AJ Lee | |
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AJ in April 2014
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Birth name | April Jeanette Mendez |
Born |
Union City, New Jersey, United States |
March 19, 1987
Residence |
Chicago, Illinois, United States Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
Spouse(s) | CM Punk (m. 2014) |
Website | AJMendezBrooks |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | AJ AJ Lee April Lee Miss April |
Billed height | 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) |
Billed weight | 115 lb (52 kg) |
Billed from | Union City, New Jersey |
Trained by |
Florida Championship Wrestling Jay Lethal |
Debut | September 29, 2007 |
Retired | April 3, 2015 |
April Jeanette "AJ" Mendez Brooks (born April Jeanette Mendez; March 19, 1987), better known by her ring name AJ Lee, is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE.
Mendez began her professional wrestling career on the New Jersey independent circuit in 2007, where she performed as Miss April, notably in Women Superstars Uncensored. She signed with WWE in 2009 and spent two years in its developmental system, Florida Championship Wrestling, before she was called up to the main roster. Meanwhile, she took part in season three of NXT in 2010 and placed third in the competition.
In 2012, Mendez rose to prominence through several storylines, such as relationships with wrestlers who feuded over WWE's world championships, along with a three-month stint as the General Manager of Raw. In subsequent years, she won the Divas Championship a record-tying three times and held the title for an overall record of 406 days. She also won the Diva of the Year Slammy Award twice (2012 and 2014), and was voted Woman of the Year by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated for an unprecedented three consecutive years (2012–2014). She retired from in-ring competition in 2015.