Mickie Knuckles

Mickie Lee Knuckles (born May 16, 1984) is an American professional wrestler.

She is best known for work on the independent circuit, particularly Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as a brief stint with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Moose.

Knuckles is also notable for her hard-hitting style and intergender deathmatches.

Mickie Knuckles was born in the small southern Indiana city Clarksville, Indiana right across the river from the 16th largest metropolitan city in the United States Louisville, Kentucky on May 16, 1984.

Knuckles graduated from Charlestown Senior High School.

Knuckles has been a fan of professional wrestling since she was five years old, and she started training to become a professional wrestler under Chris Hero, Mark Wolf and Bull Pain.

During this time, she also worked as a referee and part of the security for Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South shows.

Knuckles became the final graduating student of the IWA-MS Wrestling School, and would go on to wrestle many various opponents including Amazing Kong and Too Cold Scorpio.

Knuckles debuted on August 2, 2003, in a non-tournament match at the 2003 King of the Death Match against Hailey Hatred.

During the match, Hatred powerbombed Knuckles across two bridged steel chairs.

Knuckles' neck hit the back of the chairs, causing the match to be stopped.

Undeterred, in November 2003, Knuckles was booked into the Ted Petty Invitational tournament, becoming the first woman to be booked in either the IWA Mid-South Sweet Science Sixteen Tournament or the TPI.

Knuckles continued to have inter-gender matches against wrestlers such as Cash Flo and Nate Webb, before Dave Prazak began to bring in more women to IWA Mid-South and their women's division (show segment) was formed.

In May 2004, a tournament was held to crown the first NWA Midwest/IWA Mid-South Women's Championship, during which Mickie advanced to the semi-finals before being defeated by Mercedes Martinez.

One of her fellow entrants in the tournament, Traci Brooks, stated that she had "never seen a girl train as hard" as Mickie.

Mickie won the NWA Midwest/IWA Mid-South Women's Championship on June 11, 2005, defeating MsChif and Alison Danger in a three-way match.

However, six days later NWA Midwest promoter Ed Chuman declared that the title match had been unsanctioned and returned NWA Midwest title to MsChif.

Ian Rotten, however, still recognized Mickie as the IWA Mid-South Women's Champion, leading to the titles splitting into two separate entities.

As such, Knuckles became the IWA Mid-South Women's Champion, keeping the title for five months before losing it to her first ever opponent Hailey Hatred, on 18 November 2005.

In February 2005, Knuckles made her Chikara debut as Eddie Kingston's tag team partner for that year's Tag World Grand Prix.

Later that year, she was booked in the Young Lions Cup tournament, becoming the first female wrestler to compete for the title.

In October 2005, Knuckles was booked in the Chickfight 3 tournament show in Hayward, California.

After defeating Tiffany in the first round and Hailey Hatred in the second, Mickie lost out in the finals to returning champion Mariko Yoshida.

Knuckles would win the title back at an IWA East Coast event in February 2006, and held on to it until July 2007 before losing it to Chuck Taylor.

Mickie had earned an IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship match against Chuck and he stated that if he had to put up his title against a female, than the female should also put her title on the line.

Mickie agreed and was defeated by Chuck who then became the men's and women's champion.

Less than a month later, Mickie won back her title by defeating Taylor in a Falls Count Anywhere match to regain the Women's Championship for a third time.

After losing on the first night in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match in the 2006 tournament, Knuckles once again was booked in the King of the Death Match Tournament in 2007, becoming the only woman to ever be booked for the show on multiple occasions.

On Night One, Knuckles defeated Tank in a Barbed Wire Ropes and Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Deathmatch.

However, she was defeated on Night Two in the quarter finals by Brain Damage in another Fans Bring the Weapons Match.

At the inaugural Queen of the Death Match tournament in November 2006, an announcement was made to open the show that LuFisto would not be performing due to breaking her hand punching Necro Butcher during the finals of the Stranglehold KOTDM tournament show.

In the first round, Knuckles defeated Ann Thraxx in an Unlucky 13 Staple Gun Death Match, and went on to defeat Rachel Putski in the semi-final in a Taipei Death Match.

This put Mickie through to the final where she defeated Mayumi Ozaki in a No Rope Barbed Wire, Fans Bring The Weapons Steel Cage Death Match to become the first ever IWA Mid-South Queen of the Death Match.

However, following the match, LuFisto and Vanessa Kraven entered the cage and beat Mickie down, leading to Mickie swearing revenge against LuFisto.

Knuckles made her final appearance with Chikara on June 25, 2006, where she lost to Daizee Haze.

The second Queen of the Death Match tournament show was held in October, 2007 and this time LuFisto was able to make her booking.

Mickie was beaten in a first round Barbed Wire Ropes and Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Deathmatch after being pinned by Storm, however she was victorious in the Semi Final Losers Bracket, defeating B.B. Walls in a Barbed Wire Ropes and Deathmatch Bats match; following that with a victory over Roxie Cotton in a Barbed Wire Ropes and Taipei Death Match in the loser's bracket final.

This set up the final fight of LuFisto vs Mickie Knuckles in a No Rope Barbed Wire and Electrified Light Tubes Death Match in which LuFisto defeated Mickie.

She would go on to hold the title until May 2, 2008, where she lost to by Daizee Haze in a triple threat match also involving Sara Del Rey.

Before receiving a rematch for the IWA Women's Championship, Knuckles broke her right femur on July 6, 2008, after performing a diving crossbody off a platform onto Del Rey.