Mickie James says Jordynne Grace is the future of women's wrestling.
Grace, the first Knockouts Triple Crown Champion in IMPACT Wrestling, has established herself as one of the company's top stars. She won the Knockouts Championship for the second time at IMPACT Slammiversary, and she has reigned supreme ever since. At IMPACT Hard To Kill, she will defend the gold against James in a Title vs. Career Match. James, a four-time champion in the company, has been on her Last Rodeo, where she has vowed to retire after her next loss.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, James shared her thoughts on their upcoming match. She made it clear that she respects Grace. She praised the champion and knows that they're both in for a war when they clash at Hard To Kill. James also stated that the matchup is exciting for the fans, and the Last Rodeo was intended to get the title match.
“This championship means a lot to us both, the Knockouts World Champion, there can be only one. Jordynne, you’ve been a dominant champion, you’ve been an amazing champion. I’ve sat back, and especially leading up to this, watched a lot of your matches and I know I’m coming in for a war, but I hope that you know the same. I think it’s exciting for the fans, and this is what the Last Rodeo was all about, was to get to this moment, to get to the championship. In that time, you’ve held onto that championship very tightly and dominantly, and I respect that, and I respect you," James said.
Grace, a guest on the podcast, expressed that she wished there could be two winners in the match, and while James agreed, she stated that there can only be one. James pointed out that many fans are siding with Grace because she's younger and stronger. She then shared her belief that Grace is the future, both of IMPACT's Knockouts Division and women's wrestling.
"I wish there could be two winners too, but there can’t. I will say, coming up into this, I feel like a lot of fans are leaning more in Jordynne’s favor in the sense of they don’t think I can beat her, and I can understand why. She is younger, she is stronger, she is faster. She has been a dominant champion, and she is the future, and she is the definition of what this future is, of not just the Knockouts Division, but of women’s wrestling as a whole, and what this new generation is all about. I think it’s really awesome that I can still be in this locker room and have these types of matches against women like her and test myself, and the test ls leading up to this, in the Last Rodeo, some of them were a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I know that this match is going to be my hardest one yet, so all I can do is my best. I know that Jordynne is over-deliver, she always does. At the end of the night, I guess we’re gonna see, let the best woman win. But I respect you, I really do," James said.
Grace recently noted that she's overlooked, and she explained why she thinks tribalism is at fault. Check out her comments here.
Check out the card for IMPACT Hard To Kill here.
Josh Alexander recently commented on becoming the longest-reigning world champion in IMPACT history. Click here to see what he had to say.
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