10 REAL Reactions From WWE Wrestlers Being Punished On Air

5. Mickie James (SmackDown, 2010)

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Mickie James was a pretty good actor as far as wrestlers went, but when she burst into tears after yet another scathing promo about her size delivered by Mean Girls-adjacent bullies LayCool, it was easier to imagine her drawing from the very real hurt that lay at the foundation of the angle.

WWE - land of looks mattering more than just about anything - had determined that James wasn't in the physical condition they expected of one of their top stars, and if you're reading that unable to read between the lines, you've not seen enough of their women's division 1996-present.

Her range sold the severity of her obsession with Trish Stratus magnificently in 2006, but nothing matched the projection of emotion she shared with the audience after the heels had castigated her either side of an uncomfortable assault that saw her covered in junk food. She did at least hammer the heels in the Royal Rumble 2010 payoff, but questions went frustratingly unasked by industry outsiders as to how and why the story had been permitted in the first place.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett