WWE: 7 Reasons Why AJ Needs the Divas Championship

Stop me if you've heard this before: The WWE Divas division is in shambles.

It's almost a given that I hear or read this at least 20 times a day, but as aggravating as that is, it is indeed true.

When you combine the recent losses of a number of Divas like Kharma with a boatload of other factors, the Divas division is sadly at its lowest point in recent memory.

But in a time where it's hard for any Diva to stand out, one has actually done that: AJ Lee.

The new general manager of Monday Night Raw is one of the hottest acts in all of pro wrestling, skyrocketing in popularity and relevance throughout the course of 2012.

And now it's time for AJ to go one step further. It's time for her to become Divas Champion.

Here are seven reasons why the WWE must put the Divas title on AJ Lee.

7. The Belt Needs to Be Taken off Layla Immediately

When Layla returned from injury earlier this year and defeated Beth Phoenix to become the Divas Champion, I thought that it might be the spark that could help rejuvenate the Divas division.

Oh, how wrong I was.

As if women's wrestling wasn't enough of an afterthought before Layla won the title, she has done absolutely nothing to improve the Divas division or at least keep it afloat.

The reactions she's received as a baby face have been tepid at best, her matches are just so-so and, for the most part, she rarely even appears on TV.

Layla's poor performance is a combination of the creative team's bad booking and her inability to get over as a face, but no matter what the reason, it's clear that she just isn't working as the Divas Champion.

The title should have been off of her long ago and either been put on a Diva who was actually over (like AJ or Eve Torres) or is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE (like Beth Phoenix or Natalya).

Instead, Layla's still holding the title and continuing to diminish its importance week by week.

The WWE must take the Divas title off of Layla ASAP and put it on—you guessed it—AJ.

6. The WWE Must Capitalize on Her Popularity

As cliche as this saying is, I say it all the time: You have to strike while the iron is hot.

No one knows for sure how long AJ's soaring popularity will last or if she'll even be with the company six months from now.

Heck, Mickie James was undoubtedly one of the most popular female performers in the WWE a couple of years ago, and she shockingly found herself getting released.

The point I'm trying to make is that nothing's a given in pro wrestling, and thus, the WWE has to capitalize on AJ's recent and current success while it can.

How do you do that? By giving her a run with the Divas title, of course.

As silly as this may sound, creative should make sure to suck everything it can out of AJ while it's still able to.

After all, every star cools off at some point, and no one knows when that point will come for AJ.

The WWE shouldn't fail to put the Divas title on AJ when it's too late and then come to regret it.

Put it on her now while she's more over than she likely ever will be.

5. It Would Add to and Improve Her Character

AJ has spent the past several months developing into the "crazy chick" who does anything and everything to get attention.

But every gimmick has a shelf life, and every gimmick needs to evolve into something different at some point.

I actually think that AJ's crazy persona still has some gas left in the tank, but putting the Divas Championship on AJ while she's the Raw GM provides the WWE with a big opportunity to change up her character.

Does she become a power-hungry heel who dominates the Divas division? Does she stay face and simply give herself a chance to win the title?

I don't know, but the fact that there are a number of potential storylines that would result from AJ winning the Divas title is what I like and what could actually make things interesting.

There are a lot of different directions her character could go in were she to win the title, which could, in turn, really shake things up in what's been an incredibly stagnant Divas division.

4. She's Earned It with Her Fantastic Performances Throughout 2012

Let's just cut to the chase: If any Diva deserves to hold the Divas Championship, it's AJ.

She was given the ball, she ran with it, and she's undoubtedly had an absolutely fantastic 2012 so far.

Not since the days of Lita and Trish Stratus has a Diva mattered so much and/or played such a pivotal role in some of the biggest storylines in the WWE.

AJ has been money on the mic and during skits and segments as well, and her facial expressions when she's not talking have been great, too.

It's hard not to be impressed by seeing a young Diva like AJ be thrust into the spotlight seemingly out of nowhere and then deliver the goods.

Even if you don't like her character or think she's taken up too much air time, the bottom line is that she's somehow managed to shine in a male-dominated WWE.

Aside from Daniel Bryan, she's been the biggest breakout star of 2012, and she deserves to be rewarded for that with a Divas title reign.

3. She's the One Diva Who Can Make Women's Wrestling Relevant Again

AJ is the only Divas who's currently a consistent presence on WWE programming.

Not even extremely talented Divas like Natalya and Beth Phoenix can get on TV week after week, but AJ has managed to do that for a big chunk of the last year.

As a result, she's become arguably the only Diva in the company who the fans even care about. Sad, but true.

That's also why I find it hard to believe that she hasn't won the Divas Championship yet.

She is quite possibly the only Diva who could make women's wrestling in the WWE relevant again at the moment. There are other really talented Divas who might be able to do the same down the road, but their lack of TV time really hurts their abilities to connect with the fans.

AJ, on the other hand, has been a fixture on TV, and thus, has become one of the only female performers in the WWE that actually generates a reaction.

That's what you want out of your Divas Champion. You want the fans to care about her.

How many fans actually care about Layla right now? Not many.

But if creative puts the belt on AJ, women's wrestling will instantly become more relevant, even if only a little bit.

2. She's by Far the Most Over Diva in the Company

You have to get on TV to get over.

Therefore, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Tamina, Layla and the vast majority of the rest of the other Divas struggle to do that.

But AJ? She is by far the most over Diva in the WWE.

The only real competition she has from her fellow female performers is Vickie Guerrero, but I consider Vickie to be a manager rather than a Diva since she's not technically a wrestler.

Anyway, I think most of us can agree that AJ is majorly over with the fans right now—more so than any other Diva in the last several years.

This isn't to say that the title should always be on the most over person, but in a Divas division where you could argue that AJ is indeed the only Diva that's over, this might be the exception to that rule.

AJ has become immensely popular with the fans over the last year or so, and her popularity seems to continue to grow.

Wouldn't it make sense to give her a run with the Divas Championship?

1. She's One of the Best Female Wrestlers in the Company

AJ hasn't gotten a ton of exposure as an actual wrestler, but in the little that she's had, she's been pretty damn impressive.

Although it's hard to judge her on such a small body of work, I'd argue that she was far and away the best in-ring performer on her season of NXT (way better than Kaitlyn, too) and that she is probably the third-best women's wrestler currently in the WWE, behind only Natalya and Beth Phoenix.

I realize that in-ring ability isn't much of a priority when it comes to the Divas, but it should be, and AJ is one of less than a handful of Divas who I thoroughly enjoy watching in the ring.

No, she's not perfect. But she's not sloppy or downright terrible like other Divas from the WWE's past who have gotten big pushes or even had runs with the Divas title.

I'd like to see women's wrestling matter in the WWE, but the truth is that there are maybe only three or four Divas who are worthy of carrying the Divas division by holding the Divas title.

AJ is one of them.

She may not be a Trish Stratus or even a Beth Phoenix, but she's very good, especially for someone who's just 25 years old.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.