Mickie James Felt 'Punished' During WWE's 'Piggy James' Storyline

The Piggy James storyline will go down as one of the worst and most pathetic ideas that WWE have come up with. It occurred in 2009 when James was feuding with Michelle McCool and Layla over the Women's Championship on SmackDown.

McCool and Layla started bullying James about her weight in November 2009, with the pair cutting scathing promos. They were even scripted to mock her with a photoshopped picture and a pig costume.

James eventually got her revenge by defeating McCool for the Women's Championship at the 2010 Royal Rumble. But the storyline forever left a sour taste in fans' mouths and was an appalling way to treat such an iconic performer.

The 46-year-old has reflected on the story and how she felt WWE's higher-ups viewed her at the time. She told Chris Van Vliet:

"Especially at a time in my career where I felt like I was being kind of punished on a professional level, so I wasn't sure how much of that was, ‘Does the company truly think this about me? Is someone saying this in creative and they just think it's funny, and let's see how this plays out on TV, or is this just a storyline?’"

James did the best she could with the storyline, demonstrating professionalism to make it work despite its nasty nature. But she wasn't the only one who endured it as McCool has spoken of her dislike for being put in such an angle.

The TNA Hall of Famer added:

"I think, if nothing else, that's where I had to put my ego aside and I was like, ‘You know what? I don't care what I'm going to do, because this is powerful, and we've all been bullied, and there's been moments’… — I think we all struggled with it, doing it in the moment. And I was like, ‘No, what we're going to do is we're going to go out there and we're going to make it gold, and we're going to make it better than they ever expected.’"

WWE came under huge criticism at the time for running the story just over a year before launching its Be a STAR bullying campaign. John Cena and others' charity work was talked up in mainstream media, which made the creative team's decision to use a fat-shaming angle that much more obscene.

James looked on the bright side and highlighted how it had helped others:

"And it did. And not only did it really land in the hearts of a lot of people, I have people that still come to me about that whole story and how much it helped them."

James left WWE in April 2010 and continued her career in TNA, where she left her mark as one of the greatest Knockouts in history. She has returned to WWE since then and hasn't ruled out one more run before a possible WWE Hall of Fame induction.

Michelle McCool on 'Hating' Piggy James Storyline

McCool played the antagonist during the Piggy James storyline, and while James understandably would have been affected by its content, so too was the former Women's Champion, having to hurl out insults and cut promos regarding her rival's weight. It was a massive misuse of both competitors, who deserved better.

The WWE Hall of Famer explained how she constantly apologised to James each week. She told Chris Van Vliet in a separate interview back in February:

"The whole ‘Piggy James’ storyline, like me at heart, hated it just because of what it was, right? Like you’re bullying somebody supposedly that they’re supposedly overweight, and that has never been me. Every week, I’d go up to her like, ‘Mickie, I’m so sorry. This is what they want us to say.’"

McCool added:

"Complete professional. Not once does she try to change things, which often girls did. Not once did she’s like, ‘No, it’s good, it’s cool.’ She knew that it took two to tango. She knew what her role was. She knew what our role was. And she really, I think, put us on the map with that storyline.”"

McCool had spent time defending the Women's Championship in several entertaining feuds, including the eventual split of LayCool. She retired from pro wrestling in May 2011 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year.