While it's true that she's dropped off the radar of most wrestling fans, AJ Lee is still
doing all sorts of cool stuff.
In fact, the things she's doing today are even more awesome than her in-ring career
was.
Let's take a look at what AJ Lee has been up to since you stopped hearing from her.
Lee's comparatively early WWE exit may he been due to her real-life relationship with
Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk.
Punk accused the WWE and the company's doctor, Chris Amann, of failing to diagnose a potentially
life-threatening staph infection and treating his concussion symptoms with Z-Pak antibiotics.
Amann responded to the accusations with a lawsuit, which according to Bleacher Report,
Punk believes is bankrolled by the WWE chairman, Vince McMahon.
WWE eventually decided to fire Punk and McMahon insists that this was merely an unfortunate
accident, and he even apologized to Punk in an on-air interview.
Lee eventually decided to call it quits with the WWE.
Wrestling Inc. insiders say Lee likely had to retire from wrestling and forfeit the opportunity
to perform elsewhere since she was still bound by her WWE contract.
AJ Lee stated in her memoir, Crazy Is My Superpower, that she was suffering from pressing health
issues near the end of her career.
She admitted the drama between the WWE and Punk influenced her decision, but Lee said
wrestling left permanent damage to her cervical spine.
Apart from the spinal damage she incurred over the course of her wrestling career, Bleacher
Report informs us that she has struggled with concussions, and a particular whiplash neck
injury in 2014 forced the medical staff to put the unresponsive Lee in a neck brace and
carry her from the ring on a stretcher.
According to Bleacher Report, Lee was easily one of the most outspoken WWE stars during
her tenure with the company, which put her at odds with several other WWE Divas, notably
with WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.
In 2015, she took part in Twitter's #GiveDivasAChance movement by publicly calling Stephanie out
about female WWE performers' comparatively low wages despite their soaring popularity.
Though her outspokenness is unlikely to have been the reason behind her departure, it's
easy to imagine that being the only person to speak out against your employer might not
do wonders to your standing within the company.
Sports Illustrated writes that AJ, like her mother, has bipolar disorder and she was diagnosed
when she was nineteen.
Bleacher Report expressed some criticism toward her crazy chick character's arc, but it propelled
Lee to main event status.
Lee had kept the WWE in the dark about her personal struggles with mental health, which
eventually got awkward when the company started trying to make her perform skits that made
light of mental health.
In 2012, the New York Post wrote that the WWE wanted Lee to up the craziness ante in
comedic sketches.
This didn't sit well with Lee, who was still in the closet with her own mental health issues.
Lee refused to take part in the skit, and the WWE punished her by taking her off TV
for two months.
"Help us out Ruth, who do you think you are?"
After wrestling, AJ Lee has devoted a considerable amount of her time to far more important endeavors.
In 2018, The Sportster reported that Lee was raising money for mental health awareness
charity NAMI.
Sports Illustrated writes that Lee, who's now quite open about her own bipolar disorder,
is a proud mental health advocate and works together with the Child Mind Institute to
promote healthier attitudes toward mental health issues.
"My character on TV was called 'Crazy Chick.'"
"Yeah."
"And I played this character for years but nobody knew in real life that I am bipolar."
Lee is also a spokeswoman for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and
has also teamed up with their anti-dog fighting campaign, Get Tough.
As Wrestling Inc. tells us, in 2015, she worked together with the Beautiful Disaster clothing
company to launch a clothing line called AJ's Animal Avenger, with all the proceeds going
to PAWS Chicago.
Operating under her real name, AJ Mendez Brooks, Lee has transitioned from a successful in-ring
performer to an equally successful author with her memoir, Crazy Is My Superpower.
The 2017 book turned out to be so triumphant that after one week, Lee's official website
could proudly announce it was a New York Times bestseller.
Critics say the book has a great message, and notes its significant openness about an
outsider's climb to the top of her profession while struggling with her personal issues.
Like many other former and current professional wrestlers, Lee’s tried her hand at acting.
Lee's IMDb page is filled with WWE-related appearances that came with her Diva job, and
her one non-WWE appearance is a commercial for Madden NFL ‘16.
Lee and CM Punk are both set to be in the horror flick Rabid, a remake of the 1977 David
Cronenberg horror movie.
In 2019, the former wrestling star got involved with GLOW, the popular Netflix show that's
loosely based on a real-life, all-women promotion from the 1980s called the Gorgeous Ladies
of Wrestling.
Wrestling fans shouldn't get too excited, though, as it looks like Lee isn't about to
join the show's cast.
Instead, she's joining forces with actor Aimee Garcia to write a comic book series based
on the show.
With the four-part series, GLOW vs. the Babyface, Lee and Garcia are both making their debut
as comic book writers.
As Lee puts it:
"Aimee's experience in acting and my experience in pro-wrestling makes us a formidable tag
team with a unique perspective to truly channel the voices of these hilarious heroines.
Our mission as writing partners is to represent diverse, complex, and unbreakable female characters,
which is why GLOW feels like the perfect fit."
AJ Lee's significant microphone skills were always part of her allure as a pro wrestler,
so it's not a surprise that she's carved out a bit of a reputation as a speaker.
Like many other current and former athletes, websites such as Athlete Speakers and NOPAC
Talent advertise that she can be booked for a variety of speaking gigs, though she’s
clearly busy with other things, too.
On multiple occasions, she has acted as a keynote speaker for the National Alliance
on Mental Illness, which has drawn compliments from several of her former WWE colleagues.
"And being crazy is what I'm most proud of, that is my superpower.
It makes me invincible and brave."
Self-imposed exile
Apart from the myriad of reasons for her leaving the WWE, Lee is still one of the most popular
female wrestlers around and easily young enough for a comeback if she wants.
Lee dominated the polls when fans were asked who they'd like to make a comeback for the
female-driven Evolution pay-per-view.
According to Sportskeeda, even Vince McMahon himself allegedly reached out to ask if Lee
would like to re-emerge in the WWE Universe.
There have been rumors of her signing with the WWE's emergent competitor, All Elite Wrestling,
though Ringside News notes that these appear to be incorrect.
As for Lee herself, she hasn't entirely ruled out a return in the ring, explaining,
"I say that I don't know what the future holds, to not hold your breath.
But never say never."
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