an American professional wrestler , actress , model and country singer signed to WWE , under the ring name Mickie James , where she competes on the " SmackDown Live " brand . James began her wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit , where she was known under the name Alexis Laree . She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( NWA : TNA ) in June 2002 , where she gained national attention . After only a few appearances , she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into storylines with the group . She is also the only woman to be involved in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match es . James debuted at World Wrestling Entertainment ( later renamed WWE ) in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus , in which James ' gimmick was that of Stratus ' s biggest fan turned obsessed stalker , an angle which ran over eight months . She received a push , and she won her first WWE Women ' s Championship at WrestleMania 22 , a title she has held a total of five times . James also won her first Divas Championship at Night of Champions in 2009 to become the second of five Divas to hold both the Women ' s and Divas titles . She was released from the company on April 22 , 2010 , after which she returned to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) . In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , James won the TNA Knockouts Championship three times and the 2013 TNA World Cup with Team USA . She left TNA in September 2013 . Between WWE and TNA , James is a nine - time champion , which is a national record and is also the only female to hold the WWE Women ' s , WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts Championships in wrestling history . " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " ranked James as the number one female wrestler in 2009 , and she was also voted Woman of the Year twice , first in 2009 and again in 2011 by readers of PWI magazine . Career history . Early career . After a suggestion from a friend , James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington , D . C . area . She made her professional debut on the independent circuit in 1999 as a valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the ring name Alexis Laree , a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name . As Laree , she managed several male wrestlers , including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship . In March , she wrestled in her first match , an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie . She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the Funking Conservatory , a workshop run by Dory Funk , Jr . , and an Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) dojo . She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling , where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton . Due to the low salary of the independent shows , James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant , and in May 2000 she posed nude for an issue of Leg Show magazine . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . While working in Ring of Honor for a year , James also debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) on the company ' s second ever weekly pay - per - view under her Alexis Laree gimmick as a participant in a lingerie battle royal . She was not prominently featured until March 26 , 2003 , when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against Kid Kash — the X Division Champion — and Trinity . Weeks later , she became the first member of the Gathering , a stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett . [ 9 ] On April 16 , Laree became the first ( and thus far , only ) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett . She continued to wrestle with the stable when they feuded with the Disciples of The New Church , taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchell kayfabe burning her with a fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company . Ohio Valley Wrestling . After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls , as well as wrestling a tryout match with Dawn Marie , James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment , who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , their farm territory , in August . Still using the Alexis Laree name , she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29 , 2004 and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year . She also won a Halloween Costume Contest on October 30 and defeated Jillian Hall in a $ 1 , 000 match on November 12 . On May 17 , 2005 , Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship . She was booked to go over Mike Mondo in the first round , only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next one . She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview , setting up a match on July 29 which Laree lost . Their angle continued into September , with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree . On October 12 , she appeared in OVW under her real name and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall . World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2005 – 2010 ) . Trish Stratus ' fan ( 2005 - 2006 ) . James debuted in WWE on the October 10 , 2005 episode of Raw , continuing to use her real name , under the gimmick of WWE Women ' s Champion Trish Stratus ' biggest fan . The angle had the two WWE Divas competing together in tag team matches , with James ' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus . The storyline included a Halloween Costume Contest in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women ' s Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time . She even began