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187-673: Stars from both promotions made appearances for PCW such as TNA's Alexis Laree , Frankie Kazarian , Amazing Red and The S.A.T. (Jose and Joel Maximo). The Wall and the Harris Brothers were also signed to TNA while competing for the promotion. From the World Wrestling Federation included former and then current superstars such as Jimmy Snuka , Gillberg , Gangrel , Eddie Guerrero and Three Minute Warning ( Rosey and Jamal ). A number of WWE developmental wrestlers from Ohio Valley Wrestling spent time in

374-573: A 6-man tag team match to defeat Cham Pain , Joey Matthews & Christian York. At the end of the night, he gave a farewell speech and then he and Kazarian vacated the tag team titles. Kazarian would win the PCW Television Championship from Prodigy the following night. At that same event, Harley Lewis lost the PCW Heavyweight Championship to The Wall in a Tables, Ladders and Doors match. Lewis had held

561-555: A Halloween costume contest, in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy battle royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time. James even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James later became the number one contender for the WWE Women's Championship on December 12, by defeating Victoria in

748-463: A Texas Deathmatch . At Sacrifice , James lost her Knockouts World Championship to Tasha Steelz , ending her fourth reign at 133 days. During a rematch, James was betrayed by best friend Chelsea Green, who turned heel. After teasing retirement on Twitter, James returned on the September 1, 2022, edition of Impact! , to announce that she would retire after she lost her next match unless she won

935-483: A cage . In early 2011, James began appearing for Covey Promotions. At All or Nothing 5 on April 30, James defeated Hannah Blossom to become the first Covey Pro Women's Champion. During her time with TNA , James made several appearances for independent wrestling promotions such as Pro Championship Wrestling, Legends of the Ring, Northeast Wrestling and National Wrestling Superstars. On November 11, 2011, James lost

1122-445: A disc jockey and on-air personality for 98.5 FM , against Little Ricky in a lumberjack match . This was the second memorial show held in memory of Russ Hass, Jersey All Pro Wrestling had held a similar event several months before. On November 2, 2002, Diamond Dallas Page headlined a PCW fundraiser at a local middle school in his hometown of Point Pleasant, New Jersey , and participated in an autograph signing afterwards. This

1309-402: A face after she and Lita wrestled in a series of matches in which Lita chose stipulations to hinder Mickie's wrestling ability. The feud between James and Lita ended at Survivor Series , where James defeated Lita, in the latter's retirement match, to win her second Women's Championship. James then began an angle with Melina on January 29, 2007, when Melina became the number one contender for

1496-491: A fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company. After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls as well as wrestling a tryout dark match with Dawn Marie , James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), their then- developmental territory , in August 2003. Still using

1683-595: A pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang , it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro . This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar , Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird series of concept cars in

1870-461: A push and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22 , a title she has held a total of five times. James also won her first Divas Championship defeating Maryse Ouellet at Night of Champions in 2009, to become the second of five Divas to hold both the Women's and Divas titles. She was released from the company in April 2010, after which she returned to TNA, where she became

2057-555: A stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett . On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match , after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett. She continued to wrestle with the stable while they feuded with The Disciples of the New Church , taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchell burning her with

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2244-420: A tag team match at WWE Evolution , WWE's first-ever all-women's pay–per–view. Just three days before the event on October 25, however, it was announced that Bliss was pulled out of the match due to a concussion, and that Fox would be her replacement. In the event's opening contest, James and Fox were unsuccessful against Stratus and Lita. On November 18 at Survivor Series , James was selected by Bliss to be

2431-531: A triple threat match that also involved Victoria. Since Mickie pinned Victoria and not Melina, an immediate rematch was scheduled, in which James dropped the title back to Melina, giving her the shortest Women's Championship reign in WWE history. James later received a rematch for the title at Backlash , but was unsuccessful. After Backlash, James would only make sporadic appearances on television, wrestling occasionally in tag-matches and rarely in singles competition. On

2618-471: A "throwback". On the January 17, 2017, episode of SmackDown Live , James made her return by helping Alexa Bliss retain her SmackDown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage match , revealing herself as the woman under the " La Luchadora " gimmick and establishing herself as a heel character, while also allying with Bliss. She competed in her first match in nearly seven years in

2805-600: A 155 hp (116 kW) 250 cu in (4.1 L) inline-six. The Firebird Esprit and the Firebird Formula came standard with the 255 hp (190 kW), 350 cu in (5.7 L). The Esprit could be upgraded to a two-barrel carbureted 400 cu in (6.6 L), 265 hp (198 kW), while the Formula could be optioned to receive the L78 4 barrel 400 that produced 330 hp (246 kW) or

2992-519: A 1972 Firebird from the other 1970-73 Firebirds is the hexagonal honeycomb grille insert on the nose of the vehicle. 1972 saw an industry-wide change to the way the engines were rated from the factory, with misleading SAE Gross horsepower ratings replaced by more accurate SAE Net figures. The compression ratio was also lowered for many engines to accept more environmentally friendly low-leaded fuel that had been mandated, further lowering power ratings. Engine options remained mostly unchanged, however,

3179-695: A Formula steering wheel with gold spokes and gold dash bezel, similar to the ones included in the Special Edition package, however, the red and gold steering wheel was exclusive to the Red Bird Esprit. A new appearance package on offer for the Trans Am was the gold Y88 Special Appearance package, available for order in late 1977. It was a new variation of the black Y82 Special Appearance Package and featured an all-gold color pallet, exclusive gold mirrored T-Tops, 15x7 snowflake aluminum wheels, and

3366-604: A Three Way Elimination match against Frankie Kazarian and Mike Kruel to win the heavyweight title. The company, which had been in decline since Mike Bucci signed with WWE, eventually closed at the end of the summer. The PCW Heavyweight Championship was the primary singles championship title in Phoenix Championship Wrestling. It was first won by Harley Lewis who defeated Dr. Hurtz at PCW's first event in Stanhope, New Jersey on March 3, 2001. The title

3553-555: A WWE main roster ring on January 29, 2017, at the Royal Rumble pay–per–view, teaming with Bliss and Natalya against Lynch, Naomi , and Nikki Bella in a losing effort. James went on to face Lynch at the Elimination Chamber pay–per–view in another losing effort. She would defeat Lynch in a rematch on the edition of February 14 of SmackDown , but would lose a Two-Out-of-Three Falls match two weeks later to end

3740-502: A Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 22 , which James won, to earn her first Women's Championship in what was looked at as one of the best female matches ever produced at WrestleMania. Her angle with Stratus continued into Backlash during a rematch, after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring. The feud would come to an end on the June 26 episode of Raw , when Mickie defeated Stratus in

3927-473: A Women's Championship match. James dropped the WWE Women's Championship on August 14 to Lita , after Lita hit James with the title belt. After the Women's Championship was vacated due to the retirement of Trish Stratus , James entered a tournament to determine the new champion. She defeated Victoria and Melina en route to the finals at Cyber Sunday , where she lost to Lita. James transitioned into

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4114-824: A booker and promoter in the New York-New Jersey area for the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wide Wrestling Alliance , as well running occasional shows under Big Buc Productions in the Toms River area since 1999, Don Bucci was able to bring in independent stars he had previously worked with including Harley Lewis , The Wall, Donnie Bon Jovi, Slayer, Father Ozzy, Matt Vandal, Mike Preston and Prodigy . Though his brother Mike, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe also agreed to appearances for

4301-478: A few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into storylines with the group. She is the only woman to be involved in the promotion's Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches . James made her World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) main roster debut in 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus , in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which ran over eight months. She received

4488-499: A few minor changes to the Firebird. Fenders across all models featured a one-year-only exhaust vent seen on the lower half of the fenders. The interior options also changed to the newer style collared bucket seats in the deluxe interior, and the previous year's seats with the headrest were no longer available. The rear seat console was introduced as an option, and Honeycomb wheels became available for all Firebirds. Engine selection saw

4675-487: A field. At Bound for Glory, James defeated Purrazzo to win the Impact Knockouts Championship for the fourth time. At Turning Point , after successfully retained the title against Mercedes Martinez , James was attacked by Purrazzo, who announced that she would invoke her rematch clause at Hard To Kill . At the event, on January 8, 2022, James successfully retained the title against Purrazzo in

