- 10 months ago
Get ready to skip down memory lane! Join us as we explore the most unforgettable and impactful moments from the illustrious WWE career of AJ Lee. From her record-breaking championship reigns and groundbreaking matches to her fiery promos and pivotal role in changing the landscape for women's wrestling, she truly left an indelible mark on the squared circle. Her unique blend of talent, wit, and rebellious spirit captured the hearts of millions. Which of her incredible feats stands out most to you?
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00:00That I worked my entire life to get here. I gave my life to this, and you were just handed 15 minutes of fame.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the greatest and most memorable WWE moments in AJ Lee's incredible career so far.
00:18AJ!
00:19That's awesome!
00:22What goes around comes around!
00:26Number 10, the long-awaited return.
00:28In 2015, after lighting up the WWE for four years on its main roster, AJ Lee retired from wrestling.
00:36Besides a stint as executive producer at Women of Wrestling and working on the TV show Heels, she stayed away from the sport.
00:43Instead, AJ focused on her writing and acting career.
00:46I'd say never say never, because every time I've said never in my life, I've ended up doing the thing.
00:54But in 2025, that all changed.
00:57With her real-life husband, CM Punk, engaged in a feud with Seth Rollins and his real-life wife, Becky Lynch, AJ arrived to even the score.
01:05Looking as if she hadn't been away for 10 years.
01:08AJ Lee and CM Punk versus Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins.
01:13This led to her first match at the premium live event Wrestlepalooza, where she got the win for her team by making Lynch tap out.
01:26Went for the manhandle slam! AJ turns it around into a block widow! The block widow submission!
01:31Punk and Rollins are out! It's down to AJ Lee and Becky Lynch!
01:35In 2014, WWE's women's division was in a vastly different landscape from what we have today.
01:44Despite that, AJ had a landmark match against Natalya that year.
01:48She defended her Divas Championship against the Canadian on WWE Main Event, typically seen as a show for lower-card wrestlers.
01:55Yeah, what a commitment that is. I mean, that's going to be on her body for the rest of her life.
01:59Both of these women, there is nothing more important to them than the WWE.
02:03While AJ was successful in keeping the belt, the biggest takeaway from the bout was that it lasted for 14 minutes and 19 seconds.
02:10Can't give an opening to Natalya.
02:13And AJ whips all the way around with the DDT in the center of the ring.
02:18This made it not only one of the longest matches in WWE Main Event history, but the lengthiest women's title bout since 1987.
02:26And the longest Diva Championship defense ever.
02:29Natalya's got to look inside.
02:32Find some energy, find some strength to get out of this thing.
02:35This is for the WWE Divas Championship.
02:38Number 8. Consecutive Woman of the Year.
02:40Pro Wrestling Illustrated has been publishing its magazine since 1979.
02:44One of the company's biggest events, in addition to publishing their top 500 wrestlers rankings,
02:50is their yearly awards, such as Wrestler of the Year and Woman of the Year.
02:54Well, for the latter in 2012, 2013, and 2014, AJ was the recipient.
03:01Slammy award for Diva of the Year to...
03:07AJ!
03:10As such, she's the only woman to win this prestigious award three times in a row.
03:15Any of those girls can be next in line for the throne.
03:20But I'm not done being queen.
03:22The WWE also has its version of an award ceremony called the Slammy Awards.
03:27AJ won Diva of the Year in 2012 and 2014,
03:31as well as Kiss of the Year with John Cena in 2012.
03:34Here, I've cared a lot about what people think about me.
03:37Including you.
03:42Including them.
03:47But not anymore.
03:49Number 7. Putting over Paige.
03:51I don't need your congratulations.
03:54So why don't you go running back to NXT,
03:57because the champion does not like being interrupted.
04:01The Raw after WrestleMania is always incredible,
04:04as fans await the debut of new stars.
04:06In 2014, it was the reigning NXT Women's Champion Paige,
04:10who interrupted AJ's celebration of successfully defending her Divas belt the night before.
04:16I'm not ready to...
04:18No, I'm not.
04:19No, you're not. You're not. Okay, yeah.
04:21I think you are.
04:23Oh my gosh!
04:25This led to an impromptu match for AJ's title.
04:27While everyone was expecting a hard-fought AJ win,
04:30that's not what happened.
04:32Instead, Paige shocked everyone by winning and becoming a double champion.
04:36Suddenly, Paige was the biggest wrestler in the division.
04:39AJ and AJ Lee is hyper-metallating!
04:42You can't believe it, neither can Paige!
04:45Paige is gonna leave here tonight, the new Divas Champion!
04:48This match kick-started the Frenemies feud between Paige and AJ,
04:52helping elevate both as they switched between rivals and allies.
04:56Number 6. Being General Manager
04:58Not long after making her main roster debut,
05:01AJ was put into an on-screen relationship with Daniel Bryan.
05:04This strange and often toxic pairing had its ups and downs.
05:08While these two individuals cannot be married,
05:11speak now,
05:13or forever else,
05:15hold your peace.
05:16Regardless, they were set to get married in the ring on Raw 1000.
05:21While AJ said yes,
05:22it turned out it wasn't to nuptials with Bryan.
05:25Instead, it was her agreeing to dump him to be the General Manager of Raw.
05:29No one knows what to make of what is going on here tonight.
05:33AJ has left Daniel Bryan at the altar
05:35because she accepted a business proposal for Mr. McMahon to be the General Manager.
05:40With her newfound power,
05:41AJ was in her heel element,
05:43making Bryan, CM Punk, and others miserable.
05:46But that doesn't change the fact that you have definite anger management issues.
05:53Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you left me at the altar.
