A.J. (NXT)

Real Name:
 April Jeanette 

Birthday:
 March 19, 1987 

Hometown:
 Once lived in Union City, New Jersey 
 Lives in Chicago, Illinois

Marital Status:
Once Dating Jay Lethal 
Married to CM Punk

Height & Weight: 
5'2" - 107 lbs 

Trained by: 
Jay Lethal
 
Debut: September 29, 2007 

Previous Names: 
Miss April (Indy)
April Jeanette
April Lee (FCW)
A.J. Lee (FCW)
A.J. (NXT)
 
Finishing Move:
 Shining Wizard
Sliced Bread #2
 Black Widow

Favorite Moves:
 Hurracanrana
Spinning Heel Kick
Head Scissors
Mexican Armdrags
 
Notable Feuds: 
Alexa 
Thatcher
 Brie Bella
Nicki Bella
Paige
Kaitlyn



 Title History
WSU Tag Team titles w/Brooke Carter defeated The Beatdown Betties (February 7, 2009)
                             WWE Divas Champion after defeating Kaitlyn at Payback (June 16, 2013)
WWE Divas title defeating Paige (June 30, 2014)
WWE Divas title defeating Paige and Nikki Bella (September 21, 2014)

Early career (2007–2009)
Shortly after leaving university, Mendez researched wrestling schools and enrolled in one a mile away from her house. To pay the tuition she began working full-time and started training in March 2007 under Jay Lethal. She debuted on September 29, 2007, under the ring name "Miss April", wrestling on the New Jersey independent circuit.

Miss April joined the New Jersey-based promotion Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) in October 2008, losing her debut match against Jana. After unsuccessfully competing alongside Malia Hosaka in a tournament to determine the inaugural WSU Tag Team Champions, she formed a tag team with Brooke Carter, and on February 7, 2009, they captured the tag titles by defeating the Beatdown Betties (Roxie Cotton and Annie Social). On April 11, Miss April and Jay Lethal won the 2009 WSU/NWS King and Queen of the Ring tournament, defeating Jana and Danny Demanto in the final. In May, she left WSU upon signing with WWE and vacated her half of the WSU Tag Team Championships.

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Florida Championship Wrestling (2009–2011)
Mendez signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on May 5, 2009, after taking part in a tryout camp that she paid US$1,500 to attend, and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory. Mendez debuted at the television tapings on August 13 under the ring name "April Lee" in a fatal four-way match won by Serena Mancini. In September, her name was changed to "AJ Lee". She began challenging for the Queen of FCW title, and at the tapings on February 4, 2010, AJ defeated Serena to win the crown.

AJ then competed in a tournament to determine the inaugural FCW Divas Champion, defeating Tamina in the first round before she was eliminated by Serena in the semi-finals on June 6. AJ later challenged Naomi Knight for a shot at her FCW Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful in their bout on July 4. The following week, AJ and Serena interrupted Naomi during an interview, and AJ watched while Serena attacked Naomi, turning AJ into a villain. Naomi went on to retain her championship by defeating both AJ and Serena in a triple threat match. On episode 100 of FCW TV on August 29, AJ fought Naomi to a double countout in a match where both AJ's Queen of FCW title and Naomi's FCW Divas Championship were on the line. A month later, AJ lost to Naomi in a lumberjill match, thus ending their feud.

In mid-November, AJ dropped the Queen of FCW title to Rosa Mendes. At the next tapings on December 16, AJ defeated Naomi to win the FCW Divas Championship. Her victory made her the first FCW Diva to have held both the Divas Championship and the title of Queen of FCW. She held the championship until the tapings on April 7, 2011, where she lost it to Aksana.

NXT and teaming with Kaitlyn (2010–2011)

AJ delivering a farewell speech after being eliminated from season three of NXT
On August 31, 2010, AJ was announced as a participant in the all-female third season of NXT, with Primo serving as her WWE pro. AJ began portraying a fan favorite role on the September 7 season premiere, with WWE adapting her real life comic book and video game fandom to her character. In the first five weeks, AJ won two matches and three challenges, tying her with Kaitlyn in immunity points, but she lost a crowd reaction poll to receive immunity from elimination on October 5. After surviving elimination, she won two challenges over the next four weeks, and again withstood elimination on November 2. The following two weeks, AJ defeated both Nikki Bella and Aksana in singles competition, and won two challenges, thus earning immunity from elimination on November 16. Despite winning a challenge and in singles competition against Naomi on November 23, AJ was eliminated from the competition, officially placing third. She returned on the November 30 season finale, where she was victorious teaming with The Bella Twins against Aksana, Maxine and Alicia Fox, and afterwards shared a kiss with Primo; she also celebrated with her friend Kaitlyn, who had won the competition.