4862-487: A four-barrel carburetor, developing 215 hp (160 kW). Most buyers opted for one of three V8s : the 326 cu in (5.3 L) with a two-barrel carburetor producing 250 hp (186 kW); the four-barrel "HO" (high output) 326, producing 285 hp (213 kW); or the 325 hp (242 kW) 400 cu in (6.6 L) from the GTO. All 1967–1968 400 CI engines had throttle restrictors that blocked

5049-409: A four-speed Borg Warner Super T-10, and it was no longer available for the Formula. Although it was brought back as the "455 HO", it was not the same engine as the 1971-1972 LS2 455 HO seen in the earlier Firebirds. It was a standard D-port engine with a low profile camshaft and restrictive exhaust system that was also seen in the larger body Pontiac platforms. Power output was restricted to 200 HP with

5236-491: A full-time mother, but James Storm talked her into having one more match. On the June 3 episode of Impact Wrestling , James declined an offer by Storm to join The Revolution , which resulted in him intentionally shoving her onto a train track in the storyline, which sparked controversy. This was done to write off James from television, as she had no more dates set with the company at the time. James made her return on

5423-431: A gold aluminum machined dash bezel with a black outline. The 1977 Firebird received a facelift that featured four rectangular headlamps. The shaker scoop was also revised for this year, with the early 1977-built T/As coming with off-center, lower-profile shaker scoops. The Formula hood was changed for the last time for the second generation with a much lower profile. The snowflake wheel became an option for all Firebirds and

5610-442: A later interview, after "watching all the other bad indies out there, especially in this area. I was tired of seeing the people get ripped off." He was especially supportive of allowing more creative control by wrestlers, providing fair pay and a safe working environment . Bucci claimed to have gotten the idea for the "Phoenix" name while driving behind a Firebird and noticed the car's emblem. Having had previous experience as

5797-489: A lot of time on her grandmother's horse farm, and developed a keen interest in equestrian sports . She played violin for five years. A fan of professional wrestling from an early age, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. , area at the suggestion of a friend. She made her professional debut on the independent circuit on 28 August 1999, as a wrestler for KYDA Pro Wrestling under

Phoenix Championship Wrestling - Misplaced Pages Continue

5984-505: A manager and later became the promotion's commissioner. Also at that event, The Backseat Boyz ( Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere ) were crowned the first tag team champions after defeating Combat Zone Wrestling 's Ric Blade and Nicky Benz. They would eventually lose the titles to Evolution (Nova and Frankie Kazarian) in a 3-Way Dance with Joey Matthews & Christian York in Monroeville, Pennsylvania four months later. On August 9,

6171-527: A match on August 7 at Hardcore Justice , where James lost the Knockouts Championship to Winter, following multiple interferences from Love and a red mist from Winter. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Madison Rayne to earn a rematch for the title. On the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Winter to win her second TNA Knockouts Championship. On September 11 at No Surrender , James dropped

6358-411: A match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year's Revolution . Subsequently, the storyline between Mickie and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle, after James kissed Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe . In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James lost to Stratus. Despite the defeat, James continued to be enamored of Stratus, which made Stratus uncomfortable. On March 6, 2006,

6545-585: A new 5-color gold hood decal. All Y88s were painted in paint code 51 Solar Gold and always featured code 62 Camel Tan interior, however, the WS6 Special Performance Package, deluxe interior and tan-colored seatbelts were still pay-extra options. The Y88 featured brown pinstriping, as opposed to the gold pinstriping on the Y82/Y84 package, and included the new design 5-color hood decal and block-style gold font callouts. The Y88 SE debuted

6732-686: A new EGR system, which delayed the SD-455 program until late into the production year. The shaker decal on the scoop read "SD-455". The 1973 Trans Am introduced "Radial Tuned Suspension". When ordered, it included 15-inch radial tires. This delivered a more comfortable ride while also providing better cornering. The 1973 Trans Am production was up over previous years, the L75 455 production was 3,130 with automatic and 1,420 with manual transmission. The special ordered $ 550 Option LS2 SD-455 production saw 180 automatics and 72 manuals. Curb weights rose dramatically in

6919-625: A new direction with their women's division". Sporadic appearances (2013) In November 2013, James served as guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida , for a week, training NXT 's female wrestlers. James also attended that week's NXT live event in Tampa, Florida . James made her return to the independent circuit in April 2010, as part of World Wrestling Council (WWC), teaming with Carlito to defeat

7106-470: A part of Team Raw along with Nia Jax, Tamina , Bayley and Sasha Banks to go against Team SmackDown's Naomi, Carmella , Sonya Deville, Asuka and Mandy Rose . Team Raw came out victorious after Jax was the sole survivor. The victory also upped James’ undefeated streak to 5–0 at Survivor Series. The next night on Raw , James was selected by “General Manager-Elect” Baron Corbin to answer an open-challenge by Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey , but lost

7293-434: A participant in the lingerie battle royal , which occurred the following week. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against the X Division Champion Kid Kash and Trinity . Laree competed in her first singles match with the promotion on April 2, 2003, in a losing effort against Trinity. Weeks later, she became the first member of The Gathering ,

7480-566: A pod before being eliminated by Bayley . On the February 26 episode of Raw , James proceeded to turn heel and realigned herself with Bliss. At WrestleMania 34 , James participated in the first-ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal for the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy , but was eliminated from the match by Ruby Riott . Later that night, she had planned to manage Bliss to her title defense against Nia Jax , but

7667-412: A rematch, where her team was victorious. James' final match in WWE aired on the April 23 episode of SmackDown where she teamed with former long-time rival Beth Phoenix against LayCool in a losing effort when she was pinned by Layla. James was released from WWE one day earlier on April 22, having pre-taped her SmackDown match. According to James, WWE explained the decision as due to desiring to "move in

Phoenix Championship Wrestling - Misplaced Pages Continue

7854-427: A shot at the Knockouts Championship when she was defeated by Ms. Tessmacher in a four-way match that also included Tara and Velvet Sky, while also showing signs of a heel turn due to jealousy of Sky. On the June 21 episode of Impact Wrestling , James was chosen over Sky as the next challenger for the Knockouts Championship, but failed to recapture the title from Ms. Tessmacher. James' storyline with Sky ended abruptly

8041-478: A singles match against Natalya the following week, which saw James lose by countout thanks to interference from Lana. On the August 31 episode of Raw , James confronted the Raw Women's Champion Asuka , stating her intentions of going after the title. During this exchange, Lana and Natalya interrupted staking their claims, leading to a singles match between James and Lana in which James defeated her via pinfall. On

8228-424: A six-year absence, inviting Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo to defend the title at NWA EmPowerrr , where she is executive producer, only for Purrazzo to give her disrespect, then James kicked Purrazzo in the face. Purrazzo would eventually accept James' invite, successfully defending the Knockouts Championship against Melina at NWA EmPowerrr. The next night, at NWA 73 , Purrazzo attacked James after

8415-489: A special 303 cu in (5.0 L) engine was designed for Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) road racing applications that were not available in production cars. Modifications for 1968 included the addition of federally-mandated side marker lights : for the front of the car, the turn signals were made larger and extended to wrap around the front edges of the car, and on the rear, the Pontiac (V-shaped) Arrowhead logo

8602-970: A special tribute show for Russ Haas , brother and tag team partner of fellow WWE developmental wrestler Charlie Hass , to raise money for his family. The event, the Haas Memorial Tag Team Tournament , was held at Recreation Station in Toms River and featured a number of wrestlers from World Wrestling Entertainment. The tournament had a unique format with the first round matches being three-way matches with double elimination rules, as opposed to traditional single team matches, and included PCW Tag Team Champions The United Nations (Tiger Khan & Prophet), Steve Corino & Amazing Red , The S.A.T. (Jose and Joel Maximo), Chris Divine & Quiet Storm, Malice & Seven , Da Hit Squad, Joey Matthews & Christian York, Bo Dupp & Matt Vandal (substituting for Pete Gas ), Lance Cade & Nick Dinsmore , and The Ballard Brothers. The tournament

8789-404: A three-time TNA Knockouts Champion . James returned to WWE in 2013 as a guest trainer, then officially returned in 2016 before she was once again released in 2021. James would then make occasional appearances and would ultimately return to Impact Wrestling in 2021, winning her fourth and fifth Knockouts Championship, making James a total 11-time women's world champion between WWE and Impact. James

