Mickie James captured the IMPACT Knockouts Championship for the fourth time in her career at Bound For Glory when she defeated Deonna Purrazzo.
James last won the Knockouts title in 2013, and though she had won the MCW Women's Championship and IPW: UK Women's Championship between Knockouts Title reigns, it was her first major women's title since that time.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, James explained why this win meant so much to her.
"It feels so good. Honestly, I didn't think it would matter as much to me as it did in a sense because I have been a champion several times and I've had such a tenured career. We always go, 'God, I don't need the championship. I've done so much.' There was nothing sweeter than winning the championship. I hadn't won a championship in eight years. My last championship was the one that I lost in IMPACT against ODB. When I think about that I go, 'Wow, that's a long time.' I've done a lot, but not really for me. It was a great moment, it was powerful, and it felt good," she said.
James continued by discussing everything she's done and gone through in the last eight years and elaborated on why this win meant to so much.
"It was so special. In these last eight years, I've done some cool stuff, but for the most part it was for everybody else. I didn't really do anything for myself," she said. "That was a choice and I was so happy to be back where I was and I thought that would happen for me and I would get to do whatever. There are so much more layers to it now. I leave and then how I left and all the things I did like EmPowerrr, being the head of EmPowerrr and that was really cool. To come back and have a chance at the championship again. It was a real chance to have a shot at the championship. Saturday was beautiful. The people were behind me and to have that real love behind me and for them to be on fire and to have a 'this is awesome' chant. Deonna is one of the best wrestlers I've ever been in the ring with. Not just of today, legit ever. She's incredible. I knew I was going to be up for a fight and I think that's been a major question from the audience, from whoever. 'Yes, she's amazing and a legend, but can she really hang with someone like Deonna?' The answer is, yes, I can hang with someone like Deonna because there wouldn't be a Deonna without Mickie James, that's the reality. Not just me. I can still go, I never stopped going, what happened was I became less selfish and started doing more for other people than for myself. This one wasn't a selfish move, but it felt good to win again and to remind myself that I can win and it's okay to be awesome and I don't have to apologize for it."
Mickie was released by WWE in April. She was the executive producer for NWA EmPowerrr and wrestled Kylie Rae at NWA 73.
If you missed anything from IMPACT Bound For Glory, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
