Mickie James returned to Monday Night Raw on this week’s episode after being out of action for several months. However, many fans and pundits believe that WWE squandered her long-awaited comeback, including former referee Jimmy Korderas.
As quoted by Ringside News , Korderas took to Twitter for a “Reffin’ Rant” in which he detailed his issues with the company’s handling of the veteran’s return. The former Women’s Champion faced Natalya on the show, but their fight merely served as a backdrop for another current storyline.
“Speaking of ill-timed, Seth Rollins coming out and interrupting the match between Mickie James and Natalya… I felt with Mickie James coming back that felt disrespectful.”
The segment in question saw Rollins get into a heated exchange with Samoa Joe at the commentary table, which took the focus away from what was happening in the ring. James ended up losing the match due to a count-out, but the bad blood boiling between the veteran and her opponent suggests that there are more matches to come.
Korderas — along with other critics of the segment — are of the opinion that James’ comeback match should have been more meaningful. She wasn’t given much time to make a big impression, and Rollins’ appearance proved to be a distraction.
Others have noted how the angle didn’t receive any significant build or excitement beforehand. Prior to the bout, James was featured in a backstage interview angle that was interrupted by Natalya and Lana.
The superstar was brought back without much fanfare and inserted into regular programming as if she had been a weekly fixture in recent months.
In a separate report from Instinct Culture , by way of Ringside News , it was documented that James felt disappointed about how the moment panned out as well. The Monday Night Raw superstar stated that she was thrilled to be back and thanked the fans for their support. However, she hopes for better outings moving forward.
“I am excited about new opportunities, new matches. As far as my return, I am a little bit disappointed, but you can’t win them all. You can’t knock it out of the park every time.”
As noted by The Inquisitr , James was cleared to compete again months ago. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed her plans to lace up her boots again, however, so she stayed at home. She stated that she’d rather bide her time and compete again when she was needed, as opposed to returning for the sake of it.
