{"id":141927,"date":"2025-09-14T08:05:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T12:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=141927"},"modified":"2025-09-14T08:05:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T12:05:18","slug":"wwe-career-and-impact-of-aj-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/14\/wwe-career-and-impact-of-aj-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Career and Impact of AJ Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>AJ Lee is set to make her <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/08\/aj-lee-return-match-set-on-wwe-raw-for-wrestlepalooza\/\" target=\"_self\">WWE in-ring return in a match<\/a> after a decade-long hiatus. The former Divas Champion is a legend in her own right, but the real-life partner of CM Punk didn\u2019t always have a smooth journey. After wrestling her last WWE match in 2015, Lee took time off from the wrestling juggernaut. Let\u2019s explore her initial journey with the company, which began nearly two decades ago.<\/p>\n<h2>The WWE Signing of AJ Lee in 2009<\/h2>\n<p>April Jeanette Mendez signed with WWE in May 2009 and worked in the company\u2019s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. She also participated in the third season of NXT in September 2010 but was eliminated during the November 23, 2010, episode. During this time, she developed a strong bond with Kaitlyn, who became her tag team partner during Lee\u2019s main roster debut.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">15 years ago today, AJ Lee made her WWE debut. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xYkvoEaXBh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/xYkvoEaXBh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WrestleOps\/status\/1964701083902898188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>WWE SmackDown Debut<\/h2>\n<p>AJ Lee made her main roster debut on the May 27, 2011, episode of SmackDown alongside Kaitlyn and Natalya. They feuded with Alicia Fox, Tamina Snuka, and Rosa Mendes before Natalya betrayed Lee and her tag partner. This led to a storyline, but The Chickbusters broke up after Kaitlyn grew frustrated with their frequent losses.<\/p>\n<h2>The Lackluster Booking<\/h2>\n<p>After this, WWE derailed AJ Lee\u2019s momentum, casting her as a sidepiece in romantic storylines involving Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and John Cena. WWE even appointed her as Raw General Manager at Raw 1000. When Lee stepped down from the role, she, alongside Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston, targeted John Cena.<\/p>\n<p>Lee showcased drastic measures to avenge Cena\u2019s rejection of her romantic advances. Vickie Guerrero was part of this storyline and presented videos depicting Lee and Cena in a romantic context. This storyline significantly demeaned CM Punk\u2019s wife, portraying her in an unfavorable light.<\/p>\n<h2>The Final Years of WWE Superstar AJ Lee in the Company<\/h2>\n<p>AJ Lee regrouped and won the women\u2019s battle royal on the April 22, 2013, episode of Raw to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship. At Payback 2013, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/11\/aj-lees-best-feuds-in-the-wwe\/\" target=\"_self\">Lee dethroned Kaitlyn<\/a> to become the new WWE Divas Champion. She retained her title at Money in the Bank 2013. While champion, her relationship with Dolph Ziggler fell apart, leading to a match alongside Big E against Dolph and Kaitlyn at SummerSlam 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Lee went on to retain her title against Brie Bella, Naomi, and Natalya at Night of Champions 2013. She also defended her title against 14 women at WrestleMania XXX, successfully retaining it. Her record-setting 295-day championship run ended the following night on Raw against a debuting Paige.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141938\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141938\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5702_(13772923723).jpg#\/media\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5702_(13772923723).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-141938 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/22-14-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: By Megan Elice Meadows &#8211; CC BY-SA 2.0, (<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5702_(13772923723).jpg#\/media\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5702_(13772923723).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>AJ Lee\u2019s Criticism of WWE and Eventual Departure<\/h2>\n<p>Like her husband, CM Punk, AJ Lee has been vocal about her concerns. She openly criticized WWE\u2019s treatment of female superstars during a period when she was sidelined to heal a pre-existing neck injury. Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon acknowledged this sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Lee returned to form a tag team with Paige, defeating The Bella Twins at WrestleMania 31. She wrestled on the March 30, 2015, episode of Raw before stepping away from the ring to focus on her health. WWE publicly announced her departure on April 3, 2015, months after CM Punk left the company.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StephMcMahon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@StephMcMahon<\/a> Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise &amp; have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times,<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheAJMendez\/status\/570390583853895681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 25, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Why AJ Lee Matters<\/h2>\n<p>AJ Lee has been a pivotal figure in WWE\u2019s women\u2019s division. Her influential approach and candid feedback to the company elevated the division, making it more dynamic. As Michael Cole stated during her September 5, 2025, SmackDown return, \u201cCrazy is her superpower,\u201d and Lee effortlessly embodies this.<\/p>\n<p>She speaks her mind and delivers in the ring. In 2025, she addressed ongoing mental health issues, articulating her thoughts clearly for all to understand. It remains to be seen whether she and CM Punk will unsettle Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins&#8217; mental health during their mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5682_(13772930523).jpg#\/media\/File:WWE_Raw_IMG_5682_(13772930523).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on AJ Lee and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AJ Lee is set to make her WWE in-ring return in a match after a decade-long hiatus. The former Divas Champion is a legend in her own right, but the real-life partner of CM Punk didn\u2019t always have a smooth journey. After wrestling her last WWE match in 2015, Lee took time off from the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5578,"featured_media":141937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3,320],"tags":[1374],"class_list":["post-141927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women","tag-aj-lee"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141927"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141939,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141927\/revisions\/141939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}