AJ Lee

[0.0] "I've never liked AJ Lee. Her miniscule contributions, if any at all, to women's wrestling are inconsequential. If she never existed women's wrestling would still be exactly where it is right now. She's not a trailblazer. She did nothing that is worth emulating or paying tribute to. The worship paid to her is through physical appearance alone. Her greatest achievement, intentional or not, was going away for a decade. She's cashing in on nostalgia which credit to her because fans are buying it hook, line, and sinker. Both of the matches she had in 2025 were awful, truly awful. Her performance was shameful, lazy, and unworthy of attention."

[10.0] "I really like her fighting style. I'm glad she's back in WWE after 10 years. My friend was just waiting for her return. Not only is she talented, but she also has good finishing moves, like Black Widow's, which I really like."

"A true trailblazer, AJ helped pave the way for women in WWE to become main eventers they've always deserved to be. Her promo game is unmatched by any other woman in the business even after all these years and her "crazy chick" persona is as fun to watch as it always was."

[10.0] "There's a lot to say about AJ Lee. She is probably the best and most charismatic female wrestler of her time. The Divas era wasn't anything special -- I'd even call it a snooze fest -- but AJ Lee stood out. Yes, if we compare her to modern women like Rhea, Charlotte Flair, Iyo, etc., you could say she lacks in some areas, but that wouldn't really be fair."

[5.0] "AJ Lee isn't a bad wrestler, but I find that she's dramatically overrated at an eight. She was good on the mic and had a pretty good presentation which counts for something, especially in the WWE. But aside from a few notable promos she hasn't really done anything? Her best match is a random one off match against Naomi, who is a great wrestler in her own right. Aside from this it's mostly storyline work and promos which I greatly dislike due to the fact that most of it was the same old misogynistic writing that was common place in the WWE at the time. I don't really think I can feasibly rate a wrestler higher than a 5 if they have a handful of good matches and moments, even considering the influence she had. The last thing I want to highlight is how awful those women's rosters were back in the day during the 2010's, she had NO ONE to go up against, and it's a shame."

[8.0] "For me, the most interesting part of WWE has always been the storylines and promos, and AJ Lee absolutely excels at that. She knows how to bring emotion, intensity, and depth to her character, making every segment feel real and engaging. Her in-ring career isn't nearly as bad as some people claim -- in fact, she's had some great matches and moments that showed her skill and passion for wrestling. I really hope she continues to be involved in wrestling and gives us even more compelling storylines in the future."

[6.0] "for the life of me i cannot remember a single thing AJ Lee did in ring other then her black widow submission and her crazy punches, of course she was there when the womens division didnt really exist outside of nikki bella, brie bella, kaitlin and a few others so its really hard to judge from an in ring perspective, but even character wise the only things i remember of her was how she was involved in a love triangle or dating storyline for her whole career, which involved john cena and god damn kane at points in time, her most note worthy thingss were giving daniel bryan a kiss of death, kissing dolph ziggler, kissing cm punk, there was just nothing i found interesting about her aside from the sexual stuff wwe made her do which teenage me probably liked at one point"

[10.0] "AJ Lee is my all-time favorite female wrestler. I've been a fan since 2014, when I first started watching wrestling. She was the first wrestler I ever saw, and in my opinion, with her charisma, acting skills, aura, character, and that gorgeous, ripped abs--and just overall her name--she's literally the greatest female wrestler in history. She's the face of women's wrestling as a whole. Back in the day, she stood out a lot among other women wrestlers and was way better than them. She pushed not only storylines in the women's division but also played a major role in storylines among male wrestlers. Sometimes, she was the main character in someone's feud. And now, her return has once again got me hooked on watching wrestling. Nothing has interested me as much over the last five years. I was almost ready to give up on wrestling forever, but AJ Lee's return made me a genuine fan again. I'm so glad she's back. The matches she's having, the storylines she's involved in, and the shock she created with her return make her the greatest wrestler in history. The way she and Becky Lynch met was legendary. AJ Lee looked totally badass, like the strongest character from the past among the girls, who came back after 10 years to set things straight. She has insane charisma and charm. An iconic character with an amazing aura. Good luck to AJ Lee in her future career!"

