April Jeanette
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| April Mendez | |||
| |||
| Ring Names | AJ Lee AJ April Lee April Mendes Miss April | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||
| Weight | 107 lbs (49 kg) | ||
| Born | March 19 1987 | ||
| Union City, New Jersey | |||
| Died | |||
| Resides | Tampa, Florida | ||
| Billed | Union City, New Jersey | ||
| Trained by | Jay Lethal Mo Sexton Azrieal | ||
| Debut | September 29, 2007 | ||
| Retired | |||
April Jeanette Mendez (born March 19, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she goes by the ring name AJ Lee and currently holds the WWE Diva's Championship in her first reign. Mendez enrolled in a wrestling school in March 2007, where she trained for six months before her first official match. In the following years, she performed for several Northeast-based independent promotions including Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) as Miss April. In WSU, she was part of the AC Express alongside Brooke Carter and the duo held the WSU Tag Team Championship once.
In May 2009, she signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental promotion, using the ring name AJ Lee. In FCW, she was Queen of FCW and FCW Divas Champion, and was the first person to have held both titles. In 2010, she was part of the third season of NXT, having dropped her last name. She became part of WWE's SmackDown brand in May 2011, forming a tag team with Kaitlyn known as The Chickbusters.
A self-professed nerd and tomboy, WWE adapted Mendez's comics and video game fandom to her on-screen character, endorsing her as different from the typical women in the WWE and promoting her as the "Geek Goddess".
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Early life
Mendez grew up in Union City, New Jersey, describing her family's experience as having to live in motels and other people's houses. Mendez cited her brother’s interest in WWE when they were kids as an influence on her eventual decision to break into the male-dominated world of wrestling, and she cemented her ambition to pursue a pro wrestling career when she was twelve years old. Inspired by the female WWE stars that came before her, Mendez worked several jobs after graduating from high school (including being a janitor at day care, a cashier and a secretary) in order to save up the money she needed to both support her family and enroll in wrestling school.
Mendez attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in New York City where she majored in film and television production and writing until family and financial issues led to her dropping out six months into her studies. As a tribute to her brother who was in the Army, Mendez sometimes wears camouflage wrestling attire.
Professional wrestling career
Training (2007)
Shortly after graduating from high school, Mendez researched wrestling schools, and enrolled in one a mile away from her house, at the ACE Wrestling Academy in Union City, NJ. To pay the tuition, she began working full-time, and became an official wrestling student in March 2007.
Women Superstars Uncensored (2008–2009)
On October 10, 2008, Miss April made her debut for Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), losing to Soul Sister Jana in a singles match. The following night, she teamed with Malia Hosaka and participated in the tournament to determine the inaugural WSU Tag Team Champions. The pairing advanced to the second round by defeating The Soul Sisters (Jana and Latasha), where they lost to The Beatdown Betties (Roxxie Cotton and Annie Social). At the second taping later that same night, Miss April lost to Hosaka in a singles match. On February 7, 2009 Miss April teamed with Brooke Carter to defeat The Beatdown Betties and win the WSU Tag Team Championship. A month later, on March 7, they defeated The Beatdown Betties in a rematch to retain the championship. On April 10, Miss April competed in the third J-Cup tournament, defeating Roxxie Cotton in the first round before losing to Rain in the second. The following night, on April 11, Miss April and Jay Lethal were crowned the WSU/NWS 2009 King and Queen of the Ring after defeating Jana and Danny Demanto in the final of the tounament.
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Florida Championship Wrestling (2009–2010)
Mendez signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment on May 5, 2009, and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory. Mendez made her FCW television debut at the August 14, 2009 tapings under the name April Lee in a fatal four-way match won by Serena Mancini, and also including Alicia Fox and Tiffany. In September 2009, her ring name was changed to 'AJ Lee'. She began challenging for the Queen of FCW title, and at the television tapings on February 4, 2010, Lee defeated Serena to win the crown. In the first round of a tournament to determine the inaugural FCW Divas Championship, Lee defeated Tamina on April 29, but was defeated by Serena in the semi-finals on May 20. At the June 10 television tapings, Lee challenged Naomi Knight for the FCW Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful. In June 2010, she appeared at Raw house shows, acting as the hostess, and also acted as the ring announcer at an FCW show. The following month, Lee and Serena interrupted Knight during a promo, and Lee watched while Serena attacked Knight, turning Lee into a heel (villainous character). Knight went on to retain her FCW Divas Championship by defeating both Lee and Serena in a triple threat match. On FCW's 100th episode, Lee fought Knight to a double countout in a match where both the Queen of FCW title and the FCW Divas Championship were on the line. At the September 2 tapings, Lee lost to Knight in a Lumberjill match to end their feud.
On November 18, she lost to Rosa Mendes in a title match, making Mendes the new Queen of FCW. 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 April 7 television tapings, when she lost it to Aksana.
