One of the biggest news in recent weeks was the announcement of Mickie James' participation in the women's Royal Rumble match. In addition to her, other illustrious names such as Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins will also take part in the next WWE PPV. The current IMPACT Knockouts Champion used her Twitter profile to confirm her intention to attend the January 29 show. The announcement came just under a year after Mickie was released from the company in April 2021 due to budget cuts. Her firing had created quite a stir, as James had reported how her personal belongings had been sent to her in a garbage bag.
During her WWE career, the 42-year-old from Richmond has held the WWE Women's Championship five times and the WWE Divas Championship once. A guest on the latest edition of 'Smack Talk' on Sportskeeda, former WWE manager Dutch Mantell commented on the addition of Mickie James to Royal Rumble 2022.
Dutch Mantell on Mickie James
“I think WWE was in desperate need to add big names to this year's Royal Rumble. Mickie James is under contract with IMPACT Wrestling now, so he has no obligations to WWE. He is a superstar who attracts the attention of the public. At the same time, it's paradoxical that Vince McMahon's company brought back a star who was released less than a year ago. Who knows what would have happened if she had remained in the company. It's not always easy to understand WWE's choices, you have to be honest. Many of the things they do are totally meaningless,” confided Dutch Mantell. Dutch analyzed the recent changes affecting NXT: “I think Vince McMahon and his executives have decided to go their own way. They want to take creative control of NXT. Triple H is far away right now and his creature is very different from how he left her. In addition to having the product reformed, several members of his team have been dismissed." The current Knockouts Champion will make her WWE in-ring return as an entrant in the Women's Rumble match following her release last year. If she wins the highly competitive bout, she's guaranteed a shot for the women's title of her choosing at WrestleMania 38. The wrestling legend added that her appearance was originally supposed to be a surprise. WWE decided to announce it in advance for marketing purposes. The former WWE Superstar also said the response from the announcement has blown her mind, and she thinks it's incredible.