[3.0] "I was never a fan of her. She came from the worst era of women's wrestling and was just as good as all of them. Plus, I thought her gimmick was stupid and the skipping is really annoying to me. Not as bad of the Bellas, but still someone I don't want to see. And yes, I didn't like her return because it was so obvious when it became apparent. And that match proved my point exactly. The only reason she's not lower is because of who she's married to. Still, I'm not looking forward to her one-on-one match with Becky Hogan that I can already see her winning and winning the title. Ugh."

"How am I even seeing an 8 here? She returned and everyone is hyping her like some HBK or something? She's a mid wrestler and is only being hyped coz of nostalgic feelings"

[5.0] "I know that she had her peak in 2014-2015 and she was awesome, but in this fight at Wrestlepalooza was terrible, she looked awful and her atack was bad, i hope she improve because her physic is good......"

[4.0] "This Wrestlepalooza match reminded me, from vivid memory, why I didn't care (almost) at all about AJ Lee's return. Ok, I understand the ring rustiness from 10 years away, but AJ threw some of the worst punches and kicks I've seen in the last 20 years of wrestling, not just in WWE but around the world; plus, her mic skills are nothing special. I understand, in part, the appreciation for the silly crazy gimmick, but that alone doesn't justify all the hype surrounding her return. In short, she's too weak for all the "name" and legacy that AJ is supposed to have."

[4.0] "Typical match at the peak of her 8-year career was about 4 minutes. She's been retired from the ring for longer than she was active. A tiny 38-year-old woman skipping around the ring, being portrayed as dangerous, strains credulity. Solid part of an entertaining group with Ziggler and Big E. But clearly overrated based more on popularity and nostalgia than substance. Hot crowds will probably carry the nostalgia for as long as she's protected and out there with Punk. But the recent Nikki Bella matches show how fragile that can be if she's exposed or in front of a less forgiving crowd."

[2.0] "Not one great match in her entire career. Was most over because she could play the ever imaginative role of crazy hot girl. See also Victoria, Mickie James, Alexa Bliss, it really is quite the list. Such a lazy trope but this is wrestling. As a valet, as a manager, as a performer, as an inspiration, she's probably a 7/8 ranking. A lot of that can be attributed to nostalgia. But as a wrestler (oh, and now as a massive hypocrite she's another that proves everyone has a $$$ price), she is just poor. She was champion in a time where the women were booked like total crap. Would be massively exposed compared to today's current crop of amazing women."

[8.0] "welcome back aj, we missed you so much! i can't wait to see this incredible run she's gonna have. she was so ahead of her time and now she's gonna fit right in to this new era."

[10.0] "Aj lee was completely ahead of her time during her era in ring wise and mic skill wise as well. In my opinion she is the greatest female mic worker in professional wrestling her pipe bomb was insane especially for for being a female she's a complete badass. I really thought she would never step foot in a wwe ring again she just returned in Chicago as a Chicagoan myself it made me so emotional for her to return right next to Cm punk and also as fellow Puerto Rican I'm so proud of her and she's is going to kill this run. And her signature submission move has always been one of my favorites."

[9.0] "No doubt that AJ Lee is the greatest talker in women's wrestling. She made herself infamous for being the best at cutting promos and getting heat. She was also a great babyface as well. She didn't get to show much in the ring back in her first run. But now that she is back I hope she will be able to show her abilities more. One of my favorites all time."