utilizing Stratus ' signature finishing moves as her own during matches . James became the number one contender for the Women ' s Title on December 12 by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year ' s Revolution . Subsequently , the storyline between James and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle after James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe and complimented Stratus on her breasts . In the championship match at the pay - per - view , James jobbed to Stratus but continued to be enamored of her the next night on Raw , and she confessed her love for Stratus at the Royal Rumble . On March 6 , 2006 , the storyline had Stratus confront James , telling her that they needed time apart from each other . The duo teamed together at the March 18 , 2006 edition of Saturday Night ' s Main Event to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria . After the match , James agreed to honor Stratus ' wishes and attempted to kiss her . After Stratus pushed her away , James turned heel by attacking Stratus in the ring and later vowing to destroy her . The two women wrestled each other at WrestleMania 22 , where James was booked to win the match to claim her first reign as Women ' s Champion . During the match , despite the fact that James was playing the heel character , the fans frequently cheered James and booed Stratus whenever Stratus hit an offensive maneuver . The angle ended at Backlash during a rematch after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring . Women ' s Champion ( 2006 - 2008 ) . James dropped the Women ' s Title on August 14 to Lita after Lita hit James with the title belt while Lita ' s on - screen boyfriend Edge distracted the referee , resulting in a face turn for James ' on - screen persona . After the Women ' s Championship was vacated due to the legitimate retirement of Trish Stratus , James entered a tournament to determine the new champion . She defeated Victoria and Melina in the qualifying rounds before making it to the finals at Cyber Sunday , where she lost to Lita . The two Divas wrestled in a series of matches where Lita kayfabe chose the stipulations , all of which involved hindering James ' wrestling ability . The storyline feud ended at Survivor Series , where James defeated Lita to win her second Women ' s Championship . An angle was created between James and Melina on January 29 , 2007 when Melina became the number one contender for the Women ' s Title . Following a successful title defense on February 5 , James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro . After Melina pinned James for the victory , she challenged her to a rematch for the title . James dropped the Women ' s Championship to Melina on February 19 and , in continuation of their storyline feud , failed to regain the title during the first ever Women ' s Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history . Near the end of the match , James fell from the turnbuckle and landed on her neck but was not seriously injured . The scripted feud between James and Melina continued on April 2 when James interrupted and attacked Melina during a photo op on Raw . At a house show in Paris , France on April 24 , James won her third Women ' s Championship during a Triple Threat Match that also involved Victoria . Since James pinned Victoria , however , and not Melina , Jonathan Coachman announced that a rematch would take place immediately . James dropped the title back to Melina , giving her the shortest Women ’ s Championship reign in WWE history . On the November 26 edition of Raw , James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Beth Phoenix ' s Women ' s Championship , setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon , a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women ' s title . On the April 14 , 2008 edition of Raw , held in London , James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women ' s Championship . Phoenix got a rematch on the May 5 edition of Raw , but James retained her title . At SummerSlam in a Winners Take All tag team match she lost the Women ' s Championship to Phoenix , with Kofi Kingston ' s WWE Intercontinental Championship being on the line as well , losing it to Santino Marella . After James lost her Women ' s Championship , she had two rematches for the championship but was unsuccessful in regaining the title . Divas Champion and SmackDown , Release ( 2009 – 2010 ) . Following an appearance in the 25 - Diva battle royal at WrestleMania XXV , James began feuding with WWE Divas Champion Maryse going into Night of Champions on July 26 , 2009 . At the event , James defeated Maryse to win her first Divas Championship , becoming only the second Diva in history to have held both the Women ' s and Divas titles . Throughout the summer , James successfully defended the title against Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix on editions of " Raw " , and against Alicia Fox at the Hell in a Cell pay - per - view on October 4 . The following week on " Raw " , James dropped the belt to Jillian Hall after an approximate three month title reign . After the show , James was moved to the " SmackDown " brand for the first time in her career due to a Diva trade made by " Raw " guest host Nancy O ' Dell . James made her " SmackDown " debut on October 23 by defeating Layla . The next week , a controversial angle began that saw WWE Women ' s Champion Michelle McCool and Layla bully James , resulting in a five - on - five elimination tag team match at the November pay - per - view event Survivor Series , where James ' team prevailed over McCool ' s team . On the December 3 edition of " SmackDown " , James became the number one contender for McCool ' s