NXT (2010–2011)
On August 31, 2010, it was announced that she would be part of the third season of NXT under the name A.J., with Primo as her Pro. She appeared on the first episode of season three on September 7, teaming with Primo to defeat rookie Diva Aksana and her Pro Goldust in a mixed tag team match. The following week she suffered her first loss when she and Primo were defeated by Kaitlyn and Dolph Ziggler. Over the next two weeks, A.J. won three challenges, and on the October 5 episode of NXT she and Kaitlyn were tied for the number of challenges won. Kaitlyn received immunity from elimination in the poll based on crowd reaction. A.J. was eliminated from the competition on the November 23 episode of NXT, despite winning a competition and a match earlier in the show. She returned to NXT for the season finale, where she teamed with The Bella Twins to defeat Alicia Fox, Aksana, and Maxine. A.J. returned as a special guest on February 8, 2011, during the fourth season of NXT, modeling merchandise during a 'guess the price' challenge.
SmackDown; storyline with Daniel Bryan (2011–2012)
AJ made her main roster debut on the May 27, 2011, episode of SmackDown when she and Kaitlyn (known as The Chickbusters) lost to the team of Alicia Fox and Tamina. The duo were accompanied by Natalya, who became a mentor of sorts to the pair. AJ and Kaitlyn lost a rematch to Fox and Tamina the following week. Her first victory came on the June 10 episode of SmackDown, when she pinned Tamina in a singles match, a feat she repeated on the July 8 episode. AJ, Kaitlyn, and Natalya continued to feud with Fox and Tamina, who were joined by Rosa Mendes. On the August 5 episode of SmackDown, AJ lost a singles match to Natalya, who then turned on her protégé, attacking her and declaring war on the "perky little princesses" that comprised the rest of the Divas division. The following week, AJ and Kaitlyn lost to Natalya and Beth Phoenix, before AJ teamed with Kelly Kelly to defeat Natalya and Fox. Throughout the next few months, The Chickbusters continued to feud with the so-called Divas of Doom, losing both singles and tag team matches to them. In November, tension began to be teased between The Chickbusters, with Kaitlyn upset at their repeated losses to The Divas of Doom. Also in November, AJ began a romantic storyline with Daniel Bryan, In December, Bryan won the World Heavyweight Championship and he 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 episode of SmackDown, AJ accompanied Bryan for his World Heavyweight Championship defense against Big Show. During the match Show accidentally collided with AJ, injuring her (kayfabe) and causing her to be taken out on a stretcher. AJ returned to SmackDown on February 3, saving Bryan from the Big Show.
In March, Bryan began to mistreat AJ, publicly demanding her to 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 eighteen seconds due to Bryan being distracted after a good luck kiss from AJ. On the April 6, episode of SmackDown, Bryan blamed AJ for losing the World Heavyweight Championship and ended their relationship.
Despite AJ's attempts to mend their relationship, Bryan cruelly rebuffed her multiple times, leaving AJ an emotional wreck. Throughout the next few weeks, Kaitlyn tried to console AJ about her feelings towards Bryan, but AJ would slap her in response. On the May 11 episode of SmackDown, AJ quickly defeated Kaitlyn. Afterwards, Bryan came out, seemingly impressed with AJ's new ruthless behavior, but then he revealed that he would rather move on to Kaitlyn, further jilting AJ. AJ then turned her affections to Bryan's rival, WWE Champion CM Punk, as well as fellow WWE title contender Kane. At the No Way Out pay-per-view on June 17, when Punk, Bryan and Kane faced off for the WWE Championship, AJ interfered and distracted Kane, leading to Punk winning and retaining his championship.
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 while Bryan proposed to her; 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 defence for Punk; as Punk celebrated over a fallen Bryan, AJ was left alone. The following night on the July 16 episode of Raw Bryan once again proposed to AJ, who accepted with the wedding scheduled to take place the next week.
Raw General Manager (2012–present)
During the exchange of vows at Raw 1000, AJ announced she had been offered the job of Raw General Manager by WWE owner 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 CM Punk's WWE Championship bout at SummerSlam into a triple-threat match due to his interference during a #1 contender match between John Cena and the 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 would begin feuding with Vickie Guerrero, who would demand AJ's spot as the GM, deeming AJ too childish. CM Punk would later humiliate AJ for her past affections, leading to Paul Heyman demanding the GM spot, which he would run in conjunction with Vickie.
On October 22, AJ stepped down from her General Manager duties due to the stress of false allegations of fraternizing and having an affair with a wrestler on the Raw roster, which was later revealed to be John Cena. Later Vickie Guerrero would show evidence of John Cena and AJ going to a business dinner, AJ walking into Cena's room and more. At Survivor Series, AJ tried to show "evidence" of Vickie Guerrero fraternizing, but was attacked by the returning Tamina Snuka. On the following episode of Raw, John Cena and AJ passionately kissed each other to give Vickie and Dolph Ziggler something "to talk about". On the November 26 episode of Raw, AJ would kiss Cena again after his match against Ziggler, starting a real relationship between the two.