AJ made her main roster debut on the May 27, 2011 episode of SmackDown alongside Kaitlyn as a tag team, referring to themselves as "The Chickbusters". They were led by their storyline mentor Natalya, and competed against the team of Alicia Fox and Tamina, losing to them in back-to-back weeks. Her first victory came on June 10, when she pinned Tamina in singles competition on SmackDown. The trio feuded with Fox, Tamina and Rosa Mendes throughout mid-2011.

On August 5, AJ lost a match against Natalya, who then turned on her protégé, attacking AJ and declaring war on the "perky little princesses" that comprised the rest of the Divas division. AJ and Kaitlyn were defeated by the Divas of Doom (Natalya and Beth Phoenix) in a tag team match the following week, and were attacked after the match. Over the following months, AJ and Kaitlyn continued to lose both singles and tag team matches to the Divas of Doom. In November, tension began to be teased between AJ and Kaitlyn, with Kaitlyn upset at their repeated losses.

Various relationships and Raw General Manager (2011–2013)
Also in November 2011, AJ began a romantic storyline with Daniel Bryan. In December, Bryan won the World Heavyweight Championship and began to display villainous traits. Despite AJ's declaration of love for Bryan, Bryan avoided saying that he loved her in return. On the January 13, 2012 episode of SmackDown, AJ accompanied Bryan for his title defense against Big Show. During the match, Big Show accidentally collided with AJ, injuring her in the storyline and causing her to be taken out on a stretcher. AJ returned on February 3, saving Bryan from Big Show.


The kiss that cost Daniel Bryan his World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII
In March 2012, Bryan began mistreating AJ, publicly demanding that she "shut up" and claiming that she always got in his way. Despite these actions, AJ continued to stand by Bryan. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Bryan's reign as World Champion ended when Sheamus defeated him in 18 seconds due to Bryan being distracted after a "good luck kiss" from AJ. Bryan then blamed AJ for his loss of the World Heavyweight Championship and ended their relationship. Despite AJ's attempts to mend their relationship, Bryan rebuffed her multiple times, leaving AJ distraught—resulting in AJ lashing out towards her friend Kaitlyn when she attempted to comfort her.

AJ then turned her affections to Bryan's rival, WWE Champion CM Punk, as well as fellow WWE title contender Kane. At No Way Out on June 17, AJ interfered in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship between Punk, Bryan and Kane, helping Punk retain his championship by distracting Kane. As the feud between Bryan and Punk continued, AJ was announced as the special guest referee for their title match at Money in the Bank. While Bryan made advances on AJ in an attempt to influence her, AJ continued showing interest in Punk, but Punk let her down by not watching her match. A vengeful AJ then sent Punk and Bryan crashing through a ringside table during their match on Raw on July 2. The following week, AJ proposed to Punk, prompting Bryan to propose to her in return; Punk rejected her proposal and AJ slapped both men. At Money in the Bank, as guest referee, AJ counted Punk's pinfall on Bryan resulting in a successful title defense for Punk; as Punk celebrated over a fallen Bryan, AJ was left alone. The following night on Raw, Bryan once again proposed to AJ, who accepted.

During the exchange of vows at Raw 1000, AJ announced she had been offered the job of Raw General Manager by WWE chairman Vince McMahon and left Bryan at the altar. Her first official day began July 30, where she alleged Bryan only wanted the legal leverage to have her committed, forcing him to undergo his own psychological evaluation. Later, AJ modified Punk's WWE Championship bout at SummerSlam into a triple threat match due to his interference during a number one contender's match between John Cena and Big Show. Meanwhile, AJ continued to exact her revenge on Bryan by denying him a WWE Championship shot and instead forcing him to face Kane at SummerSlam. Concurrently, she began feuding with Vickie Guerrero, who demanded AJ's General Manager role, deeming AJ too childish. Punk later humiliated AJ for her past affections, leading to Paul Heyman also demanding the General Manager position alongside Vickie.

AJ stepped down from her General Manager duties on October 22, due to the stress of allegations of fraternizing and having an affair with a wrestler on the Raw roster, which was later revealed to be John Cena. In the following weeks, Vickie showed evidence of Cena and AJ going to a business dinner, AJ walking into Cena's room and more. At Survivor Series, AJ mocked Vickie's claims, but was attacked by the returning Tamina Snuka. The following night on Raw, Cena and AJ passionately kissed each other to give Vickie and Dolph Ziggler something "to talk about". AJ kissed Cena again after his match against Ziggler the following week, starting a relationship between the two. On the December 3 episode of Raw, AJ defeated Tamina in a singles match.


AJ with Dolph Ziggler (center) and Big E Langston (right) in 2013
At the TLC pay-per-view, AJ turned heel after interfering in Cena and Ziggler's ladder match by pushing Cena off the ladder. The following night on the Raw Slammy Awards special, AJ won the Slammy for "Kiss of the Year" with Cena, which was presented by Vickie. AJ and Vickie started arguing, which led to Ziggler intervening and AJ kissing him, solidifying their relationship. In the main event, AJ and Ziggler lost to Cena and Vickie via disqualification after the debuting Big E Langston interfered and attacked Cena on AJ's behalf. AJ later justified her actions, stating that Cena did not care about anyone but himself and that he broke her heart, so she helped Ziggler break him.