8976-568: A three-way GFW Women's Championship tournament qualifying match that also included Lei'D Tapa and the ultimate winner, Christina Von Eerie . On January 22, Christina Von Eerie defeated James and Kimber Lee to retain the GFW Women's Championship. On October 13, 2016, it was announced that James would return to WWE's developmental brand NXT at the NXT TakeOver: Toronto event on November 19, competing against Asuka for

9163-528: A torque rating of 330 lb⋅ft at 2,000 rpm. It was the largest displacement "performance" engine still available. Track testing in 1975 showed the 455 capable of 16.12-second quarter-mile time, which was similar to the L82 Corvette. The 1976 model year saw a revision to the design and had done away with the rubber bumperettes on the front and back bumpers. Instead, the body featured a sleeker design with polyurethane front and rear bumpers that adhered to

9350-423: A trash bag. Several other former talent such as Jillian Hall , Maria Kanellis and Gail Kim voiced similar experiences when they were fired. The senior employee responsible for this was let go, and James received a public apology from Stephanie McMahon . James made her National Wrestling Alliance debut on the June 8, 2021, episode of NWA Powerrr , announcing that she will serve as an executive producer for

9537-401: A triple-threat match. Mickie re-entered the feud against Phoenix in mid-2008, where she and Kofi Kingston teamed up against Phoenix and Santino Marella at SummerSlam in a Winner Takes All tag team match for both the Women's and Intercontinental Championships, in which Mickie and Kingston lost their titles to Phoenix and Marella. After James lost the championship, she had two rematches for

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9724-489: A two-barrel carburetor. An HO version of the 350 cu in (5.7 L) with a revised cam was also offered to start in that year, which developed 320 hp (239 kW). The power output of the other engines was increased marginally. There was an additional Ram Air IV option for the 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 engines during 1969, complementing the Ram Air 400(now often colloquially but incorrectly called

9911-502: A two-door hardtop and a convertible were offered through the 1969 model year. Originally, the car was a "consolation prize" for Pontiac, which had desired to produce a two-seat sports car based on its original Banshee concept car. However, GM feared this would cut into Chevrolet Corvette sales, and gave Pontiac a piece of the " pony car " market by sharing the F-body platform with Chevrolet . The listed retail price before options for

10098-565: A villainess wrestling Reby Sky several times in different dates and locations, winning in all bouts against Sky. On October 12, Mickie again appeared for the promotion, beating Quebec's Midianne in Bristol, Connecticut . On February 8, 2014, James returned to Maryland Championship Wrestling for the Anniversary 2014 event in Joppa, Maryland , to face Angelina Love, promoted as "Battle of

10285-560: A waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant, and posing nude for adult fetish magazines Leg Show and Naughty Neighbors in the early 2000s, before gaining fame and being subsequently signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003. While working in Ring of Honor for a year, James also debuted as Alexis Laree in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the company's first ever weekly pay-per-view , introduced as

10472-450: A weaker cast, as they had a lower nickel content, and had metal shaved off in the lower journals of the block to decrease the overall weight and cost. These blocks were used until the W72 engine reverted to the original specifications from the start of the decade with the 481988 cast in late 1977. Originally, the L75 455 7.5L V8 was dropped entirely, but it returned mid-year, available only with

10659-641: A winning effort against Nikki Storm. On September 21, James made an appearance at the Wrestling Spectacular 2 all-female event in Edison, New Jersey , alongside many former WWE and TNA female wrestlers, such as Angelina Love , Katarina Waters , Rosita and Brooke Adams . James and Love fought in the main event, with Candice Michelle as the special guest referee, where Love pinned James after interference from Velvet Sky . James made appearances for Big Time Wrestling in August 2013, doing so as

10846-586: Is best known for her tenures in WWE , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). James began her wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit , where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA: TNA, later Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, later Impact Wrestling, now Total Nonstop Action Wrestling again) in 2002, where she gained national attention. After only

11033-475: The 2016 King of Trios tournament as part of Team Original Divas Revolution, alongside Jazz and Victoria. They defeated Team Shimmer ( Candice LeRae , Crazy Mary Dobson and Solo Darling) in their first round match. The following day, Team Original Divas Revolution was eliminated from the tournament by The Warriors Three (Oleg the Usurper, Princess KimberLee and ThunderFrog). James worked as head trainer for

11220-492: The Funking Conservatory , a workshop run by Dory Funk Jr. , and an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) dojo . She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton . Beginning in 2002, she also made appearances for Ring of Honor . Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as

11407-579: The Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 4. Two weeks later on Raw , James lost the title to Jillian Hall after an approximate three month title reign. After the show, James was traded to the SmackDown brand for the first time in her career, due to a Diva trade made by Raw guest host Nancy O'Dell . James made her debut with the brand on the October 23 episode of SmackDown , defeating Layla . On

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11594-612: The Jersey Shore and Mid-Atlantic region, but from throughout the United States and Canada. The mix of wrestlers would occasionally result in unofficial interpromotional matches that would not normally be seen in mainstream companies. The promotion also had a weekly Public-access television cable TV series, Fire Bird TV , and many of its supercards and televised events were later released on VHS/DVD by Smart Mark Video and RF Video . In 2001, Phoenix Championship Wrestling

11781-529: The NXT Women's Championship . On the October 26 episode of NXT , James cut a promo where she formally re–introduced herself and challenged Asuka for the championship. At the event, James was defeated and after the match Asuka refused to shake her hand as a sign of disrespect. On December 8, it was announced that James had signed a multi–year contract with WWE. According to James, she asked to return under her previous character, which she later would see as

11968-402: The Royal Rumble , James entered the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match at No. 26 and lasted over 8 minutes before being eliminated by long–time rival Trish Stratus . The following month, James competed in the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match at the namesake pay–per–view, where she entered at No. 5 and eliminated Sonya Deville after a diving Lou Thesz press off the top of

12155-515: The Seaside Heights , Seaside Park , Beachwood , and Bayville areas . Around this time, both Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling had folded and a large number of its former stars were forced to work on the independent circuit. Bucci believed that with the abundance of talent and high quality television production of Fire Bird TV would help gain an edge over his other competitors. This formula, Bucci later claimed,

12342-584: The SmackDown brand . During a live event on June 1, it was reported that James had suffered a torn ACL. On July 16, James underwent successful knee surgery and would be out of action for seven to nine months. During her recovery from injury, James would become a commentator for Main Event . After 14 months of injury, James returned on the August 10, 2020, episode of Raw as a face, only to have her interview interrupted by Natalya and Lana . This set up

12529-492: The TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship from Kim and Rayne. Three days later at Genesis , James lost another championship match against Kim, after being disqualified for using the brass knuckles that were thrown into the ring by Rayne, who was locked in a cage suspended in the air during the match. On the January 19 episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Rayne in a steel cage match. On

12716-607: The Virginia based promotion Ground Xero Wrestling (GXW) Training Academy. She trained students at the Richmond location. James beat Renee Michelle for the GXW Women's Championship while with the promotion. On September 22, 2010, it was reported that James had signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). James returned to the promotion on October 7's Before The Glory special episode of Impact! , when she

12903-582: The ring name Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name. Laree went on to manage several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as

13090-495: The "Farewell to Nova" card the previous year. Two months later at Mayhem Massacre in Manchester , Matt Vandal won a tournament to win the vacant heavyweight title defeating Frankie Kazarian in the finals. On June 14, 2003, its last event was held at Toms River High School East in Toms River. The Moxie Family ( Romeo Roselli , Damian Adams and Rob Eckos ) won the tag team titles from Kappa Tegga Kappa and Donnie Bon Jovi in

13277-404: The "Ram Air III," a name never used by Pontiac). The Ram Air IV was rated at 345 hp (350 PS; 257 kW) at 5000 rpm and 430 lb⋅ft (583 N⋅m) of torque at 3400 rpm; and 335 hp (340 PS; 250 kW) respectively. The 350 cu in (5.7 L) HO engine was revised again with a different cam and cylinder heads resulting in 325 hp (242 kW). During 1969

13464-508: The "T/A 6.6" decal. As Pontiac had discontinued the 455 in the previous model year, a modified 400 Pontiac V8 dubbed the "T/A 6.6" with the RPO W72 became available as a pay-extra upgrade to the standard L78 400. It came featured with a tuned four-barrel 800CFM Rochester Quadrajet carburetor and was rated at 200 bhp (203 PS; 149 kW) at 3,600 rpm and a maximum torque of 325 lb⋅ft (441 N⋅m) at 2,400 rpm, as opposed to

