Mickie James is an American professional wrestler and country singer who now competes for Impact Wrestling and has previously worked for WWE. James began her professional wrestling career as a valet on the indie circuit in 1999, under the name Alexis Laree. She honed her wrestling skills at numerous camps before joining NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA: TNA, subsequently Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, now Impact Wrestling) in 2002, where she rose to national prominence. She joined a stable named The Gathering after only a few appearances. James is the only female to have participated in the promotion’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun bouts.

James debuted on the main roster of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2005 and was assigned to an eight-month storyline with Trish Stratus in which her persona was that of Stratus’ best fan turned obsessed stalker. She was given a boost, and at WrestleMania 22, she won her first WWE Women’s Championship, a title she has held five times. In 2009, James defeated Maryse Ouellet at Night of Champions to win her first Divas Championship, becoming the second of five Divas to hold both the Women’s and Divas championships. Charlotte, Trish Stratus, The Fabulous Moolah, and Sasha Banks are the only other women to have held six or more WWE women’s championships. She was released from the organization in April 2010 and returned to TNA.

In 2013, James returned to WWE as a guest trainer. She was officially released in 2016 before leaving again in 2021. On the June 8, 2021, broadcast of NWA Power, James made her National Wrestling Alliance debut, revealing that she would be an executive producer for NWA EmPowerrr, its first all-female event. After a six-year hiatus, James returned to Impact Wrestling at Slammiversary 2021.