Mickie James Speaks Out – Lack Of TV Time, Velvet Sky

Running The Ropes and host Chris Kelly interviewed Mickie James this week. James was promoting her new music album Somebody’s Gonna Pay. Below are some highlights:

James on her frustrations with lack of TV time in TNA over the last year: “I know I’ve seemed a little bit frustrated as of late in some of my promos and stuff, but I honestly feel that for the past year I’ve probably been on less than 10 shows. I’ve barely done anything. It’s awesome to be able to come back and win the number one contendership and go for the title, but I’m sick and tired of feeling like I’m sitting at home and watching all these other people. I did get injured and I was sick, but I was already off TV when I got hurt. It’s so frustrating when you know that you’re one of the best in the world, and you’re sitting at home. I love going out there and making magic and telling a story, but I don’t love pretending that I’m okay sitting at home when I’m not. I’m just being real and being honest about it. It’s not me trying to be this awful person. I’m the one who has to look at myself in the mirror and if I’m not happy with what I’m doing or not doing, then I’m the one who has to face that. So that’s kind of where I’m at. I know people question that like ‘Oh are you turning heel?’ And I’m like ‘No, not really. I’m just being honest.”

James’ thoughts on the forgotten state of the TNA Knockouts tag team titles: “I don’t understand the logic behind that because in my opinion, besides the X Division Championship, the female tag team championship is the only thing we have that nobody else has. I think our ladies’ division is so unique and so different that it gives you something else to fight for. I don’t know why they’re sitting around ODB and EY’s waists, and they’re not even defending them and nobody else is getting a shot at them. There’s no storyline; there’s nothing wrapped around them. They just kind of won the belts and that was it. Then we forgot about them. I don’t think we have enough girls right now to even have a tag division, unfortunately. But there are enough girls in our circle that we can use. In my opinion, it would be awesome if there were more full-time contracted girls because not only would it give us more girls to work with in the title picture, but also in the tag division being able to pair up with the right people and kind of see who works together and who doesn’t, what’s going to make money and what’s not, what kind of gimmicks and characters like Jumping Bomb Angels and Glamour Girls – it all works.”

On her popularity compared to Velvet Sky: “I was glad that Velvet was back; I thought it was awesome. But what was the point in bringing me back [in December] if you were just going to bring her back a week later and then I was going to sit at home? It didn’t make any sense to me unless it would have worked into some kind of storyline or something like that. It still could, you never know. Velvet started in TNA and that’s where she built her fan base. She’s got hardcore TNA fans, whereas I have hardcore Mickie James fans. I don’t mean to take anything away from her because she does have hardcore Velvet Sky fans, but I brought 80-90 percent of my fan base with me. I do have a larger audience, but she has a larger TNA loyal fan base.”

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