13651-614: The "heel" stable Triple Threat ( "Franchise" Shane Douglas , Chris Candido and Bam Bam Bigelow ). Both Bucci and Prodigy would win titles in the promotion, Prodigy being the first PCW Television Champion . Despite the fierce competitive environment among independent Mid-Atlantic promotions, the smaller PCW had working relationships with several of its rivals allowing appearances by Nicky Benz and Ric Blade from Combat Zone Wrestling , and Michael Shane , "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe from Ring of Honor . PCW also featured many established independent wrestlers, not only in

13838-525: The 1950s. The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro . Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix . Both

14025-421: The 1970 model year was delayed until February 26, 1970, because of tooling and engineering problems; thus, its popular designation as a 1970½ model, while leftover 1969s were listed in early Pontiac literature without a model-year identification. This generation of Firebirds were available in coupe form only; after the 1969 model year, convertibles were not available until 1989. Replacing the "Coke bottle" styling

14212-444: The 1974 model year because of the implementation of 5 mph (8.0 km/h) telescoping bumpers and various other crash- and safety-related structural enhancements; SD455 Trans Ams weighed in at 3,850 lb (1,746 kg) in their first year of production (1974 model year; actually 1973). The 1974 models featured a redesigned "shovel-nose" front end and new wide "slotted" taillights. The 400, 455, and SD-455 engines were offered in

14399-473: The 1CW Women's Championship after getting herself disqualified. On June 19, 2015, at Maryland Championship Wrestling's Ladies Night event, James defeated Amber Rodriguez (with Lisa Marie Varon as the special guest referee and Melina as the enforcer) to win the MCW Women's Championship, despite being attacked by the villainous Melina during the match. On November 13, Kimber Lee defeated James to win

14586-654: The 25-Diva battle royal at WrestleMania XXV , James began feuding with the WWE Divas Champion Maryse heading into Night of Champions on July 26. At the event, James defeated Maryse to win her first Divas Championship, becoming only the second Diva in history to have held both the Women's and Divas titles. Throughout the Summer, Mickie successfully defended the title against Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix on episodes of Raw , and against Alicia Fox at

14773-489: The 301. The Trans Am now had three different engine options, the standard Pontiac L78 400, the optional extra-cost Pontiac W72 400, and the Oldsmobile-sourced L80 403. The 1977 models also saw the cubic inch numbers on the shaker switched in favor of the metric displacement. The shakers had a "6.6 Litre" decal for all L78 Pontiac 400 and L80 Oldsmobile 403 engines. Only the optional W72 Pontiac 400 received

14960-584: The Apaches in a tag team match, after which she challenged Mari to a match for her AAA Reina de Reinas Championship . On July 31 at Verano de Escándalo , James competed in an eight-way match for the Reina de Reinas Championship, becoming the last person eliminated by the new champion, Pimpinela Escarlata . On the June 23 episode of Impact Wrestling , James was defeated by Winter in a non-title Street Fight , following outside interference from Love. This led to

15147-527: The Bandit , leading to a drastic increase in sales of the Pontiac Firebird in the following years, and its current day collectability. Changes for 1978 were slight, with a switch from a honeycomb to a crosshatch pattern grille being the most notable change to the body style. The decals for the standard Trans Ams changed from the "looping style" lettering to the "block-style" font that would remain on

15334-605: The Bombshells". Although originally promoted as a singles match, interference by MCW's Renee Michelles' and Jessie Kayes' rivalry occurred during the match, resulting in the match being turned into a tag team match with Mickie and Michelle facing Angelina and Kayes, which James and Michelle won. On April 25, 2014, at the Berkeley Springs High School theater in West Virginia , James headlined

15521-475: The Chevrolet inline-six was the only outsourced engine in a Firebird. Pontiac made the 301 (4.9 L) V8 available for order in the lower Firebird models, but due to such high demand and popularity, they removed its availability from the Firebird model to allow enough 301 engines for the other Pontiac lines. It was re-introduced as an option in 1979 as production for the 400 ceased and tooling was converted over to

15708-631: The Covey Pro Women's Championship to the debuting Jessie Belle Smothers . James made her debut for Pro Wrestling Elite (PWE) in Ayr, Scotland on September 15, 2012, at History Is Born , where she wrestled Kay Lee Ray to a no contest. After the match, James teamed up with Ray in a winning effort against Carmel and Nikki Storm. The following night, James competed against Carmel in a winning effort. James returned to Pro Wrestling Elite at their two-year anniversary event Elite Bro on July 20, 2013, in

15895-612: The Covey Promotion 3rd Annual Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, as she was inducted into the Covey Pro Hall Of Hame Class of 2014. The next day, during the All or Nothing 8! event which was aired on May 17 as the 154th episode of Covey Pro TV, James was interrupted during an interview by Amber Rodriguez, who mocked James on her legitimate pregnancy and gave her a pie as a tease, and in return, James shoved

16082-434: The Firebird Formula. The Firebird Esprit was offered as a luxury model that came with appearance options, the deluxe interior package, and a Pontiac 350 as standard equipment. The Formula was advertised as an alternative to the Trans Am and could be ordered with all the options available to the Trans Am with the exception of the fender flares, shaker scoop, and fender heat extractors. The base model Firebird came equipped with

16269-610: The Firebird until the end of the second generation. The optional T-Tops transitioned from Hurst installed units to Fisher units designed and created "in-house" by GM in mid-year 1978. Pontiac also introduced the Red Bird package on the Firebird Esprit model. Painted in Code 72 Roman Red with a matching deluxe Carmine Red interior, it demonstrated gold accents with a unique Red Bird graphic on the exterior b-pillars. It also included

16456-635: The Fisher-style T-Top roof and featured special gold tinted Fisher glass tops exclusive to the Y88. There are no confirmed documented examples of hard-top Y88s made. The Y88 was discontinued due to problems Pontiac experienced with the Solar Gold paint such as streaking in the paint, or a green discoloration with the water-based paint used at the Van Nuys assembly plant. It was then changed back to

16643-415: The GTO and Firebird engines was that the secondary carburetor's throttle linkage had a restrictor which prevented the rear barrels from opening completely, altering the linkage could allow full carburetor operation resulting in identical engine performance. For the 1970 and 1971 model years, all Firebirds equipped with radios had the antennae mounted "in-glass" in the windshield. The 1971 model year had

16830-497: The Impact Knockouts World Championship belt. She lasted just under 12 minutes in the match, managing to eliminate her former rival Michelle McCool and was later eliminated by another former rival, Lita . On February 28, at No Surrender , James successfully defended the title against Masha Slamovich . James was scheduled to defend the title against Grace at Sacrifice on March 24, however, it

17017-417: The January 26 episode of Impact Wrestling , James and Velvet Sky were defeated by Tara in a three-way number one contender's match for the Knockouts Championship. On the April 5 episode of Impact Wrestling , James was defeated by Sky in a six-way number one contenders match, also involving Angelina Love, Madison Rayne, Tara , and Winter. On the June 7 episode of Impact Wrestling , James again failed to earn

17204-579: The July 1 episode of Impact Wrestling , confronting Storm and challenging him to an intergender tag team match. After the match, James got revenge on Storm and she delivered a jumping DDT on him. On the July 29 episode of Impact Wrestling , James and Magnus defeated Storm and his partner Serena , when James pinned Serena. On July 7, 2015, James signed with Global Force Wrestling (GFW). On July 24, at GFW's inaugural tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada , James lost

17391-469: The Knockouts Championship due to interference from Tara. The following month at Against All Odds , James once again failed to win the Knockouts Championship, this time losing to Rayne in a Last Knockout Standing match , after another interference by Tara. On the March 17 episode of Impact! , Rayne agreed to give James another title match at Lockdown , with the added stipulation that should James fail to win

17578-527: The Knockouts Championship. On December 9 at Final Resolution , James was unsuccessful in winning the championship from Tara after a distraction from her boyfriend Jesse . James received another shot at the championship on the December 20 episode of Impact Wrestling , but was again defeated by Tara. On January 13, 2013, at the Genesis pay-per-view, James competed in a five-woman gauntlet match to determine

17765-532: The Knockouts World Championship once more, while also naming her final run The Last Rodeo. She went on to win every match after this announcement, defeating Gisele Shaw at Victory Road , Mia Yim at Bound for Glory , Taylor Wilde at Over Drive , and eventually Jordynne Grace at Hard To Kill to end The Last Rodeo, winning the Knockouts World Championship for the fifth time. On the January 7, 2022, episode of SmackDown , James