05:56While AJ was forced to resign several months later,
05:59she was able to use the experience and the prominent role she'd enjoyed to boost her career.
06:04Number 5. Meeting Her Husband
06:06And I know this goes against every fiber of your being,
06:09but don't do anything crazy and you're going to be fine, okay?
06:12Okay. Okay. Okay.
06:14And okay.
06:16As part of her storyline relationship with Daniel Bryan,
06:20AJ got the chance to work with her future husband CM Punk on screen in 2012,
06:24during Punk's feud with Bryan.
06:26By the following year, AJ and Punk started dating IRL.
06:29They were spotted together in public.
06:32You know what?
06:35I sort of dig crazy chicks.
06:37Punk later spoke about how on the day of his wedding to AJ in 2014,
06:41he received his termination letter from WWE after walking out of the company earlier in the year.
06:46Yet despite that seemingly petty behavior,
06:49the duo didn't let it ruin their day.
06:51I'm not going to toy with your emotions and string you along just to get something that I want.
06:56You don't deserve that.
06:58You're a sweet girl.
06:59The newlyweds then adopted a rescue dog, Larry,
07:02who's become nearly as popular as the wrestling couple with his appearances,
07:06even helping Punk in his merchandise sales upon his WWE return in 2023.
07:11Number 4. First Title
07:13This milestone set AJ on her path to legendary status in wrestling.
07:17In 2013, she took part in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for
07:22Caitlyn's Divas Championship.
07:24AJ managed to eliminate Layla last,
07:27setting her up to face her former friend for the belt.
07:29The winner of this match and number one contender for the Divas Championship,
07:33AJ.
07:35AJ's been waiting a long time for this, your former friend.
07:39Shortly after, Caitlyn was on the receiving end of a secret admirer,
07:43who turned out to be Big E.
07:44However, showing her devious side, it was all a ruse,
07:48as AJ had set it all up to mess with the champ.
07:50I used to put you on a pedestal,
07:53and now I get to shove you off and laugh as you fall all the way down.
07:58At payback, AJ placed Caitlyn in her Black Widow submission,
08:01getting the tap, and winning her first title on the main roster.
08:05Caitlyn taps out to the Black Widow,
08:07and AJ Lee has reached her goal of becoming Divas Champion.
08:13Number 3, Diva Title Record Breaker.
08:16Now all the Divas have come together, have united, to celebrate me.
08:20On my day, the day to celebrate me being the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time.
08:28After losing the Divas Championship to Paige in 2014,
08:31nearly three months later, AJ took back her belt to become a two-time champion.
08:36However, a few weeks on, Paige reclaimed the title.
08:39This culminated in Paige defending the championship against Nikki Bella and AJ
08:43in a triple threat bout at Night of Champions.
08:45The new Divas Champion, AJ Lee!
08:53AJ Lee, now a three-time Divas Champion!
08:57With AJ picking up the win, she became, alongside Eve Torres,
09:01the only woman to win the Divas Championship three times.
09:04After winning the Divas Championship the first time, AJ held it for 295 days.
09:10A record for a single reign, which was eventually broken by Nikki,
09:13who held it for 300 days.
09:15However, adding up all her reigns, AJ held the belt for 405 days.
09:20To say that I sure have done that.
09:24You can be a nerd, you can be a tomboy,
09:26and you can still be the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time.
09:30Number 2, The Total Divas Feud.
09:32In 2013, WWE wanted to get in on the lucrative reality TV market
09:37by creating Total Divas,
09:39which showcased the lives of the women wrestlers away from the ring.
09:43However, shortly after its debut,
09:45AJ made her feelings on the program known with her pipe bomb.
09:48After the Total Divas cast had a match on Raw,
09:51she arrived with a mic.
09:52I mean, the Bellas were dealing with their obvious daddy issues.
09:56The Funkadactyls broke up and then got back together again.
10:00Natalia's fiance isn't much of a man.
10:03She mocked the show's storylines,
10:05gaining applause from the crowd.
10:06AJ then issued a scathing promo against the wrestlers,
10:10calling them cheap and interchangeable,
10:12among many other insults.
10:13Honestly, a bunch of cheap, interchangeable,
10:21expendable, useless women.
10:24Blurring the lines between a storyline and reality,
10:27this incident made AJ one of the most talked about performers in the industry,
10:31kicking off a feud between her and Total Divas.
10:33And you will never be able to touch me.
10:43And that is reality.
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11:02Number one, sparking the women's revolution.
11:06So why don't you do what's best for business
11:09and let the Bellas work on their little issues on their own time
11:13and leave the Divas title to me?
11:16Back in the day, men's stories and matches would dominate WWE shows,
11:20while women would pop up only briefly.
11:22In 2015, the company hit a new low
11:25after a 30-second match featuring Emma and Paige
11:27losing to the Bella Twins
11:29caused hashtag give Divas a chance to trend online.
11:32Emma checking on her friend
11:33and bringing to make Emma pay.
11:35Never turn your back on the Bellas.
11:37Face first, cover.
11:40Just like that.
11:41That same day, Stephanie McMahon posted a tweet
11:43about her support for Patricia Arquette's Oscar speech
11:46about the gender pay gap.
11:47AJ commented by calling out the hypocrisy
11:50of how women at WWE are given less time and money
11:53compared to the men.
11:54Stephanie and her father, Vince,
11:56posted their thanks to AJ
11:57and stated that it would change.
11:59A few months later,
12:00the women's revolution officially began
12:02by retiring the Diva brand
12:04and showcasing women more.
12:05Stephanie McMahon promised change
12:08and that's what she got live on Raw.
12:11Throughout her stellar career,
12:13who has been AJ Lee's best rival?
12:15Let us know below.
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