AJ Lee
AJ Lee | |
---|---|
Born | April Jeanette Mendez March 19, 1987 Union City, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2007–present |
Spouse | |
Ring name(s) |
|
Billed height | 5 ft 2 in (157 cm)[2] |
Billed weight | 115 lb (52 kg)[3] |
Billed from | Union City, New Jersey[2] |
Trained by | |
Debut | 2007 |
Retired | April 3, 2015 |
Signature | |
Website | theajmendez |
April Jeanette Mendez (born March 19, 1987) is an American author, screenwriter and retired
AJ Lee.Mendez began her professional wrestling career in 2007 in
Early life
April Jeanette Mendez was born on March 19, 1987,
Her brother's interest in
Mendez was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition her mother also suffered from, around the age of 20.[17][18] She had previously experienced adverse effects from a misdiagnosis of depression, and overdosed on antidepressants and painkillers.[19] This event, which she considers a suicide attempt, caused her to seek proper treatment and the right diagnosis.[19] She credits the condition for giving her the bravery to achieve her goals.[10]
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2007–2009)
In March 2007, Mendez enrolled in a wrestling school close to her home, where she was trained by
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT (2009–2011)
Mendez paid US$1,500 to attend a WWE tryout camp in May 2009, where she signed a contract.
While in FCW, Mendez took part in the
Various relationships and Raw General Manager (2011–2013)
AJ made her main roster debut on the May 27, 2011, episode of
By November 2011, AJ was placed in an on-screen romance with Daniel Bryan,[52] who won the World Heavyweight Championship the next month and developed heel traits.[53] Despite AJ's declaration of love for Bryan,[54] Bryan avoided saying he loved her in return.[55] On January 13, 2012, while accompanying Bryan for his title defense, she was accidentally struck by Big Show and carried off on a stretcher as part of the storyline.[56] She returned on February 3, preventing Bryan from being attacked by Big Show.[57] In March, Bryan started acting verbally abusive towards AJ but she stood by him.[58][59] At WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, after sharing a "good luck kiss" with Bryan, he was surprised by Sheamus and defeated in 18 seconds.[60] Bryan blamed AJ for his loss of the World Heavyweight Championship and ended their relationship.[61] AJ made multiple attempts to mend their relationship but Bryan spurned her and left her distraught. As a result, she attacked Natalya and Kaitlyn when they attempted to comfort her,[62][63][64] marking her character's transition to "mentally unstable".[65][66]
AJ turned her affections to Bryan's rival and
During the exchange of vows at
AJ stepped down from her General Manager duties on October 22, becoming embroiled in a
In March 2013, AJ's storyline rivalry with ex-boyfriend Daniel Bryan was reignited when they traded insults backstage.
Divas Champion and retirement (2013–2015)
AJ won a
On August 26, AJ interrupted the cast of
In January 2014, AJ became the longest-reigning Divas Champion at the time.
Upon her return on June 30, AJ switched to a face role and was no longer accompanied by Tamina. She challenged Paige to an impromptu rematch and won back the Divas Championship.
In February 2015, Mendez criticized WWE's treatment of its female wrestlers, stating they receive only a fraction of the wages and screen time of their male counterparts despite having generated record-selling merchandise and several top-
AJ returned on the March 2 episode of Raw, saving her former rival Paige from an attack by Nikki and Brie Bella.[143] AJ and Paige allied together to defeat the Bella Twins at WrestleMania 31 on March 29.[144] A six-woman tag team match the next night on Raw wound up being her final match, as WWE announced her retirement from in-ring competition on April 3.[145][146] In her memoir, Mendez said permanent damage to her cervical spine and the fulfillment of her goals led to the decision. She had also "felt caught in the middle" between WWE and her husband CM Punk following his controversial departure in January 2014 but continued to wrestle for as long as she could.[147]
Women of Wrestling (2021–2023)
After six years away from the wrestling industry, Mendez joined the
Professional wrestling persona
Mendez's character is prominently associated with her mentally unstable gimmick used during her time in WWE.[10][18][22] This persona, labeled the "crazy chick",[9][151] caused Mendez to feel that she "was hiding in plain sight" due to her bipolar disorder.[9] Her diagnosis was not publicly disclosed until the publicity for her memoir,[152] nor was WWE aware of her condition.[17]
The "Lee" in her ring name was derived from
Other wrestling media
In 2012, Mendez became the first female winner of WWE's annual Superstar Challenge video game tournament, where sixteen wrestlers competed in
Writing and advocacy
Mendez wrote Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules, a
Mendez formed a writing partnership with actress Aimee Garcia in 2019. Their first project was the comic book series GLOW vs. The Babyface, based on the television series GLOW; the first of four issues was published by IDW Publishing in November 2019.[165] In 2020, they created the production company Scrappy Heart Productions, dedicated to elevating diverse voices through storytelling.[166] They wrote the Dungeons & Dragons four-issue limited series At the Spine of the World; the first issue was published by IDW in November 2020.[167][168] Alongside John Swetman, they co-wrote the screenplay for the 2022 Netflix film Blade of the 47 Ronin.[169][170]
In 2020, Mendez made the Black List's inaugural Latinx TV list for her television pilot script, Home.[171] In June 2021, she wrote a story in the first issue of DC Comics' Wonder Woman: Black and Gold, an anthology mini-series celebrating Wonder Woman's 80th anniversary.[172]
An advocate for mental health awareness and animal welfare,[17][173] Mendez has served as an ambassador for organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Jed Foundation,[166] and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.[174][175] In 2018, she was awarded with NAMI's Multicultural Outreach Award.[166]
Personal life
Mendez regards herself as a tomboy[16] and has an interest in comic books, anime, and video games.[11][176][177] She has the numerical date of her first WWE Divas Championship win tattooed in tally marks on the back of her neck.[157][178]
Mendez married fellow professional wrestler Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, on June 13, 2014.[179] They reside in Chicago, Illinois.[9]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery | AJ Lee (voice) | Direct-to-video film | [180] |
2015 | Madden: The Movie | Trish | Madden NFL 16 promotional short film | [181] |
2016 | The Evolution of Punk | Herself | Documentary mini-series
|
[182] |
2019 | Rabid | Kira | Film | [183] |
2022 | Blade of the 47 Ronin | — | Film; co-written with John Swetman and Aimee Garcia | [170] |
2023 | Heels | Elle Dorado | Television series; recurring role (season 2) | [184] |
2024 | Sacramento | TBA | Film; upcoming release | [185] |
Bibliography
- Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules (ISBN 9780451496669)
- GLOW vs. The Babyface, with ISBN 978-1684056309)
- Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1: "Mother's Daughter", illustrated by Ming Doyle (co-feature, DC Comics, June 2021)[172]
- Dungeons & Dragons: At the Spine of the World, with Aimee Garcia, illustrated by Martin Coccolo and Katrina Mae Hao (IDW Publishing, July 2021, ISBN 978-1-68405-791-7)
Championships and accomplishments
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- Guinness World Records
- World record: Most wins of the WWE Divas Championship (3 times) tied with Eve Torres[187]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Women Superstars Uncensored
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- elimination tag team match at Survivor Series[190]
- WWE
- WWE Divas Championship (3 times)[4]
- Slammy Award (3 times)
Notes
References
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her older siblings Robert and Erica
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Further reading
- Mendez Brooks, AJ (April 4, 2017). Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules. ISBN 978-0451496669.
External links
- Official website
- AJ Lee on WWE.com
- AJ Lee's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- AJ Mendez at IMDb