17952-480: The L74 Ram Air III 400 345 hp (257 kW). There were two Ram Air 400 cu in (6.6 L) engines available for the 1970 Trans Am, carried over from 1969: the 335 hp (250 kW) L74 Ram Air III 400 , and the 345 hp (257 kW) L67 Ram Air IV . The Ram Air IV was exclusive to the Trans Am, and could not be ordered on any of the lower Firebird models. The difference between

18139-553: The L75 455 engine was dropped, but the LS5 455 HO remained as an option for the Formula and standard for the Trans Am. Pontiac advertised the 1972 455 HO as de-tuned to 300 hp, but the engine was unchanged from 1971. Starting in 1972, and continuing until 1977, the Firebird was only produced at the Norwood, Ohio , facility. In 1973, the Trans Am added two new colors, Buccaneer Red and Brewster Green. Other exterior upgrades included

18326-522: The MCW Women's Championship after interference from Amber Rodriguez. The following night, James gained a measure of revenge by defeating Rodriguez in a Loser Leaves MCW match, causing Rodriguez to leave the company. On February 2, 2016, James made an appearance for Chikara in a losing effort against Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee . On April 1, 2016, James returned to Queens of Combat and defeated LuFisto at Queens of Combat 10 . On September 2, 2016, James made her debut for Chikara , when she entered

18513-487: The May 23 episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Sky after attacking her injured knee to become a three-time Knockouts Champion. The following week, James continued portraying a villainous persona by calling out Velvet Sky, acting sarcastic and pompous towards her, and also did not help Sky when she was attacked by Gail Kim. James cemented her heel turn on the June 13 episode of Impact Wrestling , when she attacked Sky when

18700-568: The November 26 episode of Raw , James defeated Melina in a number one contender's match for Beth Phoenix 's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon , in which Phoenix retained the title. On the April 14, 2008, episode of Raw , held in London, England , James defeated Beth Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. At Judgment Day , James successfully defended her title against Melina and Beth Phoenix in

18887-491: The October 30 episode of SmackDown , a controversial angle began that saw WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool and Layla, collectively known as LayCool , bully James. On the November 20 episode of SmackDown , after James defeated Layla, McCool gave James the nickname "Piggy James", that sent James to tears, resulting in a five-on-five Survivor Series match at the November pay-per-view Survivor Series , where James' team prevailed over McCool's team, with James and Melina as

19074-451: The September 14 episode of Raw , James challenged Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship, but lost after a botched finish due to the referee believing that James could no longer compete. In the 2020 WWE Draft in October, James went undrafted. Her first post-draft appearance occurred on January 4, 2021, during the special " Legends Night " episode of Raw , appearing alongside several other WWE legends. That same month, James competed in

19261-485: The Trans Am and Formula models during 1974. A June 1974 test of a newly delivered, privately owned SD-455 Trans Am appeared in Super Stock and Drag Illustrated . With an unmodified car and a test weight of 4,010 lbs the testers clocked 14.25 seconds at 101 mph. The car had a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 3-speed automatic transmission and came equipped with air conditioning, an option that added considerable weight to

19448-406: The W72, denoted with a large "XX" cast protruding on the side of the block near the cast code. The WS6 Trans Am Special Performance package developed by Herb Adams was introduced as a handling option for the Trans Am, including a larger diameter rear sway bar, tighter ratio steering box, 15x8-inch snowflake wheels, additional frame bracing, as well as other suspension changes. Initially, the W72 engine

19635-411: The Women's Championship. Following a successful title defense on February 5, James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro . After Melina pinned James for the victory, she challenged her to a rematch for the title. James would subsequently lose the Women's Championship to Melina on February 19 and, in continuation of their storyline feud, failed to regain

19822-546: The Y82s equipped with the L75 455 engine received the Hurst T-tops. T-Tops became a regular production option for other Firebirds in 1977. The Y82 option included exclusive black and gold decals, gold pinstriping along the body of the car, a Formula steering wheel with gold spokes and horn button, gold honeycomb 15x7 wheels, gold window crank covers (if ordered with power windows), a gold shifter button for automatic cars, and

20009-473: The addition of Pontiac’s largest V8, the 455, available in the L75 325 hp (242 kW) version and the LS5 335 hp (250 kW) HO version. Both the 455 and 455 HO were available as engine options for the Firebird Formula, but the Trans Am received the 455 HO as standard equipment. During a 1972 strike, the Firebird (and the similar F-body Camaro ) were nearly dropped. The 1972 model year saw minor cosmetic changes. A difference that differentiates

20196-590: The audience after the match praising both Bucci and Phoenix Championship Wrestling. The event, according to Don Bucci, is his favorite moment and one of the most memorable in the promotion's history. In May 2002, Mike Bucci announced he had signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Later that month, the promotion held a special event in Toms River, Farewell to Nova , which would see Bucci wrestle his last match in PCW before making his WWE debut as " Simon Dean ". Bucci teamed with Frankie Kazarian and Chris Chetti in

20383-477: The base version developing an increased 175 hp (130 kW) using a one-barrel carburetor, and the high-output Sprint version the same 215 hp with a four-barrel carburetor. Also for the 1968 model, the 326 cu in (5.3 L) engine was replaced by the Pontiac 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8 , which actually displaced 354 cu in (5.8 L), and produced 265 hp (198 kW) with

20570-484: The black Y84 (replaced RPO Y82) Special Appearance package for the remainder of the 1978 Special Edition Trans Ams built. The W72 engine option also saw a revision to the camshaft duration and the tuning of the Rochester Quadrajet which led to a 10% increase in horsepower from the prior year, bringing the total to 220 hp. Additionally, the earlier stronger and more durable 481988 cast block returned on

20757-482: The bottom of each door, and a Firebird decal on the rear spoiler. The Formula had a one-year exclusive steel hood design with smaller recessed, less pronounced hood snorkels for this model year. Pontiac celebrated its 50th anniversary year in 1976. To commemorate this event, Pontiac unveiled a special Trans Am option at the 1976 Chicago Auto Show . Designated the RPO code Y82, it was painted in black with gold accents, this

20944-502: The car and engine. Output was 290 hp (216 kW) at 4,400 RPM. A production line stock 1974 SD455 produced 253 hp (189 kW) on a chassis dyno, as reported by High-Performance Pontiac magazine (January 2007). This is consistent with the 290 SAE net horsepower factory rating (as measured at the crankshaft). A 1974 Firebird was driven by Jim Rockford in the pilot movie and the first season (1974–1975) of The Rockford Files ; every following season, Rockford would change to

21131-412: The carburetors' secondaries from fully opening. A "Ram Air" option was also available, providing functional hood scoops, higher flow heads with stronger valve springs, and a hotter camshaft . Power for the Ram Air package was the same as the conventional 400 HO, but peaked at 5,200 rpm. The 230 cu in (3.8 L) engines were subsequently enlarged for 1968 to 250 cubic inches (4.1 liters),

21318-448: The compression and also had hardened valve seats for a higher RPM operating range. The Oldsmobile 403 was implemented as the 400 Pontiac could not satisfy emissions requirements for high-altitude states and California. Wanting to still offer a 6.6 L option for the Trans Am, the 403 Olds was seen as a suitable replacement as when equipped with an A.I.R emissions system, it could satisfy the emissions criteria for these states and still offer

21505-450: The coupe was $ 2,666 ($ 24,361 in 2023 dollars ) and the convertible was $ 2,903 ($ 28,519 in 2023 dollars ). The 1967 base model Firebird came equipped with the Pontiac 230 cu in (3.8 L) SOHC inline-six . Based on the architecture of the standard Chevrolet 230 cu in (3.8 L) inline-six , it was fitted with a one-barrel Rochester carburetor and rated at 165 hp (123 kW). The "Sprint" model six came with

21692-473: The division as the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time". On the July 25 episode of Impact Wrestling , James successfully defended the championship against Gail Kim. At the September 6 airing of Knockout Knockdown , James defeated Serena Deeb to qualify for the gauntlet battle royal finals, in which James was lastly eliminated by Gail Kim. James lost the Knockouts Championship on the September 19 episode of Impact Wrestling to ODB . Four days later, it

21879-470: The event. Massaro got revenge one week later on Raw . James and Stratus teamed together at the March 18, 2006 Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James attacked Stratus and vowed to destroy her. The feud between James and Stratus culminated in

