Why Mickie James Returning to WWE on NXT is Great

After being gone for six years, Mickie James returning to the WWE is both great for her and for WWE as well.

It has been quite the last two years in WWE for their women’s division. After years of lackluster matches and a forgettable roster, WWE finally has strong female competitors. This can be attributed to the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch.

During the mid-2000’s, WWE had quite a forgettable women’s division. After both Trish Stratus and Lita left the company towards the end of 2006, the company struggled for close to a decade to create a watchable women’s division.

The company would rebrand the women into the “Divas” and got rid of the classic Women’s Championship for the Divas Title. Forgettable names came through the division with their matches typically becoming the bathroom break part of the show. This is due to short match times and lack of compelling storylines.

However, through all of this, there was one woman who did everything to try and save this division—Mickie James. If there was any talent worth watching during this time, James was certainly the girl.

After having one of the greatest women’s matches of all time against Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 22, it seemed like the torch was being passed on to James to help lead the division into the next generation. However, the division sunk to the ground despite Mickie doing as much as she could to keep it afloat. While there were other solid female in-ring performers like Melina and Beth Phoenix, they couldn’t help Mickie resurrect the division.

While it has never been determined, it seems likely that the poor creative and the lack of investing in the division led to James leaving the company in 2010. She would then head to TNA, pioneering a fantastic women’s division.

More from Daily DDT

After six years away and with a brand new women’s division, Mickie James is returning back to the WWE. She will not be starting on either RAW or Smackdown, though, and instead, will compete down in NXT.

Her first event has been announced as she will challenge Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Toronto. Having Mickie down in NXT is a brilliant idea as it helps spark interest back into the women’s division.

With so many of the top girls of NXT now up on the main roster (Bayley, Sasha, Becky, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Carmella), the brand lost a bit momentum. Auska is the only legit star on the roster, and Ember Moon has potential but she’s still new to the roster.

Having James on the roster now brings veteran leadership and a competitor that has a proven track record. NXT has done the same thing before when they brought Rhyno into the mix. The Man Beast helped develop talent in NXT before he got rewarded with a return to the main roster. It should be noted, that there isn’t a guarantee of her working any more than this one match.

James could do the same down in NXT helping to put over talent like Asuka and Ember Moon before heading up to the main roster. After spending some time down in NXT the hope is that Mickie will once again join the main roster, the question though is where?

While most fans would love to see her join the highly competitive division on Smackdown Live, it seems more likely that she will head to RAW where she is more needed. The Flagship Show has three legit stars in Bayley, Sasha, and Charlotte. However, after those three, the division falls flat.

Adding Mickie to the mix could really spice things up and could give those three another star to work with, and give the RAW brand a veteran competitor (something the RAW division lacks). It also gives young talent like Nia Jax, and others the chance to learn from one of the top females in the game.

Next: James vs. Asuka Set for TakeOver

Mickie James returning to WWE is a win-win for everyone involved. Coming back during the women’s division, James will finally have her chance to leave her mark as one of the top female wrestlers in the last 20 years.

Home/NXT