Her relationship with John Cena would continue until Tables, Ladders, and Chairs . During the main event, John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler, AJ would interfere, initially on John Cena's behalf, but while Cena climbed the ladder, she would tip it over, thus sealing the win for Dolph Ziggler. The next night, at the annual Slammy Awards , AJ would win the Best Kiss Slammy, accepting the award from Vickie Guerrero. During a verbal altercation with Vickie Guerrero, Ziggler ran out to try and stop the two women. AJ would subesquently kiss Mr. Money in the Bank, who would eventually return the kiss. Later that evening, Ziggler and AJ were paired in a mixed tag match against Cena and Guerrero. At the end of the match, AJ brought out her friend, Big E Langston , who laid out John Cena to end the show.
The next night, at SmackDown, the two appeared (with Langston) on MizTV to explain their actions. AJ said that she loved Cena, who broke her heart, so she decided to help Ziggler break John Cena. Ziggler came to AJ's defense, saying she wasn't crazy, just passionate. This began a romantic relationship between the two of them. AJ now serves as valet to Dolph Ziggler. AJ then reignited her feud with Kaitlyn. AJ faced Kaitlyn for the WWE Divas Championship on the April 24 episode of WWE NXT unsuccessfully. AJ then tricked Kaitlyn into thinking that she had a secret admirer. On the June 10 episode of Raw, AJ made Langston go out to the ring to make Kaitlyn think he was the admirer until AJ came out to the ring and revealed that she had tricked her the whole time. At Payback, AJ defeated Kaitlyn to win her first Diva's Championship after making her submit.
Personal life
Mendez has stated she is of Puerto Rican heritage. She attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in New York City where she majored in Film and Television production. As a tribute to her brother, who was in the army, Mendez sometimes wears camouflage wrestling attire. Mendez was previously in a relationship with her trainer Jay Lethal.
Trivia
- At the 2012 Slammy awards, AJ was involved in all 4 nominations for the Kiss of the Year award, with Kane, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and John Cena.
- AJ has kissed Primo, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Kane, John Cena and Dolph Ziggler.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Black Widow (Octopus hold) — 2009-present
- Shining wizard — 2010–present
- Shiranui — 2009–2011
- Signature moves
- With Kaitlyn
- Aided splash
- Corner clothesline (AJ) / Backbreaker (Kaitlyn) combination
- Wrestlers managed
- Nicknames
- "The Thunder and Lighting Combination" — with Kaitlyn
- "Geek Goddess"
- "Crazy Chick"
- "Unstable Chick"
- "Babe" — by Dolph Ziggler
- Entrance themes
- "Right Now" by Tyler van den Berg (June 10, 2011–October 2011)
- "Let's Light It Up" by Jim Johnston and performed by Kari Kimmel (October 2011–present)
Championships and accomplishments
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- FCW Divas Championship (1 time)
- Queen of FCW (1 time)
- Women Superstars Uncensored
- WSU Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brooke Carter
- WSU/NWS King and Queen of the Ring (2009) – with Jay Lethal
- Raw General Manager (July 23, 2012-October 22, 2012)
- Slammy Award for Diva of the Year (2012)
- Slammy Award for Kiss of the Year (2012) - with John Cena
Also see
External links
| WWF/WWE Divas 1985 - 2011 |
|---|
| AJ Lee • Aksana • Alicia Fox • Alundra Blayze • Amy Weber • Ashley Massaro • Beth Phoenix • Bobcat • Brie Bella • Brooke • Candice Michelle • Carmella DeCesare • Cherry • Christy Hemme • Chyna • Cyndi Lauper • Dawn Marie • Debbie Combs • Debra • Eve Torres • The Fabulous Moolah • Gail Kim • Ivory • Jackie • Jamie • Joy Giovanni • Kaitlyn • Katie Lea Burchill • Kelly Kelly • Kharma • Kristal • Lauren Jones • Layla • Leilani Kai • Linda Miles • Lita • Luna Vachon • Maria Kanellis • Maryse • Maxine • Melina • Michelle McCool • Mickie James • Miss Jackie • Natalya • Nicole Bass • Nidia • Nikki Bella • Naomi • Rockin' Robin • Ryan Shamrock • Sable • Sapphire • Sensational Sherri • Serena • Sharmell • Stacy Keibler • Sunny • Tamina • Terri Runnels • The Kat • Tiffany • Tori • Torrie Wilson • Trinity • Trish Stratus • Velvet McIntyre • Vickie Guerrero • Victoria • Wendi Richter |
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