22066-439: The feud took place when Laycool beatdown James, force-fed her a pig shaped cake and dumped a bowl of punch on her head, leaving her sobbing and defeated in the ring. The storyline feud continued into the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, where James finally defeated McCool in 20 seconds to become a five-time Women's Champion, the second most reigns with the old WWE Women's Championship after Trish Stratus, who has had 7 reigns. Over

22253-570: The first all-female event, NWA EmPowerrr . On June 23, James announced on an Instagram video that she will be returning to the ring and delivers an open challenge to anyone to wrestle her at the NWA 73rd Anniversary Show . The challenge was answered by Kylie Rae , which James has defeated. James last appearance on NWA was on the May 3, 2022, of Powerrr , where she defeated Kenzie Paige . At Slammiversary on July 17, 2021, James made her third return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling , after

22440-467: The first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next round. She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29, which Laree lost. Their angle continued into September, with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name, and finished

22627-711: The first time. With the win, James became the first woman in history to have held the WWE Women's Championship , the WWE Divas Championship , and the TNA Knockouts Championship. On the May 5 episode of Impact! , James made her first successful title defense against Ms. Tessmacher . On May 15 at Sacrifice , James successfully defended her title against Madison Rayne and helped Tara get a release from her alliance with Rayne. The following month at Slammiversary IX , James successfully defended her title against Angelina Love , however after

22814-405: The first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions , but the long-time allies lost their tag team match to Nia Jax and Tamina. James would later compete in the second-annual WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 for the trophy, eliminating Mandy Rose from the match before subsequently being eliminated by Sonya Deville. As part of the 2019 Superstar Shake-up , James was drafted back to

23001-401: The following couple of weeks, SmackDown consultant Vickie Guerrero was introduced into the rivalry, choosing to side with LayCool over James. On the February 26 episode of SmackDown , McCool used her rematch clause to face James for the Women's Championship, with Guerrero acting as special guest referee . After Guerrero slapped James, McCool pinned her to regain the title. On March, James

23188-415: The following month, when Sky was granted her release from TNA. On the August 2 episode of Impact Wrestling , James unsuccessfully competed in a four-way number one contenders match involving Gail Kim, Tara and the eventual winner Madison Rayne. After a three-month absence, James returned on the November 15 episode of Impact Wrestling , winning a Knockouts battle royal to become the number one contender to

23375-454: The glue and sealing of the rear window led to the flat style window being used until the re-designed body in 1975. This style became the look that was to epitomize the F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime. Models The first year of the second generation Firebird began offering a wider array of model subtypes and marked the appearance of the Firebird Esprit and

23562-478: The introduction of GM's new locking ignition switch/steering wheel. In March 1969, a US$ 1,083 ($ 8,998 in 2023 ) optional handling package called the "Trans Am performance and appearance package", UPC "WS4", named after the Trans Am Series , was introduced. A total of 689 hardtops and eight convertibles were made. Due to engineering problems that delayed the introduction of the new 1970 Firebird beyond

23749-503: The latter said that she was ready for a rematch. James and Sky had their rematch on the June 27 episode of Impact Wrestling , where James retained her championship. On the July 4 episode of Impact Wrestling , James justified her actions by claiming that getting to the top of the Knockouts division requires "clawing and scratching your way to the top"; James also claimed that "no woman would ever be as great as her" and she'll "stand atop

23936-435: The latter's match with Kylie Rae . On the September 23 episode of Impact! , it was announced that James would make her in-ring return to Impact, as she challenged Purrazzo for the Knockouts Championship at Bound for Glory . On the September 30 episode of Impact! , Purrazzo attacked James at her home and wild brawl ensued with Purrazzo coming out on top after dunking James head in a bucket of water and leaving her laid out in

24123-399: The match both Love and Winter attacked her. On June 18, James made her debut for TNA's Mexican partner Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) at Triplemanía XIX , where she teamed with Angelina Love , Sexy Star and Velvet Sky to defeat Cynthia Moreno , Faby Apache , Lolita and Mari Apache in an eight-woman tag team match. James returned to AAA on July 9, teaming with Sexy Star to defeat

24310-579: The match, Hamrick was working for Total Non-Stop Action while K-Kwik was in World Wrestling Entertainment . Also on the card, ECW's Prodigy beat "Ramblin'" Rich Myers to become the promotion's first television champion. Myers was then a mainstay of the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation . The next month in Toms River, Mike Bucci and Eddy Guerrero wrestled a match lasting 30 minutes. Guerrero addressed

24497-535: The match; James and Storm were presented with the trophy afterward. James made a surprise return to TNA as a fan favorite , after a year and a half absence from the company, on January 30, 2015, during the tapings of Impact Wrestling in Glasgow, Scotland . James would then have several confrontations with Bram over his actions towards her real life fiancé, Magnus . On the April 24 episode of Impact Wrestling , James retired from wrestling to focus on becoming

24684-429: The most matches by a female Superstar in the show's 25-year history with 164 total combined matches by this point. On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble , James entered the second women's Royal Rumble match at number 5 and lasted over 11 minutes before being eliminated by Tamina. The following night on Raw , James once again aligned herself with Bliss in hopes of qualifying for the Elimination Chamber event to crown

24871-422: The new champion, Gail Kim . On December 11 at Final Resolution , Gail defeated James to retain the championship, following a distraction from Madison Rayne. In the main event of the December 29 episode of Impact Wrestling , James challenged Kim for the championship, but was defeated following interference from Rayne. On the January 5, 2012, episode of Impact Wrestling , James and Traci Brooks failed to capture

25058-465: The next model year. However, in the sixth season (1979–1980), Rockford continued to drive the 1978 Firebird from season five, as the star, James Garner , disliked the 1979 model's restyled front end. The cars in the show were badged as a lower-tier bronze-coloured Firebird Esprit, however, these cars were in actuality de-badged Firebird Formula 400's that had the twin-scoop hood replaced with a standard flat base model Firebird hood. At many points throughout

25245-475: The number one contender to the Knockout Championship, but was eliminated by Gail Kim. On the April 18 of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Ms. Tessmacher to become the number one contender to the Knockouts Championship. James began turning heel during her title match against defending champion Velvet Sky on the following week, when she targeted Sky's injured knee; James was defeated Sky. On

25432-415: The number one contender to the championship. At Final Resolution , James was defeated by Tara in a Falls Count Anywhere match , following interference from Madison Rayne after she sprayed a fire extinguisher and hit James with the Knockouts title belt. On the following episode of Impact! , James defeated Tara in a steel cage match . On January 9, 2011, at Genesis , James lost her match against Rayne for

25619-529: The pie in Amber's face. Jessie Belle Smothers came to the rescue and battled Rodriguez as James was escorted out by security. Two months after giving birth to her child, James returned to in-ring competition at Queens Of Combat 3 on November 30, where she defeated Tessa Blanchard after turning heel during the match and resorting to villainous tactics. On May 16, James debuted for First State Championship Wrestling (1CW) unsuccessfully challenging Kacee Carlisle for

25806-600: The power ratings expected of the Trans Am. The L80 Oldsmobile 403 V8 had slightly more power than the standard L78 Pontiac 400 at 185 hp (138 kW) and offered the same low-end torque of 320 lb⋅ft (430 N⋅m) at a more usable operating range of 2,200rpm. From 1977 until 1981, the Firebird used four square headlamps, while the Camaro continued to retain the two round headlights that had been shared by both second-generation designs. The 1977 Trans Am Y82 Special Edition gained significant fame after its film debut in Smokey and

25993-520: The promotion held the "Battle of the Bay" supercard in Lavalette, New Jersey with The Wall in the main event. The following month, The Wall also joined Crowbar and Tommy Dreamer for an event at Toms River High School East on September 28, 2001. The promotion soon began a weekly Public-access television series on Comcast Cable -affiliate Channel 21, Fire Bird TV , which aired in Toms River as well as

26180-500: The promotion including Kara Drew , Charlie Haas , Mike Kruel, Tank Toland and The Basham Brothers ( Doug and Danny Basham ). Mike Bucci, a mainstay of Extreme Championship Wrestling , was also able to bring in many of its stars prior to and following the promotion's close in 2001. Among these included Prodigy , Chris Chetti , Little Guido , Jerry Lynn , Crowbar , Steve Corino , Julio Dinero , Chris Hamrick , Tommy Dreamer , Raven , Joey Matthews & Christian York and

