After the shocking news of AJ Lee’s retirement, PWP’s Tim Bell relives and highlights the remarkable career of the “Black Widow”.
Originally Published: April 10, 2015
The Black Widow spider is one of the most commonly known and feared species of spider on the planet, known largely for the female’s large quantity of venom. However, many may not know that the Widow’s venom, while plentiful, is not lethal to humans, a common misunderstanding held by many across the globe.
Misunderstandings and, quite frankly, poor assumptions were common along the road for AJ Lee during her time in WWE as well, as her unconventional look and style were often discouraged early in her career, with beliefs that she was not representative of what a WWE Diva truly was.
However, despite the misconceptions early on, as everyone knows by now, AJ’s walked away from the WWE at the height of her popularity and success, her brand of venom affecting the WWE Universe in a way no Diva had done for years before her.
AJ Lee’s life story has been told many times by many people, and if you’re one of the few unaware of how she made her way to WWE, you need to do some research, because it’s a truly inspiring tale of dedication and sacrifice. Many fans, while they respect and acknowledge the trials and tribulations a male Superstar often has to endure to make it in WWE, simply generalize the Divas as simply models or failed actresses, as if every female performer was simply plucked from the Diva Search.
AJ Lee had no such benefit.
Also, while AJ will be remembered as coming to the WWE main roster via NXT, a now prestigious route to take, one must remember how completely opposite NXT was at that time from the polished breeding ground of talent we enjoy today from Full Sail University. AJ had to battle her way through obstacle courses and ridiculous challenges, as if WWE was creating their own Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
She’s spoken publicly about the “powers that be” explaining to her that her look would not work in the WWE, how she needed to dress and act more like the established WWE Divas, and you see that in AJ’s early NXT days. Luckily for all of us, AJ wouldn’t continue to conform much longer.
After so much success, it’s easy to forget that at the time of her debut on the main roster, her efforts consisted of losing to Natalya & Beth Phoenix as part of the tag team “The Chick Busters”, as well as continuing an NXT storyline as Hornswoggle‘s girlfriend. It wasn’t until she moved into the role of girlfriend to Daniel Bryan that she became a consistent fixture in WWE storylines and television. Many fans I’ve spoken to look back on this period of AJ’s career negatively, as she served as a valet to the likes of Bryan, CM Punk, and Dolph Ziggler, among others, however I feel that those fans are looking at things in entirely the wrong way.
Consider the career of Trish Stratus, one of the greatest WWE Divas of all time. Trish is remembered, rightfully so, for her extensive rivalry with Lita, but equally important were Trish’s major storylines with The Dudley Boyz, and then with Vince McMahon, both taking place before Trish became an active in-ring competitor. The valet position allowed her an opportunity to speak to the crowd, to show and express her personality, and to connect with the fans before she ever got into the ring, so that by the time she began competing, the audience was already invested in her character, and cared about Trish Stratus as a performer.
AJ Lee, in my opinion, benefited from her valet days in the same way. She was constantly on TV with some of the biggest names in the industry at the time, she had opportunities to speak and create a personality and character that the WWE Universe gravitated towards for one reason or another, and she managed to separate herself from a majority of the other Divas in terms of popularity before she ever became involved in the Championship picture.
Also, much like Trish, who transformed from a novice in-ring competitor to a dynamic and entertaining wrestler in front of our eyes, we got to see a full transformation of AJ Lee play out on our television over the years. Not in the ring, as AJ always had the talent there from her training and days in FCW, but in her personality. Her journey from meek sidekick to Daniel Bryan, to vindictive vixen with Dolph Ziggler, to finally a strong, confident role model played out for the world to see, and resonated on a level with many fans that most Superstars, not just Divas, Superstars never reach.
It would be irresponsible to reflect on AJ’s career and not spend due time on her 295 day reign as Divas Champion, which accomplished much more than simply making her the longest Divas Champion in history. During that time, AJ worked with every single Diva on the roster, and as the reign progressed, and story turned into AJ vs. the Divas world, AJ Lee took on the old Ric Flair role from his NWA days.
AJ could elevate almost any performer once they got inside the ring, and while I’ll always acknowledge that it takes two to have a great match, and it’s never 100% AJ or anyone else, the fact that AJ Lee took Divas like Eva Marie and Cameron early in their careers, and made them look like credible threats (she even lost to Eva on RAW), was not just impressive, but hugely important for the Division.
A Champion who squashes everyone else doesn’t do anyone any favors, and that narrative eventually gets old and boring. A Champion who accentuates the positives of their opponents and leaves each competitor better off than they were before they wrestled, that’s what makes a good performer truly great.
There’s always been rumors and rumblings about dissension in the Divas division surrounding AJ Lee, often during her record Championship reign as Divas Champion. Stories about other Divas not liking AJ ran rampant, but AJ never seemed willing to get involved with the drama. Silence is often seen as an admission of guilt in the court of public opinion, and this led many uninformed fans to paint AJ Lee in a negative light during her reign, saying she would ultimately do more harm to the Divas Division than good. But, again, this belief has clearly been proven to be incorrect.
Just as many mistake the Black Widow’s venom as deadly, many people were completely off-base about the impact of AJ’s success on the Divas division. As AJ Lee walks away from the WWE, we see a Divas division which is in better shape, with a better outlook than we had seen for years prior to AJ’s debut.
Established divas like Natalya and The Bella Twins were forced to reinvent themselves and step up their game inside and outside of the ring, while the next crop of Divas were able to groom and perfect their craft in NXT, achieving a level of work where it’s expected that while AJ will be missed by many, the Divas Division will continue to thrive once women like Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and AJ’s bestie Bayley make their way onto the scene. I’d find it very hard to come up with any case or argument that AJ Lee isn’t leaving the WWE Divas Division better than she found it back in 2009.
Many will complain about AJ Lee leaving, comparing it to CM Punk’s departure, mainly and simply due to the fact that the two are married, but I feel that’s just a lazy and misguided conclusion. AJ Lee certainly could have remained in WWE, worked with the upcoming NXT Divas and helped them along, or maybe even gone through and lost to each of the Divas before leaving, doing the proverbial “job” for each before exiting WWE.
However, I believe by leaving on a high, she not only holds onto the credibility she’s built for herself, but she’s ensured that the Divas division remains credible as well. Had AJ Lee stuck around for 6-9 more months, losing matches to Divas left and right, her individual impact would be seen by many as diminished, which would in turn damage the division. Sometimes you need a figure for the next generation to strive towards. Trish Stratus and Lita were those Divas for the following generation, where Divas worked to be seen in that same light, and I believe AJ Lee will be that performer for the current and future Divas moving forward.
Plus, as we all know, it IS Pro Wrestling, and there’s always a chance AJ could return to lend her credibility to the future once again. AJ Lee redefined the image and expectations we had for WWE Divas, and she did it in an original, inspiring and powerful way, and in an age where so many are seen as being the same, AJ was wonderfully different. In my eyes, she’s truly given the Divas of WWE the chance they’ve been asking for. Now, AJ Lee and the rest of us will just need to sit back and see what they do with it.