"I was terrified for my life" - Former WWE star details her first meeting with Vince McMahon

Mickie James made her WWE debut as a Trish Stratus super fan on Monday Night RAW in 2005. When she was told to speak with Vince McMahon about the gimmick, the former WWE Women's Champion admitted that she was terrified because she had never met with The Chairman before.

Mickie James is regarded as one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time. The former WWE Women's Champion was released from her WWE contract last month along with several other wrestlers.

During her recent appearance on The CLS Experience with Craig Siegel, Mickie James recalled her initial meeting with Vince McMahon. She stated that she pitched the "super fan" character, and she was told by WWE senior producer Michael Hayes to tell Vince McMahon that it was her idea.

"I went home and I reset and I came up with this character, this story, this idea for this character who was a massive super fan which was genuinely in my heart," said James. "I was able to come up and cultivate this character that I was like, ‘This –’ and I pitched it and I remember walking into Vince [McMahon’s] office with this idea and I go, I’m like, ‘I heard you read my idea and you liked it’ and Michael Hayes is the one who said, ‘You need to walk into Vince’s office, you need to tell him that you wrote that."

"You need to tell him that nobody can play it but you,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh God,’ added James. "This is backstage, I’m like in Columbus, Ohio, driving up from Louisville which is the developmental territory OVW at the time and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ The whole time I’m sitting outside of Vince’s office I’m like, ‘I feel like I’m gonna vomit.’ It was the scariest — if you’ve never met the man in person, he’s so — he has this aura about him and he’s so powerful and so intimidating but yet so genuine and real. He’s always been kind and genuine to me and I’m just like, I was terrified for my life." (H/T POST Wrestling)

Vince McMahon is quite a unique individual. He's also the owner of a billion dollar corporation, which probably makes it a bit nerve-racking to meet him for the first time.

Mickie James on her conversation with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon

Mickie James in WWE

Mickie James' initial meeting with The Chairman of WWE was a whole new experience for her. After waiting for hours to speak with the boss, she finally got her chance to speak her mind.

In hindsight, James admitted that McMahon was amazed by her confidence and bravery.

"Anyway, I was like, ‘I heard you read my storyline and that you really liked it and I just want you to know I created that character, I know that character inside and out," James recalled. "There’s nobody, nobody that can play that character like me’ and he just looked at me and he’s just like, ‘Wow, you got guts.’ Yeah, I was like, ‘Thanks?’ I was like I don’t know what to say. ‘Okay, thank you’ but I had waited for hours to say this to him and I didn’t even know how to follow it up."

Mickie James added that she thought she would've been fired, but WWE brought her back several months later. She was then informed that the company would go with her pitch. The rest, as they say, is history.