26367-521: The promotion. Kazarain, who would have a successful stint in the promotion, later said in a November 2002 interview that PCW was one of his favorite places to work and "definitely one of the best Indy feds in the country." The promotion's heavyweight title was introduced at its first card in Stanhope, New Jersey on March 3, 2001, and won by Harley Lewis in a singles match against Dr. Hurtz. This would be one of Hurtz's final wrestling matches before retiring several months later but would remain with PCW as

26554-482: The rare option for customers to order orange, red and blue carpet to any of the interior options. The 1973 Firebird also had to meet the new safety and emissions requirements for 1973. There were extra steel reinforcements in the bumper and core support to the fender. The 1973 Trans Am engine displaced 455 cubic inches in the base L75 and the Super Duty LS2 option. The base 455 produced 40 fewer horsepower than

26741-455: The regular "6.6 Litre" 400 (RPO L78) rated at 180 hp (134 kW). The T/A 6.6 engine also came equipped with chrome valve covers, while the base 400 engines had blue painted valve covers. For 1977, the W72 shared the same air cleaner and shared the same 500577 cast block as the L78, but received the 6x4 heads, whereas the L78 only received the lower compression 6x8 heads. The 6x4 heads were used on early Pontiac 350 blocks that helped increase

26928-483: The ring name Alexis Laree, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004, and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween costume contest on October 30, and defeated Jillian Hall in a $ 1,000 match on November 12. On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship . She defeated Mike Mondo in

27115-472: The round port Super Duty 455. Horsepower for the base L75 455 was rated at 250 hp (186 kW) at 4000 rpm and 370 lb⋅ft (502 N⋅m) at 2800 rpm. Pontiac removed the H.O. designation from the base engine, and simply decaled the now non-functioning shaker with "455". The "all hand-assembled" LS2 SD455 engine was rated at 290 hp (216 kW) at 4000 rpm and 395 lb⋅ft (536 N⋅m) at 3600 rpm. All Pontiac engines included

27302-462: The safety standards at the time. The interior design was unchanged from the standard interior, however, the deluxe interior seats had changed to feature larger and deeper buckets. The engine options across the Firebird remained the same as the previous year. This was the last year for the optional 15x7 honeycomb wheels. 1976 marked the end of the Pontiac L75 455 7.5L V8 , as it could no longer meet

27489-536: The show, the twin exhausts and rear anti-roll bars were visible, which were not available on the Esprit. The 1975 models featured new wraparound rear windows that curved out to occupy more of the B-Pillars, but the rear body shape and bumper remained unchanged. The turn signals were moved up from the valance panel to the grills which helped distinguish the 1975 from the 1974 front end as they are otherwise similar. This

27676-433: The sole survivors. On the December 4 episode of SmackDown , James became the number one contender for McCool's Women's Championship by defeating Beth Phoenix and Natalya in a triple threat match. The following week, James challenged McCool for the championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs , but was unsuccessful after interference from Layla. On the January 22 edition of Smackdown, another controversial segment in

27863-406: The storyline had Stratus confronting James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. Through the early part of 2006, Mickie would attack Ashley Massaro several times due to Massaro calling her "crazy". At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, James defeated Massaro with then-Women's Champion, Trish Stratus, as the special guest referee . James would also confess her love for Stratus at

28050-418: The storyline. In March, James turned face after hitting Bliss with a Mick Kick , ending their brief alliance and leading to a non-title match between the two on the edition of March 14 of SmackDown , in which James was victorious. At WrestleMania 33 , James took part in a six–pack challenge for Bliss’ SmackDown Women's Championship, which saw Naomi winning the title. Shortly after Wrestlemania, James

28237-549: The team of ODB and Christopher Daniels . James won the bout after pinning Daniels. On July 11, as part of their Anniversary weekend, she defeated ODB in a singles match. On the last day of that month, James returned to one of her early promotions, Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), to wrestle Mia Yim in a winning effort. The following month, she contested for the Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) Championship against Mercedes Martinez , but she

28424-409: The tightening emissions restrictions, and the "HO" moniker used the year prior was dropped. The L75 was only available with a four-speed manual Borg Warner Super T-10 and was exclusive to the Trans Am. 1976 also introduced the "W50 appearance package" for the Formula model line, consisting of a two-tone appearance package with lower accents across the bottom of the body, a large "Formula" decal across

28611-421: The title back to Winter. On the September 22 episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated Ms. Tessmacher to earn another shot at the championship at Bound for Glory , in a four-way match with defending champion Winter, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky , which Sky would win. On the November 17 episode of Impact Wrestling , James defeated nine other Knockouts in a gauntlet match to earn a championship match with

28798-504: The title during the first women's Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history. During the finish of the match, James fell from the top turnbuckle and landed on her neck, which resulted in a rushed finish . James, however, was not seriously injured in the incident. The scripted feud between James and Melina was rekindled during her photo op on Raw . At a house show in Paris on April 24, James won her third Women's Championship during

28985-468: The title for over a year and set a 14-month record as its longest reigning champion. In addition, a match between The Prophet and "Jumbo" Joe Gunns resulted in over 500 people in the audience pelting the loser, The Prophet, with fresh produce as part of a pre-match stipulation. Bucci's departure from the company would be the first of many of the promotion's regular stars to sign contracts with TNA and WWE. On August 31, 2002, Phoenix Championship Wrestling held

29172-404: The title match via submission. Meanwhile, James and Bobby Lashley were announced as one of the teams that would be competing in season 2 of Mixed Match Challenge . Despite pulling ahead with a 3–0 lead on the competition, the duo lost to Bayley and Finn Bálor in the playoffs and were eliminated from the tournament. Back on Raw, James made history on the edition of December 17 by competing in

29359-448: The title to Rayne, while James made her intentions for the Knockouts title clear, after a confrontation with the new champion. James wrestled her return match the following week, defeating Sarita , before being attacked by Rayne's ally, Tara. James wrestled her first TNA pay-per-view match at Turning Point , where she battled Tara to a double disqualification. On the November 18 episode of Impact! James defeated Angelina Love to become

29546-545: The title, but was unsuccessful in regaining it. At Survivor Series in November, James was part of the victorious Raw Diva team which defeated the SmackDown Divas in a five-on-five elimination match; she eliminated Michelle McCool , before being eliminated by Maryse . The following month at Armageddon , James teamed with Maria , Michelle McCool and Kelly Kelly in a winning effort against Jillian Hall, Maryse, Victoria and Natalya . Following an appearance in

29733-567: The title, she would have to shave her hair off . On March 18, James legitimately separated her shoulder at a TNA house show in Jacksonville, Florida . James's injury was put into a storyline, where it was caused by Rayne and Tara running over her with Tara's motorcycle. On April 17, James defeated Madison Rayne in a steel cage match , which lasted less than a minute, to win the TNA Knockouts Championship for

29920-524: The upcoming model years, but the name was already in use for a company that produced school buses. In 1977, General Motors began to source a larger selection of V8 engines to supply in the lower model Firebirds, and the Oldsmobile 350 (5.7L) & 403 (6.6L) V8 , as well as the Chevrolet 305 (5.0L) & 350 (5.7L) V8 , became options for the Firebird, Esprit, and Formula after June 1977. Previously,

30107-494: The updated more modern nose bird. The new hood bird was option "RPO WW7 Hood Decal", a $ 55 option exclusive to Trans Am. The "Trans Am" decals were larger than previous versions and shared the same accent color schemes as the hood bird. Inside the 1973 Firebird, the standard interior equipment was almost the same as in prior years. A new "Horse Collar" optional custom interior featured new seat coverings and door panels. Interior colors were limited to Black, White, Red and Saddle, with

30294-426: The usual fall debut, Pontiac continued production of 1969 model Firebirds into the early months of the 1970 model year (the other 1970 Pontiac models had been introduced on September 18, 1969). By late spring of 1969, Pontiac had deleted all model-year references on Firebird literature and promotional materials, anticipating the extended production run of the then-current 1969 models. The second-generation debut for

30481-478: The women's Royal Rumble match entering at No. 19, but was eliminated by Lacey Evans . In April, she appeared on stage during the opening of WrestleMania 37 alongside the rest of the active roster. On April 15, 2021, WWE announced that they had released Mickie James along with several other talent. Prior, she had participated in commentary on shows such as Main Event and NXT. Her release was met with some controversy, as she claimed her belongings were sent to her in

