Mickie James

She married English professional wrestler Nick Aldis on December 31, 2015, with whom she has a son named Donovan Patrick Aldis, who was born earlier, on September 25, 2014.

She has a plan to own a farm and be an equine trainer after she retires from her wrestling career.

She was born Mickie Laree James, on August 31, 1979, at ‘Richmond Memorial Hospital,’ Richmond, Virginia, US, to Stuart James and Sandra Knuckles. Her father is a retired wastewater-treatment worker, a ‘VAIL League Division 3 Championship’ coach, and a landscaper. Her mother worked as a real-estate agent and a teacher. The couple divorced when Mickie was a child.

She was raised in Montpelier, Virginia. During her childhood, she was a tomboy and loved to ride horses at her grandmother’s horse farm. Eventually she developed a keen interest in equestrian sports.

She attended ‘Patrick Henry High School’ and completed her graduation in 1997. She also played the violin for five years. Her father motivated her interest in professional wrestling.

She has a sister, a half-brother, a half-sister, and three stepbrothers.

She was trained in professional wrestling in Washington DC. She made her professional wrestling debut using the ring name “Alexis Laree” in 1999, in the independent circuit, as a valet for ‘KYDA Pro Wrestling.’ Her first match was in March that year. The intergender tag-team match saw her teaming up with Jake Damian, against Mike Brown and Candie.

She honed her wrestling skills by attending various training camps such as the ‘Extreme Championship Wrestling’ (ECW) dojo and the ‘Funking Conservatory.’ Her early years saw her competing for ‘Maryland Championship Wrestling’ (MCW). She also began making appearances for ‘Ring of Honor’ in 2002.

Apart from participating in her wrestling endeavors at independent events that fetched her meager income, Mickie also worked as a server at an outlet of the American casual dining restaurant chain ‘Olive Garden.’ In the early 2000s, she posed nude for the adult magazines ‘Naughty Neighbors’ and ‘Leg Show.’

She made her debut with ‘Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’ (TNA) in June 2002. Her first prominent appearance was in a match on March 26, 2003, where she teamed up with ‘Amazing Red.’ She lost her first singles match in ‘TNA’ against Trinity on April 2, 2003.

She garnered national attention with ‘TNA’ and eventually became the first member of the stable led by Raven, called ‘The Gathering.’ She became the first and the only woman to compete in the promotion’s ‘Clockwork Orange House of Fun’ match, on April 16, 2003, after ‘The Gathering’ challenged and defeated Jeff Jarrett.

On May 18, 2010, she self-released her first country music album, ‘Strangers & Angels’ on ‘iTunes.’ Her second album, ‘Somebody's Gonna Pay,’ released through ‘Entertainment One (eOne) Music’ on May 7, 2013. It debuted at number 15 on the ‘Billboards Heatseekers’ chart.

She has performed at several small musical concerts across the US while working with ‘TNA.’ She performed at the 2011 ‘CMA Music Festival’ and at the ‘CMA Fest’ in 2013. She has also opened shows for Rascal Flatts, Gretchen Wilson, Randy Houser, and Montgomery Gentry.

She also appeared in an episode of the ‘USA Network’ show ‘Psych’ titled ‘Talk Derby to Me’ on September 5, 2008, playing Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood. She also starred in a ‘Dr Pepper’ advertisement in June 2013.

She was inducted into ‘The Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame’ on October 14, 2017.