As 2012 draws to a close, the Diva Dirt writers have each picked a personal highlight to reminisce on the year gone by.
Today: Cryssi shares her best moment from 2012 — all things AJ Lee.
As I sat basking in the beautiful Florida sunshine in Sun Life Stadium waiting for Daniel Bryan and Sheamus to get their WrestleMania moment that had been robbed of them in Atlanta, I had two things on my mind: The first thought was that the Welsh guy sitting next to me had nice fashion sense and was really cute (HEY ELLIOT). The second thought was of guilt as it was April 1st, and it was my little niece’s first birthday. Never in a million years did I think of AJ Lee, the fact this match would be a horrendous 30-second bust, I would end up in the middle of the beginning of the “YES! YES! YES!” phenomenon, and that one five-second kiss would be the beginning of an evolution.
The evolution of AJ Lee as a basic main-eventer in WWE land has been nothing short of incredible. The WrestleMania moment she dreamed of her entire life led to a storyline and an opportunity that absolutely none of us could have predicted except for maybe AJ herself. The majority of 2012 has belonged to this woman and she has the resume to prove it. She’s been involved in the most high-profiled storylines, worked with the best in the company, and had the rare opportunity to be the general manager of the flagship show. Every single piece of material that AJ has been this year, she has taken and ran with it. It hasn’t always been pretty. In fact, she’s nothing more to me at the moment than a man-stealing hussy as she parades around sucking face with our beloved Prince Dawlf Ziggler. But that’s a good thing. She’s getting a reaction. She’s toying with the emotions of the fans. She is living the life that most Divas only get to dream about.
Ever since she was signed to the company and appeared in FCW, AJ has created a buzz. Fans were torn on whether they wanted her as a heel or a face. When she arrived on NXT, her personality rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, myself included. I felt a lot of it was forced and fake, and too over-the-top for me. I was actually elated when she didn’t win the competition and had to go back to FCW, to be honest, it just wasn’t her time.
I’ve always believed that our fates are predetermined and that we get back what we put out, and then some. AJ embodies this and her personal story doesn’t need to be repeated. We know who she is, where she came from, and how hard she has had to fight. When she kissed Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, which is my moment of 2012 encase you hadn’t realized, I didn’t think anything of it. I certainly didn’t see a wedding, a love quadrangle, a general manager run, getting proposed to bu Paul Heyman, a mini-feud with Vickie, a scandal with John Cena, and I REALLY didn’t see her getting her black-manicured claws into my man. It’s been nothing short of incredible to see how far she’s come and how true she has stayed to herself. AJ is a real woman, someone who isn’t afraid to be herself, and getting to meet her at Fan Axxess this past WrestleMania was a personal highlight for me. She truly is humble and grateful, and someone who is just taking it in stride. But do you guys want to know what I love most about AJ? The fact we shop at the same place.
If there has ever been a Diva that deserves to have a moment dedicated to her, it’s AJ. She has given us countless hours of entertainment and hope for the Divas. Alongside Eve Torres, AJ has been a shining beacon of light for the women we all fight so hard for when it comes to equality. From everything I already said, to the other moments such as the locker-room fight with Dawlf, forcing Kane and Daniel Bryan into anger management, from bring Brad Maddox to the main roster (that’s for you Bobby), AJ has been this year’s Diva of the Year in more ways than one.
I can only hope that her push continues into the next year and beyond, and she winds up as the Diva’s Champion. I might not like everything she’s doing or has done (….Dawlf), but I respect her, believe in her, and can’t wait to see what else AJ has in store for all of us. The WWE doesn’t get a lot of things right when it comes to the Divas, but they got it right when they took a kiss and built it into something incredible for both people involved. Well done.
