Mickie James has recalled a frightening moment against Melina when she thought she had broken her neck.

The pair faced off for the WWE Women’s Championship in the women’s division’s first Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw in 2007. An awkward landing during a hurricanrana left James struggling to move her neck and fearing a serious injury.

Speaking to Ben Veal of Wrestling Life Online, James described the impact and the weeks that followed.

“I don’t think people realize this but not only did I probably have a serious concussion but I couldn’t turn my head, I didn’t break my neck. I pretty much lawn darted myself and I had severe whiplash and I couldn’t turn, I had to turn like this for 3 weeks. It was gnarly,” said James. “And it was scary because it was the first time where I went to go stand up and I collapsed. I thought that I broke my neck. I really did. And it was just a freak thing.”

James explained that she and Melina had performed the move many times before without a problem. For her, it was a reminder that even familiar moves can go wrong.

“Melina and I had done that a thousand times and she kind of slipped and it was just weird. We had done that same thing at live events and just freak accidents happen. And it’s always on the stupidest, I’ve literally separated my shoulder on a pie face, I’ve sprained my ankle getting thrown out of the ring. It’s always on the things that you’ve done and you’re so comfortable and you’re like, ‘Oh this will be fine’ and it was not fine. It was not fine because that whole match was so amazing and so cool and so unique and even the way when we fought backstage to incorporate different….Women and talents and scenes and the fight over the couch and the whole couch flips over and then there’s hairspray in the eyes. It was madness.”

Despite the frightening landing, James still praised the creativity of the match. The action spilled backstage, brought Victoria and Torrie Wilson into the chaos, and featured an overturned couch and hairspray in the eyes.

Melina ultimately retained the WWE Women’s Championship, but the match left James with memories of both its inventive action and a genuinely scary moment.