Breaking Through: Profiling WWE Smackdown Diva AJ Lee

* "Breaking Through" is a new, weekly article profiling those WWE and Impact Wrestling performers poised to break through and become stars for their respective companies. If feedback and demand dictates such, this series will continue.

* Information used throughout this article was found at wikipedia.org, glorywrestling.com, miss-april.org and wwe.com.

April Jeannette Mendez, born March 19, 1987, grew up in Union City, New Jersey. According to her Glory Wrestling profile, she was very close to her brother and often found herself immersed into the same things he was. She credits him with her interest in professional wrestling. Growing up, her favorite wrestlers were two former World Wrestling Federation Champions: the legendary, and recently passed, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and five-time titleholder Bret "Hitman" Hart. Recently, she has also credited Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat with inspiring her in-ring style. In 2000, during the boom in women’s wrestling that Lita, Ivory, Chyna and Molly Holly ushered in, April began to really fall in love with the form of entertainment and started researching wrestling schools nearby.

In between working a full-time job in hopes of paying for the wrestling school’s tuition, April attended Tisch School of the Arts. There, she majored in Film and Television Production. However, all throughout, she could not quite shake the wrestling bug. In 2007, she officially became a student of the sport.

April credits Jay Lethal with both her training and her later development as a professional wrestler. Officially making her in-ring debut on September 29, 2007, AJ worked for several promotions, largely in the northeast. Those promotions include VPW, NWS, and ACE. It would not be until one year after her entrance into the sport that April Mendez would finally begin making her mark on the industry and become a commodity on the independent scene.

On March 3, 2007, Women’s Superstars Uncensored held its first event. The company, one of three independent promotions focused solely on female professional wrestling, was and still remains one of the popular destinations for the top female independent talent in the country.

On October 11, 2008, Mendez would make her debut with WSU under the ring name of Miss April. She would make an immediate impact with the organization, teaming with Malia Hosaka in a tournament to crown the first WSU Tag Team Champions. In round one, the makeshift duo would defeat the Soul Sisters, comprised of Jana and Latasha. In the second, however, April’s early success would wear off as she and Hosaka were defeated by the Beat Down Betties (Annie Social and Roxxie Cotton). The newly dubbed Miss April would not let that loss keep her from achieving success. By early 2009, she would capture her first championship gold.

On February 7, 2009, April would team with Brooke Carter to defeat old rivals the Beat Down Betties to win the WSU Tag Team Championships. Proving to be fighting champions, April and Brooke would successfully retain their titles exactly one month later, March 7, to defeat the Betties in a rematch. Not one to settle for just tag team actions, April would look to make a splash in singles competition and she would do so on April 10.

The Women’s J-Cup Tournament in April of 2009 featured the young New Jersey native in her first significant singles exposure in WSU. In round one, she defeated Roxxi Cotton but, just as she learned in the previous year’s tag tournament, the second round of any tournament is only more difficult, losing to Rain. One day later, however, April would achieve her greatest success on the independent circuit.

On April 11, 2009, April teamed with her trainer, and rumored boyfriend, Jay Lethal to win the King and Queen of the Ring tournament. In the finals, they defeated Jana and her partner, Danny Damento. It appeared as though April’s young career had come full circle. She had won a major mixed-tag team tournament with the man who trained her for in-ring battle. One month later, however, April would leave WSU and the rest of the independent wrestling world behind. A trip to Florida was in her immediate future.

According to Glory Wrestling, April describes her style as the perfect fit for someone, at 5’2’’ and 107 lbs, who cannot go toe-to-toe with the bigger women she competes against. With an arsenal including high-flying maneuvers and technical wrestling, she often relies on speed and grappling to beat her larger foes. She admits, though, that she is not above throwing a hard forearm if necessary.

On May 5, 2009, April signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Immediately, she reported to Florida Championship Wrestling where she began fine-tuning her skills for an eventual (hopefully) move to the WWE’s main roster. She made a quick impression and, on August 14, 2009, made her debut on FCW television as April Lee. In her first in-ring competition, she was on the losing end of a fatal four-way, also involving Alicia Fox, Tiffany and eventual winner Serena.

In September of that year, April would drop her given name and instead use "AJ" Lee. Five months later, on February 4, she would earn the "Queen of FCW" Championship (in reality, a crown) by defeating Serena and gaining a measure of revenge on the future Straight Edge Society member for her first loss in August of the previous year. Serena would get the last laugh, however, in May of 2010 when she defeated AJ in the second round of a tournament to crown the first FCW Divas Champion.

The summer and fall of 2010 proved to be an eventful period for AJ as she continued to grow as a performer in FCW. Feuding with the Divas Champion Naomi, AJ would become so obsessed with taking the title from her future NXT competitor that she would become distracted and lose the Queen of the Ring title to Rosa Mendes on November 18, 2010. One month later, however, AJ would replace the crown with a championship when she defeated Naomi to capture the Divas title. This win would make AJ the first FCW Diva to win both the Queen of the Ring and Divas Championship honors. She would lose the title on April 7, 2010 to Aksana.

On August 23, 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment announced the first all-female edition of their NXT program, which gave developmental talents the opportunity to work in front of WWE crowds and WWE television cameras. One of the top female performers in Florida Championship Wrestling, it was a given that AJ would appear on the show.

AJ made her NXT debut on September 7, 2010 in victorious fashion, teaming with her pro Primo to defeat Aksana and her pro, Goldust, in a mixed-tag team match. The following week, September 14, AJ and Primo would not be as successful as they would go down in defeat at the hands of Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn. During her time on the brand, AJ would become the most popular rookie Diva on the show, due in large part to her "every-girl" personality and her love of video games and everything sci-fi. Despite that popularity, however, and her victories in both a challenge and match on the November 23 edition of NXT, AJ would be eliminated from the show. She would return on the NXT Season Three finale, teaming with WWE Divas the Bella Twins to defeat Aksana, Maxine and former WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox.

As she detailed on her Glory Wrestling profile, AJ is an avid fan of both science fiction books and movies, as well as video games and wrestling autobiographies. Her dream, once retired from the professional wrestling industry, is to open and operate a rescue shelter for homeless dogs.

The disappointing results of her stay on NXT would not halt AJ and her progress. On May 27, 2011, AJ made her debut on the Smackdown brand. Teaming with NXT winner, and close friend Kaitlyn, AJ suffered her first loss as an official WWE Diva, losing to Alicia Fox and Tamina. Over the course of the summer, she would team with Kaitlyn and mentor Natalya in several wins over Fox, Tamina, and Rosa Mendes. In August, however, AJ became the victim of the new attitudes of Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Natalya turned on and attacked AJ on the August 5 edition of Smackdown. Beth Phoenix then defeated AJ in tag action.

The WWE journey for AJ has only just begun. The road has been anything but smooth, with several bumps. The pathetic state of the third season of the NXT program did her no favors. The idiotic competitions and the inexperienced women she was forced to work with was a detriment to her growth and the impact she would have in her first run on WWE television. However, she made an impression on fans and her bosses and as a result, earned the opportunity that she is now capitalizing on with the Smackdown brand. With a loyal fan-base and a weaker roster than that of the Raw brand, AJ is the most likely Diva on the roster to break through and become not only a future Divas Champion but, possibly, the most popular woman on the roster. Not bad for a young woman who, were it not for wrestling, would likely be focused on writing.