Mickie James is assembling an incredible team to help make Empowerrr a reality.
Mickie James recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard and revealed the team of producers she’s working with behind-the-scenes to help put the all-women’s event together. Asked about how planning the event was going, James, the executive producer of NWA Empowerrr, talked about the importance of setting the right tone with the first event. She said that she has aligned with several notable names in the wrestling business and explained that they really want to present Empowerrr as a yearly event that compliments the annual NWA Anniversary show.
“I’m hand-selecting the women that go into the [NWA Women’s Invitational] Cup, along with the women that I have aligned myself with. I’m talking to Gail [Kim], I’m talking to Madusa, I’m talking to LuFisto, and then I have my friend, Brent Tarring, who has been my friend for ages and has really helped me a lot with this project, both behind-the-scenes and he’ll be one of the commentators at the table. So I have so many amazing people that I trust and value their opinion,” James said. “They’re really helping me find the right talent, the stories and how to build them, to get people excited about them.”
Asked if she could clarify that those names are serving as producers for the event, James confirmed and explained how they’ve been part of the decision process. James also noted Jazz, who recently started working for the NWA as an agent, is on her team helping put the show together and talked about how integral they’ve been so far.
“Yes. I would say producers, agents. They’re the ones sitting at the table with me making these decisions, helping to build the vision for each person. It’s a lot of work, especially because it’s all these women that haven’t necessarily had a spotlight put on them. And to really showcase who they are, we need to do that and I’m one person. I need the right people in there to guide that vision of what that is. I’m excited,” James stated. “I feel like I couldn’t have picked a better team to stand alongside. I think we all want the same thing, especially for women’s wrestling and it’s exciting. It’s exciting and it’s a good core group of people who are well-respected in the business.”
Good luck @TheTootieLynn !! Awesome that @nwa is showcasing a new talent and LOCAL for the fans in attendance to support and cheer!!! #Empowerr https://t.co/EoAXkcE8fP
— LuFisto (@LuFisto) July 14, 2021
After noting that LuFisto has had trouble entering the United States due to travel restrictions in Canada, James said it was important to still have her involved. She said they had tried to get her in person for the event, but LuFisto is “still part of Empowerrr and the women’s product for NWA moving forward and as a whole.”
“It was very important to me because when I look at how decisions are made at those wrestling tables, it’s specific men who are in those places. And sometimes there’s a woman in those meetings, but mostly it’s men,” she said, “and I think it’s important for this to have a sounding board for women who are better than me, or have made history and know how to make money.
“I look at someone like LuFisto, who is a genuine veteran in this business and probably known as one of the best talents out there who just never had an opportunity, or never got that one chance, but I love her and respect her so much. And if anyone in those locker rooms, especially when we’re looking at the independent scene. She knows that scene and knows those girls and knows on a personal level what they’re really like,” James explained, “because what I really want is good energy going into it and people who want to be there, who really see the vision and truly, truly want to be there.
“I really hope that this does some magic on all ends, across the board for every company to take notice and step up. That’s really the end goal,” James said, “so I need people like that on the team that know the business and that can perhaps speak to some of these girls in a way that I can’t. They can relate to them because they have a different relationship than I do.”
Stay tuned for our full interview with Mickie James on WrestleZone, where we discuss more details about NWA Empowerrr, assembling the talent and how it can be an annual event, how it will complement the NWA brand, and much more. NWA Empowerrr is part of the National Wrestling Alliance’s four-day stay at the Khorassan Ballroom at Chase Park Plaza from August 28-31. Tickets for all four nights are on sale now.
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