[10.0] "She was the best during her time period & was having everyone's best matches. To this day you look at AJ Lee's old matches & you can see she's one of the best sellers women have ever seen. Also in my opinion she's the best women's promo was the total package & im so glad she's back"

[9.0] "Wow I am actually shocked with how low AJ Lee is rated on here. Sure 8+ for most wrestlers is great but AJ? Look maybe I am blinded by nostalgia but I believe AJ had one the best runs of any wrestler ever in her WWE run (excluding all the Cena bs ofcourse). She really does have a CM Punk esque aura surrounding her and it's deserved. She carried what was the "Divas" division at the time and actually managed to make it a decent division alongside Paige heading into what would became the eventual Woman Division cornered by the 4 Horse woman (Becky, Sasha, Bailey, Charlotte). But I do believe that without AJ it might not have happened or atleast went over as well as it did. Regardless modern day we are seeing what is the build to AJ Lee returning with Becky getting imvolved in the Seth vs Punk fued and man am I excited. I have been wanting AJ to return in some capacity since Punk initially returned to AEW all the way through his return to WWE till now. She is the one wrestler who just hasn't been seen. I think her pop is going to be insane, might even be louder than Punk returning, and I can see a Wrestlemania card where Punk vs Seth and Becky vs AJ main events both nights and man do I think it will be 2 of the best matches we ever see. I do believe the time has finally came and AJ will be returning soon and I haven't been so excited about a return in a very very long time. tl;dr - AJ is and has always been fucking awesome, she had one of the best runs with her initial WWE run, she is about to return and I do believe its going to be an iconic moment and hopefully run! Lfg. 9/10"

[9.0] "She is one of best ahead of their time during divas era, her divas title reign is iconic and raise the bar. Her feud with Kaitlyn is cinema and great, and I love her role involved in the faction with Big E and Dolph Ziggler. She was so peak in 2013-14. I miss her a lot, and hope she can return one day."

[10.0] "The woman that got me into women's wrestling. Without her I'm not sure I find many of my all time favorites. She might not be on the talent level of some other women's wrestlers, but she's definitely near the top in terms of influence."

[8.0] "AJ Lee was a standout during a transitional period for women's wrestling in WWE. While the division lacked depth, AJ brought something fresh with her character work, especially during the "crazy chick" era. She wasn't just a solid in-ring worker--her promo ability and charisma helped keep her relevant in storylines even when the women's division was overlooked. The Black Widow submission was a great finisher, and she had underrated technical skill. While not on the level of today's top-tier women's wrestlers in-ring, her influence helped pave the way for the Women's Revolution. A key figure in a crucial era."

[4.0] "I don't dislike AJ Lee, I just think that a lot of people active around her time were a lot better in the ring. She was good at selling, but she definitely favoured rest holds near the end, her matches were overall pretty boring. Her character has not aged particularly well, especially her "pipebomb-shell" promo, which reeks of mid-2010s "I'm not like most girls" misogyny. It hit with a toxic and frustrated fanbase, and I believe it did long lasting damage to the women on the receiving end for the rest of their careers, just look at the comments under any social media post about the Bella Twins or Natalya. The division was full of hardworking women, and they weren't being given the time or effort by the powers that be to develop their skills and characters beyond what was asked of them. Instead, she decided to position herself against them and pandered to a bad crowd. Look guys, AJ loves video games and comic books, so she's more deserving of our respect than those other "plastic reality show stars" and "wannabe actresses" who are dating top stars within the company to get where they need to be. It's bad, isn't it? Especially when a lot of those women stuck around and made strong contributions for over a decade later, all the while she left to attempt, among many things, a career in acting. That very same crowd she pandered to just as happily hijacked her final match on Raw before retirement. Did that promo make people more invested? Did it create a hot story? Was any of this worth it? No, not really. Nobody remembers the match it was meant to promote. They were just happy to hear some of the mean things they had been writing on Reddit echoed back to them by someone on the show. She is often attributed as being the progenitor of the "women's evolution", but she was active in the women's division for such a short window of time, mostly being involved as a character in men's storylines that played on her being "crazy". Not many memorable matches or storylines with other women, besides that one match she had with Natalya that time on Main Event. I'd be happy to see her come back for a Royal Rumble appearance, because a lot of people want that, so I guess why not? But I think a 4 is a pretty fair rating for AJ, "adequate" describes her career perfectly."

[3.0] "She was a completely average wrestler even for it's time and not better than the likes of Natalya, Alicia Fox or Nikki Bella. I hate to be that person, but name one good match she has had. Her 'pipe bomb' promo was her most memorable moment, in which she largely gave in to sexist stereotypes of women's wrestling at the time to appease a toxic section of fans. There's a reason WWE don't acknowledge it in the same way as they do with CM Punk's pipe bomb, which is saying a lot. She simply would go unnoticed in this era of women's wrestling that is flourishing without her."

