AJ Lee: Psychoanalyzing WWE's Most Unstable Diva

AJ Lee is one of WWE's most intriguing characters, an explosive, moody woman who in real life one would recommend see a mental health professional.

More than just eye candy at Dolph Ziggler's side, AJ is an emotional car wreck one can't help but turn and stare at.

She goes from skipping and grinning to animalistic fury in an instant. She hops from relationship to relationship. She has disproportionate emotional reactions to just about everything.

Dr. Shelby would have his work cut out for him in trying to treat AJ.       

However, her symptoms are not unique. She appears to suffer from borderline personality disorder. Reading through the symptoms of that mental illness on the National Institute of Mental Health's website will have AJ's fans nodding their heads.

 

"Extreme reactions-including panic, depression, rage, or frantic actions-to abandonment, whether real or perceived"

AJ's relationship with Ziggler began as an act of rage, turning on John Cena after she felt abandoned.

Sure they'd kissed before, but Cena and AJ weren't together regardless of what she believed. That didn't stop her from obsessing over him, dressing in his gear and giving him puppy-dog eyes. When she felt that he'd left her, she took her revenge during his match against Ziggler at TLC 2012.

Mimicking Cena's signature moves, AJ attacked Vickie Guerrero and then pushed Cena off a ladder.

A more stable person would have had a passionate discussion with Cena rather than resorting to something like this. The severity of her actions points at borderline personality disorder just as it does regarding her recent squabbles with Big E. Langston.

After inadvertently costing Langston a victory against Alberto Del Rio, Langston snubbed her. She has since responded to that by moping, dragging her feet and displaying a theatrical amount of apathy at ringside.

During the recent WWE SmackDown bout between Del Rio and Langston, AJ went from subdued, as Michael Cole pointed out, to enraged as she tore at Del Rio's eyes to needy in trying to earn some gratitude from Langston.

In moments like this, she feels on the verge of erupting, something she has done several times before.

"Inappropriate, intense anger or problems controlling anger"

AJ has had a surplus of temper tantrums during her time with WWE.

Should someone say the word "crazy" or slight her somehow, she can snap and turn into a howling beast.

As much as Vickie has deserved it, AJ has lost it in dealing with her. AJ has proved time and time again that if she's not held back, she will attack Vickie like a rabid dog.

We all get angry at authority figures, but taking them to the ground and slugging them in the face can hardly be called an appropriate response to frustration. Some of these attacks occurred when AJ was general manager of Raw, something that is surely a no-no in the employee handbook.

After losing to Vickie on WWE Raw in December, AJ seethed with anger, tearing the backstage area apart. Of all the healthy ways to deal with defeat, this isn't one of them.

It looks like someone needs to make an anger collage.

"A pattern of intense and stormy relationships with family, friends and loved ones, often veering from extreme closeness and love (idealization) to extreme dislike or anger (devaluation)"

The most troubling symptom that AJ exhibits is her inability to sustain a normal relationship.

Look at how her ties with once-best friend and former tag team partner Kaitlyn dissolved. Jealousy and irrationality broke apart their friendship. The two went from close buds to AJ slamming Kaitlyn's head into a soda machine.

Her relationships with men have been codependent and one-sided.

Even though Daniel Bryan broke up with her on national TV, berated her and blamed her for his WrestleMania 28 loss, she still tried to be with him.

Since then, she has moved from man to man, attaching herself to them like a leech. She has lost her sense of self in the process, ditching her own outfits for Ziggler, CM Punk or Cena's T-shirts.

She's distorted her relationships with these men. Watching her explain herself to a set of mirrors and then to Kane is all the evidence one needs of her need for professional help.

Her current boyfriend is a man who just a few months ago insulted her on WWE Raw, calling her "nothing" and "trash." Willingness to date someone who is that abusive to you before the romance starts is a bad sign.

Chances are, AJ and Ziggler won't last. She'll turn on him in some act of fury and WWE fans will be watching.

AJ, even without competing in the ring consistently, has become one of the highlights of the company.

Some of that is because of how astonishing she looks in short shorts, but a big part of that is because crazy is compelling. That's why Hannibal Lecter, Heath Ledger's Joker and Don Quixote are so fun to watch in action.

WWE has done well in giving AJ a role she could thrive in, and she has maximized the entertainment value of her mental instability. Going forward, fans can't wait to see where she will veer off to next.