30668-415: The year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall. Under her real name, she debuted in WWE on the October 10, 2005, episode of Raw as a face under the gimmick of WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus ' biggest fan. The angle had the two Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus. The storyline included

30855-473: Was "borrowed" by other independent promotions. Eddy Guerrero , Jerry Lynn , Gangrel and Bam Bam Bigelow were among the first big stars to work for the company. One of PCW's first major supercards, Winter Wonder Slam '02 , was held at the Recreation Station in Toms River on January 11, 2002. the main event featured an interpromotional match between K-Kwik and Chris Hamrick . At the time of

31042-407: Was a member of Team USA , along with James Storm , Christopher Daniels , Kazarian and Kenny King . James was defeated by Team Aces & Eights ' Ivelisse Vélez following interference from the other members of Aces & Eights. Team USA would go on to defeat Team Aces & Eights in a 5-on-5 elimination tag team match, in which James gained a measure of retribution by eliminating Vélez during

31229-415: Was a more "swoopy" body style, while still retaining some traditional elements. The top of the rear window line went almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid. The new design was initially characterized by a large C-pillar , until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged. Originally, the "wraparound" style window that occupied more of the c-pillar was initially supposed to be the design, but problems with

31416-453: Was added to each side. The front door vent-windows was replaced with a single pane of glass and Astro Ventilation, a fresh-air-inlet system. The 1969 model received a major facelift with a new front-end design but unlike the GTO, it did not have the Endura bumper. The instrument panel and steering wheel were revised. The ignition switch was moved from the dashboard to the steering column with

31603-451: Was also the last year of the larger profile larger snout Formula hood for the Firebird Formula. The LS2 Super Duty engine and Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic were no longer available in 1975. Due to the use of catalytic converters starting in 1975, the TH400 would not fit alongside the catalytic converter underneath the vehicle. The smaller Turbo-Hydramatic 350 3-speed automatic

31790-462: Was announced as a participant in the women's Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble , while being acknowledged as Impact Knockouts World Champion . Later that night, Impact Wrestling also promoted her upcoming appearance. It was the first direct crossover of any kind between WWE and Impact Wrestling. During the Royal Rumble, she entered at No. 20 with her Impact theme ( Hardcore Country ) and with

31977-529: Was attacked and ejected by Jax before the match began. In May, James competed unsuccessfully in a Triple Threat match against Bliss and Bayley, as well as a Gauntlet match in attempts to qualify for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match . In August, James returned from a brief hiatus at the sides of Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox . With Bliss, the tandem began a scripted feud with her former rivals and WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita , setting up

32164-599: Was born at Richmond Memorial Hospital in Richmond, Virginia , the daughter of Stuart James, a retired wastewater-treatment worker, landscaper, and VAIL League Division 3 Championship coach and Sandra Knuckles, a teacher and real-estate agent. Her parents divorced while she was young. She has a sister, a half-sister, a half-brother, and three stepbrothers. She grew up in Montpelier, Virginia , and graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1997. While growing up, she spent

32351-466: Was deemed suitable as the power output for the engine had significantly decreased from the earlier years. The TH350 drew less power and also did not require an electronic kick down system. The Pontiac L78 400 was standard in the Trans Am and the 455 was optional for both 1975 and 1976 models. 1975 also saw the start of the "500557" (in addition to similar cast codes starting with 5) cast 400 engine blocks entering production. The 500557 blocks were considered

32538-474: Was defended throughout New Jersey for the next two years, although vacant for a 5-month period in early-2003, until its close. The PCW Television Championship was the secondary singles title in Phoenix Championship Wrestling. It was first won by Prodigy after defeating "Ramblin'" Rich Myers in Toms River, New Jersey on January 11, 2002. The title, introduced at the height of the promotion's popularity,

32725-539: Was diagnosed with a staph infection on her right knee, putting her out of action for three weeks. She returned on the March 22 episode of Raw , where alongside Kelly Kelly , she accompanied Eve Torres , Beth Phoenix, and Gail Kim in their losing effort against McCool, Maryse and Layla, who had Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox in their corner. This set up a 10-Diva tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI , in which James made an unsuccessful in-ring return after Vickie pinned Kelly. James made her last appearance on Raw during

32912-564: Was drafted to Raw as part of the 2017 Superstar Shake–Up . In October, after being named the No. 1 Contender by Raw General Manager Kurt Angle , James faced Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs , but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. A few weeks later on the edition of October 30 of Raw , James once again challenged Bliss for the title in the main event but came up short. On January 28, 2018, at

33099-519: Was established in Toms River, New Jersey by wrestling manager Don Bucci and his twin brother Mike Bucci, then wrestling for Extreme Championship Wrestling as Super Nova . Don Bucci, a 10-year veteran who had managed a number of wrestlers in the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1990s, was the primary promoter for PCW and ran the day-to-day operations up until its close. He had originally decided to form PCW, according to

33286-419: Was eventually won by Charlie Haas & Nova defeating Doug Basham and Damaja in the finals. Jerry Lynn, Low Ki and The Island Boys ( Jamal and Rosey ) were also on the card. Both the tournament and non-tournament matches were billed as "first time ever" meetings by the promotion, most notably, Frankie Kazarian defending the PCW Television Championship against Low Ki. The show's undercard pitted Kid Knight,

33473-442: Was frequently defended in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey , with exception to the 10-month period when it was vacated, from 2001 until the promotion's close two years later. Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) is an American country singer and professional wrestler . She is currently signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Creative Director, Head of Female Talent and Executive Producer. She

33660-513: Was frequently defended on PCW's weekly Public-access television cable TV series, Fire Bird TV as well as throughout New Jersey until the promotion's close in 2003. The PCW Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title for Phoenix Championship Wrestling. It was the second championship introduced by the promotion and first won by The Backseat Boyz ( Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere ) from Combat Zone Wrestling 's Ric Blade & Nicky Benz in Stanhope, New Jersey on March 3, 2001. It

33847-412: Was introduced as the special guest referee for the TNA Knockouts Championship match between Angelina Love , Velvet Sky , Madison Rayne and Tara at Bound for Glory . At the pay-per-view, James counted the pinfall which made Tara the new Knockouts Champion, prompting Rayne to shove James amidst an argument with Tara, and James replying with a punch. On the following episode of Impact! , Tara lost

34034-548: Was one of Page's first matches following his departure from WWE earlier that year. Another major supercard, March Madness , was held in Lacey, New Jersey on March 22, 2003. After nearly a year as champion, Malace was stripped of the heavyweight title with only two months of breaking former champion Harley Lewis's record. Meanwhile, Kappa Tegga Kappa (Andy Jaxx and Curt Daniels) defeated The United Nations (The Prophet and Tiger Khan) for tag team titles. The titles had been vacant since

34221-429: Was revealed that James had failed to come to terms on a contract renewal with TNA. James later stated in an interview that she technically wasn't under contract with TNA, but she did not confirm that she was gone. On November 15, 2013, James appeared in an interview on WWE .com, discussing her history with WWE and the possibility of making a return to the company. At the December 6 airing of World Cup of Wrestling , James

34408-418: Was revealed that James would not be able to defend the title due to real-life injury. On the April 13 episode of Impact! upon Rebellion , which was filmed on tape delay on March 13, James relinquished the title as she was not medically cleared to compete. Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as

34595-453: Was standard with the Y82 appearance package, although it could be replaced with Rally II wheels as a credit option. For the Esprit, an optional appearance package RPO W60 called the "Skybird appearance package" became available, featuring an all-blue exterior and interior. This package was originally slated to be called the "Bluebird" similar to the "Yellowbird" and "Redbird" packages to follow in

34782-518: Was the first "anniversary" Trans Am package and the first production black and gold special edition. A removable T-top developed by Hurst was set to be included on all Y82 50th Anniversary T/As, but proved problematic in installation and quality control, leading most Y82s to not be delivered with the Hurst T-top roof. All Hurst T-top equipped cars were built at the Norwood, Ohio, factory. 110 of

34969-705: Was unsuccessful. She also returned to Dory Funk 's promotion, recording a tag team match for !Bang! TV . James also accompanied Dory Funk Jr. during his match, and sung " The Star-Spangled Banner " during !Bang! TV's tribute to the troops. On September 18, James served as a special guest referee for a three-way match between ODB, Persephone and Kristin Flake for the SCWA Ladies' Title during Southern California Wrestling Association's (SCWA) ' CAGED event in Wentworth, North Carolina , where all matches took place in

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