[7.0] "Overrated beyond measure. She has an army of fanboys behind her, but she is so artificial in the ring, and her gimmicks were already used by much more talented women before her."

[3.0] "I respect AJ Lee, for her history and I know she was important in the history of women's wrestling, but that's it, because otherwise I don't see anything wrong with her. She's arrogant and always thought she was better than the entire cast that was in her division at the time. I didn't see any willpower in her in the ring. I think she's very overrated for something so little that she delivered. I always saw her belittling the other women who were also doing their hard work to be in WWE. In my opinion, she's lazy in the ring, especially when the results weren't what she wanted. And once again, I respect her history, but I don't see anything relevant that other people see in her."

[9.0] "AJ Lee was ahead of her time and completely changed the perception of what a women's wrestler could be in WWE. She didn't fit the mold of the typical "Diva" and didn't try to. Her authenticity made her stand out in the best way. Whether she was skipping around the ring or cutting a promo. AJ had a way of captivating the audience like few others could. Her feud with the Bella Twins, her pipebombshell promo, and her reign as Divas Champion proved she could be both the face of the division and its biggest disruptor. AJ also brought a level of depth to her character that made her feel real--whether as a manager, a love interest, or a competitor, she owned every role she was given. Her in-ring ability was solid, and she could deliver in big matches when it counted. While her career was shorter than it should've been, her impact on the industry is undeniable. AJ paved the way for the women who came after her, proving you didn't need to fit a cookie-cutter mold to be successful. She may not have been the most dominant wrestler in history, but she made her mark in a way very few ever could."

[6.0] "A perfectly ok talent both in the ring and on the mic. Overrated dramatically here but I assume that's just because folks are comparing her to the other women in WWE at the time, most of whom were downright awful. I get it, but won't be following that pattern."

[9.0] "My favourite womens wrestler of all time. I know she isnt the absolute best in terms of in ring ability but for her era she was good. She had good matches with Natalya and Kaitlyn, and even though those matches nowadays would just be alright matches it really shows how ahead of her time she was. Because when people are too harsh with women from the divas era, I think they have to realise that the women were held back a lot at this time. Theyd get time cut or even entire matches if a mens match went on for too long, theyd get scolded if they were outperforming men and they were told not to punch & to instead pull hair because it was more diva-like. So yeah, I believe she could have a second run (if she wanted to because I know she had an injury which caused her to retire). But the best part about AJ was how much of a great talker she was, I dont think there is a womens wrestler who has surpassed her in that category. All of her promos were good and she carried herself well, she never forgot her lines or anything like that. Her pipe bomb on the Total Divas cast is still controversial to this day and it just shows how much of an impact she had and its a shame she doesnt receive any credit & is forgotten about. She called Stephanie McMahon out publicly for not paying their women fairly, was meant to win the NXT rookie competition but got told no one wanted to have sex with her and she was punished for refusing to do a mental illness storyline. So she may not be the most talented womens wrestler of all time but her impact was undeniable."

[7.0] "An underrated pioneer in terms of women's wrestling, and an unforgettable performer. She was the female CM Punk. Solid in the ring, but absolute gold on the mic... And much like her husband, she was a must-see part of the show, and her character felt authentic. Her matches were great at the time, but admittedly, looking at them through a modern lens, they don't age well with today's stuff. But it isn't necessarily her fault, she just came in during the wrong era. It's fun to think about how good she would've been if she were active today..."

