Mickie James Was Contemplating Retirement Before 2016 NXT Return

IMPACT Wrestling star Mickie James has revealed that she contemplated retiring from the business before making her return to WWE via NXT in 2016.

James made her return to the company at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, losing a competitive match to then-NXT Women's Champion Asuka. Mickie subsequently signed a multi-year contract and moved to the SmackDown roster.

Speaking during a recent appearance on Wrestling with Rip Rogers, the former WWE Women's Champion made the revelation while discussing her current 'Last Rodeo' in IMPACT and transitioning to endeavours away from wrestling, saying:

"I had the opportunity to go away when I had Donovan [her son] and then obviously, right before I was gonna go back to WWE in 2016 before that Asuka match, I was really going to retire then and I was like, not that I can't wrestle and I can't go anymore, but I don't wanna retire on the indies in Hoboken in front of 200 people. I just don't. 

So I just would rather quietly go in the sunset and stop taking bookings and I'd had Donovan and maybe just try to think about [the] next chapter and then NXT happened and then I ended up re-signing and having a whole second run and it was pretty awesome, you know? And it was amazing and I'm grateful for it now and IMPACT, but I do think I have so much going on right now in wrestling and out of wrestling that I just want more time to focus on it and yeah, I think one last run and it's time to, you know, just do things, real-life things".

Per the rules of the Last Rodeo, Mickie will retire the next time she loses a match in IMPACT.

H/T POST Wrestling