Journal Sentinel – AJ Lee is the tiny titan of wrestling

Lee and fellow WWE stars body-slam into Milwaukee on Monday
By James E. Causey of the Journal Sentinel

World Wrestling Entertainment Monday Night Raw general manager AJ Lee fell in love with wrestling when her brother gave her an “angle slam” into a snowbank when she was kid.

Years later, when she was 13, she met WWE diva Lita during an autograph session and she broke into tears. Today, the 25-year-old, pint-size, self-confessed tomboy has girls breaking into tears when they meet her.

“I remember when I was that girl crying because I was so excited to finally meet Lita. To have girls crying over me is surreal,” Lee said.

The newfound fame is still surprising to Lee.

“The other day in the airport I was walking with (fellow WWE diva) Kaitlyn and people were looking at us and waving because they knew us and they knew me.”

In 2010, Lee was just trying to make a name for herself in the industry, and now she is the boss of all the men and women for WWE’s flagship brand. She didn’t even have a bio on the WWE roster two years ago.

For a “skinny” little girl who grew up watching wrestling stars like Lita and Miss Elizabeth with her brother, it was only natural that things ended up the way they did.

When her brother joined the Army, she wrote him letters keeping him informed of all the WWE matches and feuds.

Wrestling may not have become reality for Lee had she not run into money problems while attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.

“I ran into financial problems and couldn’t afford (school) anymore, so I dropped out,” she said.

“I’ve always wanted to entertain people, and when I was in school I was interested in creative writing, but wrestling was always there,” she said. “When I ran into financial problems I just figured when life gives you lemons, you have to make lemonade.”

Lee took all her savings and signed up to go to wrestling school. She found a full-time job in the business after that.

At 5 feet 2 inches and 95 pounds, Lee will be the first to admit that it has not been easy. But the things that make Lee likable are her hard work and attitude, which came through when she was on the third season of “NXT,” a reality wrestling show for those trying to break into the industry.

Lee’s girl-next-door-type made her a fan favorite.

Some wrestling critics say Lee’s general manager role has hurt her character because it has taken away her edge and made her more predictable. They miss the more unstable Lee, who was constantly seeking love from Daniel Bryan or who was constantly making life miserable for WWE champion CM Punk.

I miss the unstable Lee, too, but I also find it kind of funny that one of the tiniest people in the industry has the most power.

It will be interesting to see how Lee develops in her latest role. You can get your first glimpse on Monday when Lee and the WWE invade Milwaukee at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.