After appearing together on The Bump earlier this morning, Mickie James and Trish Stratus' legendary rivalry is front and center on the WWE Network today as Timeline focuses on "Do You Love Me Now".
Arguably the biggest rivalry of her career, James battled Stratus for months after initially coming into WWE as the biggest fan of the WWE Hall of Famer. The relationship between the two turned sour, however, after James began to show a more obsessive side when it came to Stratus, which off-put the Canadian Superstar.
The rivalry particularly heated up just prior to WrestleMania 22, where the two battled over the WWE Women's Championship. The night ended with James having her hand raised and wearing her first title in WWE.
"Filming this special for the WWE Network really brought back so many amazing memories for me," James said. "It was great to be working on this special with Trish, who is probably one of my closest real friends to this day. The bond we built and still have to this day because of that and our passion to make it something truly special is just so amazing. I am thankful for that always and the magic we were able to create out there that truly made history."
That Timeline debuts now, as James returns to regular duty with WWE, brings her experience full circle.
"It's really incredible to think of how my career has gone from those first days," James said. "On The Bump this morning, I talked about how being in the ring with Trish had that aura of reality to my obsessive fan persona, because I was truly such a fan of this business and the level of respect she had earned especially. I learned so much from her then and still learning to this day in mommy land. Haha.
“But 15 years later here now I feel like I sit in a whole different position in the locker room,” James continued. “Being labeled as a veteran you feel a certain responsibly to be a leader and to hopefully maintain have that respect. A respect earned I think by trying to help lead and give that same guidance to the ladies today and onward. The ability to work with and help teach a new crop of incredible to take what we did in the Golden Era and bring it to a whole new era of truly highlighted women's competition."
WWE Timeline is available across all tiers of the WWE Network.
images courtesy WWE.