title by defeating Beth Phoenix and Natalya in a triple threat match . The following week , James challenged McCool for the Women ' s Championship at , but was unsuccessful after interference from Layla . The storyline feud continued into the Royal Rumble on January 31 , 2010 where James finally defeated McCool to win her fifth Women ' s Championship . Over the next couple of weeks , " SmackDown " consultant Vickie Guerrero was introduced into the rivalry , choosing to side with Team Lay - Cool after James accidentally doused her with cottage cheese . On the February 26 edition of " SmackDown " , McCool used her rematch clause to face James for the Women ' s Championship , with Guerrero acting as special guest referee . After Guerrero slapped James in the face , McCool pinned her to regain the title . On March 9 , WWE . com announced that James was diagnosed with a staph infection on her right knee . She returned on the March 22 edition of " Raw " , where alongside Kelly Kelly , she accompanied Eve Torres , Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim in their losing effort against Michelle McCool , Maryse and Layla , who had Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox in their corner . This set up a 10 - Diva tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI in which James made an unsuccessful in - ring return after Guerrero pinned Kelly following a " hog " splash . James ' final match in WWE aired on the April 23 edition of " SmackDown " where she teamed with former rival Beth Phoenix against Lay - Cool in a losing effort . She was released from WWE one day earlier on April 22 . Independent circuit ( 2010 - present ) . James made her in - ring return in April as part of WWC , teaming with Carlitos to defeat the team of ODB and Christopher Daniels . James won the bout , pinning Daniels after a Mickie - DT . On July 11 as part of their Anniversary weekend , she defeated ODB in a singles match . On the last day of that month , James returned to one of her early promotions , Maryland Championship Wrestling , to wrestle upstart Mia Yim in a winning effort . The following month she contested for the Women Superstars Uncensored ( WSU ) Championship against Mercedes Martinez but lost . She also returned to Dory Funk ' s promotion , recording a tag team match for " ! Bang ! TV " . At MCW ' s " Ladies Night " event on June 19 , 2015 , James defeated Amber Rodriguez to win the MCW Women ' s Championship in a match officiated by Lisa Marie Varon and featured Melina as the outside enforcer , despite Melina turning heel by attacking James during the match . On November 13 , Kimber Lee defeated James to win the MCW Women ' s Championship after interference from Amber Rodriguez . The following night , James gained a measure of revenge by defeating Rodriguez in a Loser Leaves MCW match , causing Rodriguez to leave the company . Return to TNA Wrestling ( 2010 – 2013 ) . Knockouts Championship reigns ( 2010 - 2011 ) . On September 22 , 2010 , it was reported that James had signed a contract with TNA Wrestling and would return to the promotion on the October 7 live episode of " Impact ! " . James returned to TNA on October 7 ' s " Before The Glory " special episode of " Impact ! " , announcing that she would be the special guest referee for the TNA Knockouts Championship match between Angelina Love , Velvet Sky , Madison Rayne and Tara at Bound for Glory . At the pay - per - view , James counted the pinfall which made Tara the new Knockouts Champion , prompting Rayne to shove James amidst an argument with Tara , and James replying with a punch . On the following edition of " Impact ! " , Tara lost the title to Rayne while James made her intentions for the Knockouts Championship clear , after a confrontation with the new champion . James wrestled her first match the following week , defeating Sarita , before being attacked by Rayne ' s ally , Tara . James wrestled her first TNA pay - per - view match at Turning Point , where she battled Tara to a double disqualification . On the November 18 episode of " Impact ! " James defeated Angelina Love to become the number one contender to the championship . At Final Resolution James was defeated by Tara in a Falls Count Anywhere match , following interference from Rayne after she sprayed a fire extinguisher and hit James with the Knockout Title belt . On the following episode of " Impact ! " James defeated Tara in a Steel Cage match . On January 9 , 2011 at Genesis , James lost her match against Rayne for the Knockouts Championship due to interference by Tara . The following month at Against All Odds James once again failed to win the Knockouts Championship , this time losing to Rayne in a Last Knockout Standing match , after another interference by Tara . On the March 17 edition of " Impact ! " , Rayne agreed to give James one last title match at Lockdown with the added stipulation that should James fail to win the title , she would have her hair shaved off . On March 18 , James separated her shoulder at a house show in Jacksonville , Florida . James ' s injury was put into a storyline , where it was caused by Rayne and Tara running over her in a motorcycle . On April 17 at Lockdown , James defeated Rayne in a steel cage match , which lasted less than a minute to win the TNA Knockouts Championship for the first time . James became the first woman to have held the WWE Women ' s Championship , Divas Championship , and the TNA Knockouts Championship . On the May 5 edition of " Impact ! " , James made her first successful title defence against Miss Tessmacher . On May 15 at Sacrifice , James successfully defended her title against Rayne and in the process helped Tara get a release from her exclusive contract with Rayne . The following month at Slammiversary IX , James successfully defended her title against Angelina Love , however , after the match , both Love and Winter attacked her . This led to a match on August 7 at Hardcore Justice , where James lost the Knockouts Championship to Winter , following a distraction from Love . On the September 1st episode of TNA Impact , Mickie won the Knockouts Championship back from Winter , after a kick to the head . Two weeks later at No Surrender , Winter defeated James again for the Knockouts Championship . James defeated Tessmacher to qualify for a 4 - way match at Bound for Glory . At Bound for Glory , Sky won the Knockouts Championship match which also involved Winter and Rayne . Various Feuds ( 2011 - 2013 ) . On the November 17 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James defeated nine other knockouts in a gauntlet match to earn a match with the new Knockouts Champion , Gail Kim . On December 11 at Final Resolution , Gail defeated Mickie to retain the Knockouts Championship , following a distraction from Madison Rayne . In the main event of the December 29 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James challenged Kim for the Knockouts Championship , but was defeated following interference from Madison Rayne . On the January 5 , 2012 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James and Traci Brooks failed to capture the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship from Kim and Rayne . Three days later at Genesis , James failed in her Knockouts Championship challenge against Kim , after being disqualified for using brass knuckles . On the January 19 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James defeated Rayne in a steel cage match . On the January 26 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James and Velvet Sky were defeated by Tara in a # 1 Contender ' s three - way match for the Knockouts Championship . Two days later at the tapings of the February 9 episode of " Impact Wrestling " in London , James competed as a heel in a losing effort to Velvet Sky . On the April 5 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James was defeated by Sky in a six - way number one contenders match , also involving Angelina Love , Madison Rayne , Tara , and Winter . On the June 7 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James again failed to earn a shot at the Knockouts Championship in a four - way match . During the match , James began slowly turning villainous due to jealousy towards Sky . On the June 21 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James was chosen over Sky as the next challenger for the Knockouts Championship , but failed to recapture the title from Miss Tessmacher . James ' storyline with Sky ended abruptly the following month , when Sky was granted her release from TNA . On the August 2 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Mickie James unsuccessfully competed in a four - way number one contenders match involving Gail Kim , Tara and the eventual winner Madison Rayne . After a three - month absence , James returned to in - ring action on the November 15 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , winning a Knockouts battle royal to become the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship . On December 9 at Final Resolution , James was unsuccessful in winning the championship from Tara after a distraction by her boyfriend Jesse . James received another shot at the Knockouts Championship on the December 20 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , but was again defeated by Tara . On January 13 , 2013 , at the Genesis pay - per - view , James competed in a five - woman gauntlet match to determine the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship , but was eliminated by Gail Kim . Heel Turn and Departure ( 2013 ) . On the April 18 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Mickie James defeated Miss Tessmacher to become the # 1 Contender to the Knockouts Championship . James received her title shot the following week , but was defeated by defending champion Velvet Sky . despite beginning a heel turn by attacking Sky ' s injured knee . On the May 23 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James defeated Sky to win the Knockouts Championship for the third time in her career ; doing so by delivering a chopblock to Sky ' s injured knee followed by a DDT . On the following episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James continued displaying her villainous persona by calling out Velvet Sky , seemingly acting sarcastic and pompous towards her , and then watched her get attacked by Gail Kim . On the June 6 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , James defeated Taeler Hendrix in a non - title match . On the June 13 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James turned heel and attacked Sky ' s injured knee after Sky demanded a rematch . James and Sky finally had their rematch on the June 27 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , where James retained her championship after forcing Sky to submit to a Cross - legged STF . On the following week , the evil James justified her actions by claiming that getting to the top of the Knockouts Division requires clawing and scratching your way to the top ; James also claimed that no woman would ever be as great as her and she ' ll stand atop the division as the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time . On the July 25 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James successfully defended the Knockouts Championship against Gail Kim . James suffered her first loss as a villainess on the August 8 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , when