Lee was WWE’s number one diva. She was a three time Divas Champion, in addition to being a former Raw General Manager and ‘love interest’ to multiple main event stars.
In many ways, her run with WWE was a dream come true. She got into the business as a legitimate fan, she was a mark for the business and had a true passion for in-ring action.
Initially breaking into the company via the old NXT, she stood out as a geeky but cool girl. She had a relatable personality, in addition to solid mic skills and in-ring acumen. As a result, she got over quickly with the fans. It wasn’t long until she was a focal point of the main roster.
At first she was pushed as the love interest of Daniel Bryan, before having a memorable run as Raw general manager. She then had a romance storyline with John Cena, before forming a new romance and stable with Dolph Ziggler. This was the peak of AJ’s time with WWE. She was having solid matches and was stealing the show as Dolph’s heel mistress.
Unfortunately, the stable was broken up and AJ never really recovered her character momentum. She still dominated the divas division and had some great matches, but she was noticeably different from mid 2012 onwards. It was as if you could tell how underwhelmed she was feeling.
That cloud over AJ’s head became a storm, eventually leading to her retirement at the age of 28, just a few days after WrestleMania 31. There were several big reasons why she decided to quit WWE.