AJ Lee (whose professional name is now AJ Mendez Brooks) will forever be a beloved figure to wrestling fans, a bright shining light in the “Divas” era of WWE who retired at age 28, and is now a best-selling author after having just released her first book, a soul-baring memoir that doesn’t pull any punches about her personal journey.
CBS Sports spoke to AJ on her current book tour, and couldn’t resist asking her about the possibility of a comeback. She said that she certainly doesn’t miss the fear involved with being a WWE wrestler, and she is happy with her four WrestleMania moments and is excited about potential opportunities for her friends who are still with the company. But as for whether she’d ever consider coming back …
Wrestling’s old adage: never say never. I’m sure you are asked this all the time so let me be the one millionth and one person to ask you this. Will we ever see AJ Lee back in a wrestling ring?
I never would say that because I’ve personally said never to things before and done them. But I am so happy where I am right now and I feel like I had such a pitch perfect career that I would be nervous about tarnishing that. I feel like it’s kind of full-circle and perfect for exactly what I wanted. But who knows?
Not exactly a definitive answer, of course, but given the nature of the wrestling business, that in itself says a lot. “Who knows” indeed? As to the new standard of women’s wrestling in WWE, where the women are no longer “Divas” but “Superstars” all on their own and judged on their athletic ability and in-ring performance rather than … other stuff, AJ couldn’t be happier.
That makes my heart swell. That’s all I ever wanted for the industry while I was there and for all the wonderful women after I was gone. There are a lot of really great girls who are still there that I was really fortunate enough to work with or have their tryout matches. I just want the best for them and I’m so happy that they’re getting their time. That’s all that we could ever hope or fight for. I’m so proud of them. I hope they’re also getting paid as much as the guys since they’re seen as just as important. I hope that they’re also getting paid because that’s half the battle, honestly.
The whole interview is terrific, as you would expect, so head over to CBS Sports to check it out.
