Following her WWE release in 2021, Mickie James made headlines when she revealed that her personal belongings had been returned to her in a trash bag. During an appearance on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, James revisited the infamous incident, explaining her reaction, the online response, and how WWE handled the fallout internally.

James revealed that the situation was not entirely new to her, having experienced something similar following her first WWE departure in 2010. Because of that, she admitted she was not as outraged as many fans were. “I wasn’t as offended as the fans were when it happened, because I don’t think you realize how many times we’ve been offended,” James said. “I’m so numb to getting my feelings hurt, or I’m so used to, Oh, you got to separate your ego from it, and don’t take it personal. It’s just business.”

When it came to her decision to post about the incident, James explained that it was more an act of sarcasm and self-awareness than bitterness. “So I posted, because I’m a sarcastic person, and if I was to be honest, I got two boxes with two trash bags. I still have the trash bags because I’m keeping them, receipts,” she revealed. “I remembered in 2010 when I got my stuff back and I got it the same way, and 2010 me was devastated… This time, I didn’t take it personally. I’m like, of course. It’s more about the lack of thought of how you’re so disposable…”

The viral post prompted a swift response from within WWE. “Then Hunter called me, Stephanie text me, Johnny called me. Everybody called me,” James recalled. The backlash led to the firing of then-Head of Talent Relations, Mark Carrano, something James still feels remorse about. “I still feel bad for Mark Carrano, who got fired for it, because Mark was always good to me… he’s the one who got fired. But it was just a testament to that was like a company thing of like, they just didn’t really think of how that would affect [you]…”

In a surprising development, James even received a personal call from Vince McMahon. “Vince called me and I spoke to him on the phone… Because I was like, Vince has never called me before,” she said. “But he was genuine. He was like, ‘You know I’ve never thought that of you, and I’ve always thought highly of you, and I’m so sorry that happened and that person is not here anymore.’ And then I was like, Oh no. Felt bad for Mark Carrano.”

James concluded that she does not believe McMahon ever intended any disrespect, but the incident exposed how detached upper management could be from day-to-day processes. She believes the company has learned from the mistake. “I don’t think anybody else will get their stuff that way anymore… I don’t think they come in Gucci bags, but they certainly don’t come in hefty bags.”

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