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Local legend Mickie James opens up about life as professional wrestler, equestrian, country singer and mom

Posted: Jul 9th 2019 By: Katie Dupree

Wife, mother, equestrian, professional wrestler and country music singer: RVA legend Mickie James opened up about all of it during a 1-on-1 interview with 8News anchor Katie Dupree.

“I was born at Richmond Memorial, but I’ve grown up here,” James said. “I graduated from high school right across the street at Patrick Henry and grew up here in Montpelier, so I’ve lived my whole life here in Virginia, for the most part.”

James showed horses locally until she was a teenager — that’s when her interests turned to wrestling.

“Yeah, I loved wrestling. I was a big fan of it. I watched it with my dad growing up, and then I kind of fell out because I was in my horses, and I was going to school and just so much, and then the Attitude Era sparked so it totally blew me away,” she recalled. “And I was just fascinated by the characters, by the spectacle of it all — the show — and it just seemed like I would just get lost in it. “

James found a small wrestling school in Northern Virginia, called Kyda Pro, and started training there in her late teens. She quickly moved up to Baltimore, then Louisville, where she had her eyes set on the WWE. She eventually made it, and has been a professional wrestler for WWE’s Smackdown brand for years.

She’s now exploring another creative venture– country music singing! She released her first album in 2010, and will be opening for Big and Rich for the All-Star Country Music Jam at Richmond Raceway on Monday, July 8th, at 7 p.m.