[6.0] "AJ Lee is an interesting wrestler to review and rate, considering I could have either given her a 6 or a 7, because she was legitimately good for her era, which was a low bar to clear when you see her competition pool which wasn't really good whatsoever. I do also have to take into consideration that since AJ retired in 2015, the standard of women's wrestling has far exceeded her prime and evolved to the point where not many fans remember her matches simply because of the aforementioned competition she had not being on her level and in some cases for some of them, well below it. AJ Lee was the torch bearer of and one of the women who carried the late point of the Divas Era and she did pretty well in it especially as the Divas Champion, in which she is regarded by a large portion of the IWC and wrestling fans to be the best champion of that belt. For her era, AJ Lee was great, but she has been slightly overrated due to the evolved women's wrestling over the years, her legacy however has been protected and for the most part, she remains popular despite not wrestling in over a decade. I do hope one day, she can have a one-off match and/or retire on her own terms, because I don't think anyone (including her) would want her last match in wrestling be a tag team match on a RAW after WrestleMania."

[7.0] "AJ Lee was a standout during a relatively weak period for women's wrestling. Surrounded by talent like The Bellas, Tamina, Kaitlyn, Nattie, Alicia Fox, and Eva Marie, it's fair to say that the division struggled to excite fans, with Nattie being a notable exception. While Naomi and Paige were emerging as promising newcomers, AJ's career ended before the arrival of truly revolutionary stars like Bayley, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair, who significantly elevated the women's division. AJ was undoubtedly a skilled wrestler and capable talker, but I believe her reputation is inflated due to the lackluster talent pool she competed against."

[3.0] "Quite easily the most overrated Wrestler on this entire site. Never had match-above-average, cut-forgettable promos with her only somewhat memorable one being her "pipebomb" that went nowhere, and for most of her run, she did nothing but play the "backstabbing girlfriend" to every notable wrestler. The fact that in 2013 she was ranked that highly speaks more to the horrible state of women's wrestling in WWE than to her Talent. She came directly at the time when the talent was at its lowest point so she stood out amongst the mediocrity of the division thank god for Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha, and Becky and those who came after."

[10.0] "AJ Lee is the epitome of what a wrestler Male or Female should be. She has a unique look and charisma to her which makes her instantly stand out among the pack regardless of what era you decide to put her in. She was great on the mic, good in ring and had a unique character that many women try to replicate but it just seems forced. She was also very underrated in the ring and she had moves that she never shown on the main roster from some odd reason which I believe is lack of trust in her opponents basing her. It's why she always looked best vs Nattie/Kaitlyn. Or management just held her back cause she's a woman"

[7.0] "AJ wrestled in the wrong generation, she didn't deserved the talentless female roster that WWE had at the time, she was miles above everyone else, and that's why she conquered a lot of fans, so iconic, great talker, always stood up from the rest, the best of her generation by far."

[5.0] "I don't understand why she has so high rating here. The only explain I have is that you're all pathetic incel simps. She was mid in the ring, almost every women wrestler post-divas era is way better than her. Also her character was annoying. And her famous 'pipe bomb' promo against Bellas was hypocrite asf"

[8.0] "A major highlight of the tail end of the Divas era, AJ Lee always presented herself as standing out from the others as either a geeky girl-next-door type, an unstable time bomb, or the measuring stick for the women's division at the time. Her in-ring skills were always improving, being able to bring out very good matches out of quality opponents or get some exciting moments from subpar wrestlers, though it's unfortunate she never quite had a defining match or feud that has really stuck the test of time. She never quite got the momentum she needed to be an all-time great with some very exhausting storylines that she made the best of and a division that didn't have a lot of classic opponents. She was ahead of her time and a highlight in a very low era, and should be held in high regards for what she was able to accomplish in her rather short career. With no comeback in sight, it just feels like AJ was able to carve a path but never got to the finish line."

[6.0] "She wasn't bad by any measure, but probably a bit overrated. I feel like people take where she was and extrapolate where she could have been if she'd been able to keep going. Wrestling doesn't happen on paper or in hypothetical timelines, I can only go by what I saw."

