Dec 19 2008
Mickie James: Underachiever? Part 5
I have given four different reasons on why Mickie James is not an underachiever in the ring. When not on the offensive, she achieves very much in selling. She takes risks, one of the attributes of achievers, as she agrees to take some tough bumps. Looking at her offense, she is again a risk-taker, has a large set of moves, does not do the same thing every match, and works with a lot of energy and heart. Beyond all her skills, what limits her matches, and many matches for most WWE wrestlers, from having superb quality every time is booking. That is the key. Even Triple H is booked to get beaten down in some matches, just to overcome the odds and win in the end. It is not that these wrestlers are being lazy or are “underachieving”, but they are just wrestling how the match is booked, whether to make their opponent look strong or weak. You cannot blame the wrestlers for that.
Mickie James lives a life of achievement and desire to do better. She continued her education while wrestling on Raw. It is true that she asked for a lighter schedule to finish her education a long time ago. This was while Candice was Women’s Champion, so they did not need Mickie severely at house shows. And even while finishing her education on that lighter schedule, she was still there for Raw, if they needed her for tag matches or some other use. She did not drop away entirely. She had her hands full, and still thrived. And does anyone remember what one of the rumors were explaining why Mickie disappeared during Candice’s return earlier this year? It was because Mickie spoke out that the WWE should treat their women better, like TNA. She wanted to improve the division. That would mean not just a push for her, as she was already in a feud with Beth Phoenix at the time, but a push for all the credible divas. It would also mean pushing the less-experienced women to train harder and rely less on the beauty parlor. That is not just an example of personal achievement, but a desire to improve conditions around you. I will not even mention the many examples of Mickie’s devotion to the fans. That goes beyond achievement as well.
In the end, it is senseless to call Mickie James an underachiever, even if you are only looking at her work in the ring. There is more to wrestling than offense. Selling is important, taking bumps is important, and wrestling a certain format to put a person over a certain way is not just important, it is what you must do. The casual wrestling fan does not appreciate this, and thus may call a certain wrestler an “underachiever” or “lazy”. Lazy is if you do not even try to sell your opponent’s offense well when you are on the jobbing side. Billy Gunn got heat for this when he faced Kenzo Suzuki years ago. Mickie James, on the other hand, can bring it, but still knows when and how to take it. That is achievement and beyond.
