• Mickie James Reveals Original Pitch For Her “Superfan Stalker” Character
Mickie James has revealed that the original idea for her iconic “superfan stalker” character in WWE wasn’t meant for Trish Stratus – it was written for Lita.
Speaking on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, James said she personally came up with the concept while training in OVW and studying acting. She envisioned a storyline centered around an obsessive fan whose admiration for her idol crosses the line into dangerous territory.
“I actually wrote 18 weeks of TV for that character,” James said. “It was supposed to be me as this crazy fan obsessed with Lita. But when WWE picked it up, they loved the idea and decided to do it with Trish instead.”
James shared that she directly pitched the concept to Vince McMahon himself after getting encouragement from Michael Hayes. The risk paid off, leading to one of WWE’s most memorable women’s storylines and her first WrestleMania moment against Stratus.
• Eric Bischoff Calls AEW Star A True Method Actor
Reflecting on Dustin Rhodes’ transformation into Goldust, Eric Bischoff praised the WWF veteran for his complete commitment to one of wrestling’s most daring characters.
Bischoff admitted he wasn’t a fan of the gimmick at first, finding it hard to reconcile with the Dustin Rhodes he knew from WCW.
“At first, I hated it,” Bischoff said on his 83 Weeks podcast. “It didn’t feel like Dustin at all. It was so far from who he was as a performer.”
But over time, Bischoff grew to respect how deeply Rhodes embraced the role.
“He became Goldust. He lived that character. That’s method acting,” Bischoff said. “He took something outrageous and made it work – and that takes real talent.”
Bischoff even revealed that he had planned to bring Rhodes back to WCW as The Natural after Dustin’s 1995 firing, but it never materialized.
Dustin Rhodes currently works in AEW.
• Steve Austin Reveals Which Legend Got Him Hooked To Wrestling At Age 7
On the Dirty Mo Media podcast, Steve Austin described the exact moment wrestling grabbed hold of him – and it all started with Dusty Rhodes.
At 7 or 8 years old, Austin discovered Houston Wrestling:
“I was flipping channels and I saw Dusty Rhodes bleeding his a$$ off. Somebody had the iron claw on him… it was a smoke-filled arena… security guard had a pistol on his side.
I said, ‘Mom, why don’t the security guard go help Dusty?’… but he was in on the gig. I was hooked.”
Dusty Rhodes remained one of his all-time favorites:
“I consider Dusty to be one of the greatest of all time. Dusty could work his a$$ off. He could sure talk.”