[10.0] "Put her in the current era and throw her in the dojo or in AEW shed thrive so much. Shes a true definition of right place at the wrong time because the divas werent cared for and didnt actually move forward in that company up until the same year she left. Amazing on mic and was pretty good in the ring"

[10.0] "AJ Lee was excellent and was only hampered by coming along too early. She was a good in-ring worker who was mostly wasted in an era where she was forced to carry nonentities in 3 minute matches, but showed she was capable of more when given more to work with against the likes of Kaitlyn, Paige and Natalya. Had she stuck around or come along later, who knows what she'd have been capable of when working with a higher class of opponent. Where AJ excelled the most was on the mic. She was one of the best talkers in the entire company, as evidenced by them trusting her in multiple top programs with plenty of mic time, and she always knocked it out of the park whether working heel or babyface. She was also very charismatic and had a great look. If she ever made an in-ring comeback, in any company, I'd be delighted, but I don't think it will ever happen, although CM Punk eventually made a return and even more surprisingly, Austin returned to the ring after 19 years, which I never thought would happen, so never say never."

[8.0] "AJ Lee was solid in the ring, but her mic skills were amazing and she was very charismatic as well. Her feuds with Kaitlyn and Paige carried the women's division when it was at its lowest point."

[9.0] "AJ Lee was easily the highlight of WWE's awful Divas division a number of years ago. Although they went a bit too far with the kissing thing (it got to a point they did it just for the hell of it), she was always entertaining to watch. AJ was a great promo and, although she rarely went longer than 5-7 minutes in the ring because the Divas just never got that much time, she could have a solid with just about anybody."

[3.0] "She was a good wrestler but her character was always over the top and boring. I would like to see her be more the AJ of 2011-2012. At that time, WWE saw her in a different way and did not make her the top of the division. My grade also equates to the way she treated her co-workers. She always thought she was the best of them all and obviously she wasn't. Her ego was as big as her husband's."

[7.0] "Going against the stereotypes of women in WWE at that time, AJ Lee is possibly not given enough credit for changing the WWE crowd's thoughts on women's wrestling. She got genuine crowd reactions to her promos & matches rather than her body & had a near decent Divas title reign"

[7.0] "One of thw best womens workers in her time and a women would still play a fine rool in the wwe today. In the wring she was fine and had some fun moves, but it was on the mic that she was truly garte"

[8.0] "She was always one of my favorites, because she was against the grain of the traditional WWE divas. As evidenced by her infamous pipe bomb. She's always been entertaining to watch. Akin to her husband CM Punk who is one of the best modern wrestlers of the last twenty years."

[7.0] "AJ for me was a mix of hype and the low standards of when she started in the business as a explanation as to why that hype tends to exist in the first place. As a wrestler, she really wasn't that good: in fact she tended to be more underwhelming than anything else in a lot of her matches. What she benefited most from was being able to talk on the mic, something few women in the division could reliably do. She was great at getting heat on herself and excelled as a vindictive heel who while struggling to really be believable as a dominant champion (mostly due to her lax offence and size difference) was nevertheless one of the best at selling, making less experienced workers look great, and being able to pull off strong storytelling. In a way, she's essentially the same as CM Punk in how her actual workrate was the least interesting thing about her while everything else clicked incredibly well. That said, regency bias tends to cloud people's judgement of that (despite the fact she has no actual matches I'd say are great or even era-defining) and she seemed particularly one-note around the last year or so of her career, especially with the really cringe attempts to write her like Punk in the promo department. Her best stuff is obviously her title runs and they are good enough alongside the context of her managing to mostly carry the women's division until injuries set her into retirement. It's hard to tell if she would've been able to keep in today's environment given a lot of the top workers frankly run circles around her, but she's regardless a sensational cornerstone of the early work that went into building them as stars: no small feat there. Hopefully her WOW work goes well."

[9.0] "Though her career was very short, AJ had a huge influence on women's wrestling in America and was a major part of female wrestlers eventually being treated with more respect in WWE. She wasn't given a chance to show off her great talent all that often in the ring but she made up for that in her many great promos. I'm really interested to see how she'll do as a commentator for WOW whenever that starts airing."

[6.0] "She was ok in the ring, and ok the mic. I don't think she was ever really spectacular at anything, but she managed to connect with the fandom regardless so she must've been doing something right."

[10.0] "After Mickie and Beth Phoenix, Aj has reabilitated women's wrestling. She is a precursor of the Women's Revolution and one the the best non japanese women's wrestler."