10 Most Heartbreaking WWE Releases Ever
3. Mickie James
Mickie James’ April 15, 2021 release stunned fans when WWE boxed up the six-time Women’s Champion’s ring gear in a trash bag—a move so tone-deaf that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon publicly apologized and the responsible staffer was fired. James had returned in October 2016 with hopes of mentoring the next generation as much as competing, but creative buried her in spotty TV appearances and she was discarded—no farewell package, no on-air tribute.
Outrage rippled through social feeds: Alexa Bliss hailed her as a trailblazer, Bayley mourned the loss of a role model, and #ThankYouMickie trended as fans rallied behind her. Rather than fade away, James reinvented herself in IMPACT Wrestling’s “Last Rodeo,” capturing the Knockouts World Championship at Hard To Kill 2023 and proving her career was far from over.
Her defiant return at the 2022 Royal Rumble—as the reigning Knockouts Champion, theme blasting “Hardcore Country”—reminded the WWE Universe that Mickie’s spirit couldn’t be contained by a tweet or a trash bag. WWE’s misstep in letting go of a locker-room leader highlighted how even legends can be undervalued. James turned public humiliation into fuel, cementing her legacy as one of women’s wrestling’s most influential architects—proof that respect must be earned, not assumed.