In October of 2005, Mickie James made her debut on the WWE roster as a clearly-obsessed fan of Trish Stratus. She was innocent and overly friendly at first but as the weeks and months wore on, her true motivations became more and more obvious. It started with hugging, then advanced to a kiss at some point during the Holiday season. At New Year's Revolution in January of 2006, Trish defeated Mickie in a great, competitive match that set the stage for an even better one just over two months later. In the meantime, Mickie became more abrasive and invasive every week. Having had enough and in dire need of personal space, Trish pushed back at Mickie. Her desire for space caused Mickie to snap. On the March 18, 2006 revival of Saturday Night's Main Event, Mickie turned on Trish, attacking her and leaving her lying. The assault set in motion events that would lead to a match between them at WrestleMania 22. One of the more anticipated matches on the card thanks to a layered, emotional storyline, the Chicago crowd treated the Trish Stratus-Mickie James match for the Women's Championship like a heavyweight title main event. They threw their support behind the villainous James and greeted Stratus with a reception typically reserved for John Cena. In the end, it was the challenger who used her vast knowledge of mind games to catch Trish off guard and secure her first Women's Championship. The two would meet again at Backlash but a dislocated shoulder would sideline Trish for a few weeks, prematurely ending their feud. Their final battle would come on the Raw before Unforgiven in September of 2006, Trish's last appearance on the show. The feud proved that two experienced wrestlers who are given a strong supporting story and defined characters can captivate an audience. Regardless of whether they are male or female.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