she and the BroMans ( Robbie E and Jessie Godderz ) were defeated by ODB , Eric Young , and Joseph Park . The following week , James was defeated again by ODB in a Triple Threat Hardcore Match that also included Gail Kim . On the September 19th episode of " Impact " , James dropped her Knockouts Championship in a match against ODB . That match in fact would be her last as she failed to come to terms on a new contract with TNA . Before her release , James took part in a pair of One Night Only PPVs on March 18 . At the Knockouts Knockdown event that aired on September 6 , James defeated Serena Deeb in the event ' s last singles match , despite Serena turning villainous at the midpoint . She advanced to the Gauntlet Battle Royal to crown the Queen of the Knockouts and reached the final two before she was pinned by Gail Kim . At the World Cup of Wrestling event that aired on December 6 , James ( representing Team USA ) was defeated by Ivelisse Velez ( who represented Team Aces & Eights ) . In the 5 - on - 5 elimination match , James was part of the victorious Team USA side that won the World Cup ; eliminating Ivelisse before she was eliminated herself by Wes Brisco . Queens of Combat ( 2014 , 2016 ) . On November 30 , 2014 , James competed for the Queens of Combat promotion at QOC 3 against Tessa Blanchard ; her first match since giving birth to her child . James turned villainous during the match and went on to defeat Blanchard . James returned to Queens of Combat at QOC 10 in Dallas on April 1 , 2016 and defeated LuFisto . Second return to TNA ( 2015 ) . James made a surprise return to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , after a year and a half absence from the company , on January 30 , 2015 during the tapings of " Impact Wrestling " in Glasgow , Scotland . James spent several weeks supporting her real - life fiancee , Magnus , during his feud with Bram . On the April 24 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James originally announced her retirement to focus on being a full - time mother , only to have James Storm talk her into having one more run . On the June 3 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , James turned down Storm ' s offer to join The Revolution during a trip to Nashville , and was knocked down on to the train tracks by Storm . Global Force Wrestling ( 2015 ) . On July 7 , 2015 , it was announced that James is headed to Global Force Wrestling to compete for the GFW Women ' s Championship . Return to WWE . Trainer ( 2013 ) . In November 2013 , James served as guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando , Florida for a week , training WWE NXT ' s female wrestlers . James also attended that week ' s NXT live event in Tampa , Florida . NXT ( 2016 – 2017 ) . It was confirmed that James would return to WWE at for an NXT Women ' s Championship match against Asuka . She later made a ( pre - recorded ) appearance on the October 26 episode of " NXT " , where she formally challenged Asuka for the title . On November 19 at NXT Takeover : Toronto , James lost to Asuka by submission . SmackDown Live ( 2016 - ) . On December 8 , it was announced that James had signed a multi - year contract with WWE . On the January 17 , 2017 episode of " SmackDown Live " , James made her return by helping Alexa Bliss retain her SmackDown Women ' s Championship against Becky Lynch in a steel cage match , revealing herself as the woman under the La Luchadora mask and establishing herself as a heel in the process . Other media . In 2000 , James appeared on an episode of " The Jenny Jones Show " titled " From Nerd To Knockout " . James , along with Mr . Kennedy and Josh Mathews , represented WWE at the 2008 Republican National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election . On April 13 , 2008 , James , along with Layla , Melina and Kelly Kelly , appeared in an episode of " Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp " . On September 5 of that same year , James appeared on the USA Network show " Psych " , playing a roller derby girl called Rita " Lethal Weapon " Westwood . James made a special appearance on " Redemption Song " which is hosted by Chris Jericho along with Candice Michelle , Maryse , and Eve Torres . It was originally aired on November 12 , 2008 . James has two country music albums . She released her first single , " Are You With Me ? " , on February 16 , 2010 . Her first album , " Strangers & Angels " , was then released on May 18 , 2010 the album is also on iTunes . Her second album " Somebody ' s Gonna Pay " was released on May 7 , 2013 on the Entertainment One label . Personal life . When she is finished with her wrestling career , James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer . James owns three Morgan horses named Rhapsody , Bunny and Casanova . James also owns two dogs , one named Butch and a Miniature Pinscher named Elvis . Outside of wrestling , James received her Associate of Arts degree in business administration , and studied for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management . James is part Native American of the Powhatan tribe . James has two tattoos : a symbol meaning ' love ' on her ankle , and a dragon that wraps around it . James is a fan of Equine sports and American Football , and is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys . In 2007 , James was engaged to wrestler Kenny Dykstra . On September 25 , 2014 , James and Nick Aldis , better known by his ring name Magnus , welcomed their first child , a boy named Donovan Patrick Aldis . James and Aldis got engaged in December 2014 and married on December 31 , 2015 . Quotes . On Trish Stratus : When asked what kept her in the independent circuit for years :