I understand that it takes time for a story to build, but seeing AJ Lee’s segment on Smackdown from last week has me concerned for the future for my favorite wrestling character. Because if my assumption is correct, I’m already disinterested in seeing where this story will go.
AJ, storyline wise, has already been paired with Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, John Cena, Kane (sort of), and Dolph Ziggler. She’s also broken up with all of them, and each break-up makes AJ go nuts until she’s eventually paired with someone else. And don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun watching AJ evolve over the past few months, and her latest dismissal of Dolph Ziggler was devious AJ at her finest.
But, she’s capable of more than this. We all know it.
I can’t tell you how disappointing it is to see WWE rehash the same story of AJ running headfirst into another relationship. And no, it’s not because AJ won’t be believable. AJ is a solid character actor who knows how to make her moments on TV count. Big E has crazy charisma and is also convincing. These two will make wherever this story eventually goes fun and exciting to watch.
The fact that we’re about to see AJ paired with another guy, yet again, doesn’t make me happy.
I really hate to jump the gun and assume that what I’m about to say is the exact direction they’ll go, but for the sake of my point, I will assume that AJ hugging on Big E is a thing that will happen.
Besides her love life, AJ has some interesting stuff going on in her world that could use some focus. Like the fact that she beat Kaitlyn twice in a row. Or that she has yet to be taken down by any other diva. Or the fact that we haven’t seen Kaitlyn since she tapped out at MITB. She said she was going to beat Kaitlyn and she did. That point shouldn’t be lost in the noise of Summerslam buildup.
From the time she’s been on tv to now, she hasn’t interacted with the other Divas much. I was hoping her being champion would mean more interaction with the other girls, but no. That will probably happen, but it will take a backseat to Big E and AJ’s awkward stroll to the big show.
Also, does it make anyone else slightly uncomfortable to think that AJ has been linked to 5 separate tv boyfriend’s? Because that’s making me very uncomfortable. But only because it brings ”AJ’s a slut” to the discussion. I’m not down with that.
And while were on the subject of TV boyfriend’s, let’s go over those failures for a second.
Her pairing with Daniel Bryan was intriguing and helped to cement their status as stars. This eventually led to a Daniel Bryan proposal, a wedding, and AJ ditching Daniel at the altar to become GM of Raw. Which was fun because it was fresh, interesting, and had an ending.
CM Punk was also brought forth as a potential suitor, and while they had solid interactions with each other, they never truly went anywhere.
Kane was spellbound by AJ at first, but he eventually went his own way after telling AJ he was a brute and too unstable for her.
Her pairing with Cena was unremarkable, and that ended after she pushed Cena off a ladder.
Dolph was the best of all of them, but that ended in dramatic fashion last Monday.
The descriptions I just gave you shows that AJ as a character is versatile. I never pictured her, Dolph and Big E forming a stable, but they did and it worked. Now that she’s done with Dolph, I’d like to see AJ be by herself and running rampant in the Divas division.
Let’s all shut off the part of our brain that nitpicks, and fantasy book AJ’s next move that doesn’t involve a romantic pairing.
Here’s 3 from me.
1. Kaitlyn is broken. She’s now lost two separate opportunities to win back the divas title, and thanks to AJ, is ignored by the other divas after AJ revealed those humiliating texts she sent to her secret admirer at their MITB contract signing.
Kaitlyn, because she has nobody else to turn to or has some twisted change of heart, decides to make up with AJ. She admits she was wrong in being upset at her and says that AJ had her best interests in mind by breaking her down.
AJ and Kaitlyn make up, and Kaitlyn plays the role of bodyguard while AJ remains champ and wrestles other divas. When the time is right, it will be revealed that Kaitlyn tricked AJ to get her guard down, A SPEAR happens, and that sets up Kaitlyn vs AJ, part 3: Diva’s championship ladder match.
2. Layla is tired of AJ and the games she plays with Kaitlyn. She confronts AJ and vows to get revenge on Kaitlyn’s behalf. Meanwhile, Layla helps Kaitlyn rebuild her relationships with the other divas, and generally acts like Kaitlyn’s friend.
The evil GM of the moment decides that no two competitors can truly be friends and books a Summerslam triple threat match for the Divas title. During that match, Layla viciously turns on Kaitlyn, takes out AJ, and wins the title. Layla cuts a promo on Raw about how being champion means more than being friends, Kaitlyn attacks, and we have a triple threat scenario for the title.
3. AJ (with Big E) decides that since she can take down Kaitlyn, she can take down anyone. Her next target is none other than Stephanie McMahon. AJ and Stephanie go back and forth for weeks until Stephanie makes a match at Summerslam with Kaitlyn wrestling on her behalf. That eventually leads to AJ vs Kaitlyn, part 3: ladder match at Summerslam with Stephanie in Kaitlyn’s corner.
Naturally, most people will have differing opinions on what they’d like AJ to be doing, but these are my suggestions. Virtually anything is possible in WWE, but for once, I’d like to see possible romances take a backseat so that AJ walk alone and defend her title in exciting matchups.
If you were booking AJ, what would you like her to do?
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