WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Triple H, personally recommended Mickie James for a coaching role on LFG.
In the first season of WWE LFG, James worked alongside The Undertaker, Booker T, and Bubba Ray Dudley as coaches. The second season brought a major change when Michelle McCool replaced James, which drew criticism from fans.
Speaking on Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val, James said that Triple H personally recommended her for the show. She said, “When I got told, or asked because Hunter had suggested me and really wanted me to do the show when I got asked to do it. I was like, ‘Who are the coaches?’ Bubba, Taker and obviously Booker T, all Hall of Famers,” James recalled. “And they’ve been around the business. Booker has his own school. Bubba has his own school. Taker pretty much schooled the entire locker room for decades. So I’m like, where do I fit in here?”
James took the opportunity and enjoyed mentoring new talent and working on LFG reminded her of her early days in OVW. “It also put me back to like OVW days of that grind of being in the system, of working every day and trying to do extra, just to be seen, just to be validated. To get ahead and figure out. What is it going to be, that thing that’s going to set me apart and make me different?”
The experience of guiding the next generation of wrestlers made James deeply invested in their growth. She said, “Now I feel like I had so much time and kind of intimate, like real heart time with them, that I’m now invested in their forever journey. I get invested in people genuinely. So when I see them slipping and failing or whatever, it hurts my heart too… it’s a little bit harder to take your feeling out of your own career, but when you’re mentoring someone, it’s a little bit harder.” [H/T: Wrestlingnews.co]
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