Mickie James will challenge Jordynne Grace for the Impact Knockouts World Championship in a ‘Career vs. Title’ match at the Impact Hard To Kill pay-per-view event on January 13th.
While speaking to PWTorch to hype her upcoming Last Rodeo bout, James honored Grace and declared her intentions to have one final title run with Impact Wrestling. She said,
“I wanted to do something special on my way out of the ring if I was because I do want to step behind the scenes and I do want to [look] at the next chapter at some point. I didn’t think I had anything else to prove rather than to prove that I still belong and to prove that I can still go and be champion one last time. That’s what it’s been about and I have zero regrets in my career, I’ve had such an amazing career.
“I respect Jordynne and I respect this locker room. Women’s wrestling is so different now and it’s so amazing to see the opportunities being given across the board and it’s exciting and I can’t take anything away from my career except for that I just don’t wanna stay longer than I’m welcomed. I think that I have a tremendous amount of love and knowledge to give on the other side and I think that it’s important for me, for the women to respect me the way I want them too. To not be a player-coach and for when I’m ready to transition into something, that I’m not wrestling anymore and [there’s no] mixed thoughts on what my intentions are because my intentions are always to lift up wrestling and for it to be awesome. I just want someone special to hang my hat on on the way out and like a nice bow that was worthy of my career on the way out. If that has to be against Jordynne Grace, I respect her enough to let her possibly be the one to do it but I don’t intend by letting her by any means and I still wanna be champion one last time and I still wanna have one hell of a run and go out as the greatest Knockouts champion that’s ever been. There’s that.”
James also discussed the importance of her Last Rodeo before signing off. The multi-time women’s champion noted,
“It’s been amazing. I’ve been able to step in there with the absolute best talent out there right now and I think it [tested me] against what I was capable of. Every challenge has been tougher and tougher and every match has been a little bit more of a struggle.”
