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It's been a very good week for Mickie James and IMPACT Wrestling.
On the eve of IMPACT Wrestling's Hard to Kill pay-per-view, WWE announced on SmackDown that IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James would be competing in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match.
But how did the people behind the scenes at IMPACT Wrestling feel about this announcement?
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, people within IMPACT were "very happy" with the buzz that WWE helped them generate with the announcement on Friday, especially since James was scheduled to wrestle in their main event the following night against Deonna Purrazzo.
Mickie James has made the most out of her WWE release last year
WWE released a lot of talent in 2021, but it's hard to say anyone made more out of it than Hardcore Country.
James appeared for the National Wrestling Alliance following the expiration of her WWE non-compete to announce that she would be producing the NWA all-women's pay-per-view, EmPowerrr. The event brought together talent from NWA, IMPACT Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, and more, all under one roof. It was arguably the best event the NWA has had since they made their return from the pandemic.
This also brought James back to IMPACT Wrestling, where she popularized her "Hardcore Country" persona and found herself in a heated rivalry with Deonna Purrazzo that climaxed in the main event of Saturday's Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
With James heading to the WWE Royal Rumble with the IMPACT Knockouts World Championship around her waist, the sky is seemingly the limit for her throughout the rest of 2022.
Are you excited to see James take part in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble? Would you like to see more of this type of thing from WWE in the future? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
