Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently spoke about Mickie James' addition to this year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
On this week's SmackDown, WWE confirmed the inclusion of Mickie James and 18 other superstars, including Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and The Bella Twins, in this year's Women's Royal Rumble match.
During his review of SmackDown on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell detailed that WWE wanted Mickie James and several other stars because their roster is too thin.
The wrestling veteran mentioned that WWE should not have let James go in the first place. Mantell also reiterated that many of the company's decisions were whimsical and difficult to understand.
Here's what Mantell had to say about Mickie James' return:
"I think they wanted Mickie James. And she's not signed to anything with them, right? She's not on contract for a year or anything. That's what I think, they need some names in there. But they get rid of these people and then they say, 'Wow, wish she was still here now, we would have someone to go to.' Forgetting that if she had stayed, they would have killed her off anyway. This company is hard to figure out. A lot of the stuff they do makes absolutely no sense."
You can watch the full video of Smack Talk here:
Mickie James also acknowledged her inclusion in the Royal Rumble match
The reigning Impact Knockouts Champion, Mickie James, took to Twitter to reiterate that she would indeed be part of the marque premium live event.
🏼🤠 @PatMcAfeeShow gets it... 🙏🏼 #HardcoreCountry #ImpactKnockoutsWorldsChampion#RoyalRumble
— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) January 8, 2022
This is my life! #2022 https://t.co/mEOOlcY8eQ
The announcement from WWE came a little less than a year after Mickie James was released from the company with several other talents during budget cuts in April 2021.
The release sparked some controversy when James declared that her belongings were sent to her in a trash bag, leading to WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon issuing a public apology to Mickie James.
As of now, James is scheduled to defend her Knockouts Championship against Deonna Purrazzo at IMPACT Wrestling's HARD TO KILL pay-per-view. Do you think she would walk into Royal Rumble with her title? Let us know in the comments below.