In March 2013, AJ re-entered a feud with her ex-boyfriend Daniel Bryan after they traded insults backstage. Following AJ and Langston's assistance towards Ziggler's victories over Bryan and his tag team partner Kane, she challenged Team Hell No (Bryan and Kane) to defend their Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 29 against Ziggler and Langston, which they accepted. On April 7, AJ accompanied Ziggler and Langston to the bout, but they were unsuccessful. However, the following night on Raw, AJ and Langston accompanied Ziggler as he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Alberto Del Rio to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Divas Champion (2013–present)

AJ, as the WWE Divas Champion, with her bodyguard Tamina Snuka
AJ won a battle royal on April 22, 2013, to become the number one contender to Kaitlyn's Divas Championship. Kaitlyn then began a storyline where she received gifts from a secret admirer. On June 10, after setting up Big E Langston to pose as the admirer, AJ revealed it to be a mind game, berating Kaitlyn and leaving her in tears. Six days later at the inaugural Payback pay-per-view, AJ defeated Kaitlyn to capture her first Divas Championship. AJ and Langston continued to mock Kaitlyn, with AJ ultimately retaining her Divas Championship against Kaitlyn in a rematch at Money in the Bank on July 14. Later that night, AJ cost Dolph Ziggler his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio, after she prematurely snuck into the ring and hit Del Rio with her Divas title, prompting a disqualification.

Due to AJ's actions, Ziggler ended their relationship the following night on Raw. AJ exacted revenge by costing Ziggler a non-title match against Del Rio, then she attacked Ziggler and unleashed Langston on him. On August 2, Langston was banned from attending AJ's matches. However, AJ successfully defended her title against Kaitlyn after Kaitlyn's friend Layla turned on her. At SummerSlam, AJ and Langston were defeated by Kaitlyn and Ziggler in a mixed tag team match, putting an end to their feud.


AJ feuded with Paige over the WWE Divas Championship throughout mid-2014
On August 26, AJ started a feud with the cast of Total Divas by cutting a worked shoot promo criticizing them The following week on Raw, AJ interfered in a triple threat number one contender's match between the Total Divas of Natalya, Naomi and Brie Bella, resulting in the match being stopped when they all attacked her. Thus, AJ had to defend her title against the trio in a fatal four-way at Night of Champions, where she retained her championship. In late September, AJ enlisted Tamina Snuka as her bodyguard. AJ went on to successfully defend her championship against Brie Bella at Battleground with help from Tamina, but was legitimately sent home from the following night's Raw after she showed signs of a concussion stemming from when her head struck a ring post during her title defense. She returned to action at Hell in a Cell where she again defeated Brie Bella. At Survivor Series, AJ captained a team in a traditional seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against the cast of Total Divas, in which she was the last to be eliminated, courtesy of Natalya. This led to a title match between the two at the TLC pay-per-view, where AJ again retained her championship.

In mid-January 2014, AJ became the longest reigning Divas Champion, surpassing Maryse's previous record. On April 6, at WrestleMania XXX, AJ successfully defended her Divas Championship in the 14-Diva "Vickie Guerrero Invitational" match. The following night on Raw, AJ lost the championship after she boastfully challenged the debuting Paige to an impromptu title match, ending her reign at 295 days. It was subsequently reported that AJ had requested time off from WWE.

AJ returned on June 30, where she challenged Paige to an impromptu rematch and emerged victorious to capture her second Divas Championship. After successfully defending the title against Paige at Battleground on July 20, AJ was viciously assaulted by Paige, and later shoved off the entrance ramp, briefly injuring her in the storyline. On August 17, at SummerSlam, AJ lost the Divas Championship to Paige. However, she regained the title in a triple threat match, also involving Nikki Bella, at Night of Champions on September 21, making her a three-time Divas Champion. AJ's feud with Paige ended the following month at the Hell in a Cell event, with her retaining the title. On November 23, at Survivor Series, AJ quickly lost her championship to Nikki Bella after Brie Bella distracted her. She failed to regain the title the following month at TLC, after Nikki sprayed a substance in her eyes. Following the bout, AJ was granted time off to heal a legitimate neck injury.

Other media
In 2012, AJ became the first female winner of WWE's "Superstar Challenge", defeating Mark Henry in the final round of a WWE '12 tournament at WrestleMania XXVIII Axxess. Later that year, she made her video game debut as a downloadable character in WWE '13, and has since appeared in WWE 2K14 and WWE 2K15.

AJ, alongside several other WWE employees, voiced an animated version of herself in the 2014 film Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery.