WWE Divas Division: Why It Needs More AJ

It's an oft-mooted complaint, especially among those who inhabit the wrestling communities of the internet, that the WWE Divas Division has seen better days.

It needs a kick up the backside, a breath of fresh air, better in-ring performers, more attention paid to it... the list is long, and though I wouldn't subscribe to every gripe, some are certainly justified.

Fortunately, the Divas Division already has a very able kick up the backside, breath of fresh air and in-ring performer of considerable skill ready and waiting.  AJ.

You've probably spotted her a few times, depending on which shows you watch.  If you have, you'll have noticed she's definitely something a little bit different to what we've come to expect.

And she's exactly what the Division needs.

Here's why, in a little bit of depth.

Technical Ability

The sink or swim, at least so far as the more vocal critics online are concerned.  AJ has a lot of this—definitely more than any face diva, and perhaps equal to the accepted top technician, Natalya.

She unfortunately has a peripheral role in the current Divas storyline.  She's too new, and probably too small, to be anything other than a punchbag for the two heels—when you're building two divas as strong and dominant, you're not going to book them losing to a 5'2'' relative rookie.

So we haven't seen a great deal of her on the main shows so far.  We got a glimpse in the match preceding Natalya's heel turn, but not much else outside NXT or Superstars.

I'm not saying she's flawless with a hundred polished moves which would blow your face off with her Bret Hart-shaming supremacy, but she's very good.  There are plenty of videos of her on YouTube, so if you've missed her so far, go have a look.

Moveset

Technical ability is only part of the story—it's what you actually do with it that matters.

She has a better and more varied moveset than any current face diva, probably better than the heels too.  She has moves which get the crowd going, and is probably happier jumping off the top rope than she is on her chihuahua's birthday.  And she does love that dog.

If William Regal goes out of his way on commentary to say she's got a great moveset, I certainly wouldn't argue with my well-spoken countryman.

On the downside, to showcase your ability as a wrestler you don't just need to be able to do moves—you also need a opponent who can take your moves without ending up in a coma. 

AJ would probably be described as a luchadora—a hard enough style for an experienced wrestler to deal with... for a lesser-skilled competitor, it's downright dangerous. 

There are ladies in the Division with enough skill to allow AJ to show off her moves, though.

Attitude

All Superstars and Divas are actors, requiring a surprising amount of ability in the performing arts.  Entrance, facial expressions, body language, responses. 

Some are more natural showmen, such as The Miz, R-Truth, CM Punk... others struggle with it, such as the now-elsewhere Great Khali. 

The best ones are those you don't believe are acting at all—the ones who just fit into their persona as if it's the person, not a character, you're watching.

AJ is one of those.  Whenever you watch AJ, whether she's booked to win, lose, or get attacked by a heel-turning John Cena using Hornswoggle as a baseball bat (please, creative?)—she looks genuinely happy to be there.

I think her "gimmick" is just her normal personality.

She's dreamed of it all her life, always made herself on the WWE games, and went for wrestling training as soon as she could afford it.  A wrestler whose life goal was to climb through the ropes is always going to push harder to learn and improve their craft, and I think she will.

Image

The real sink or swim.  Like it or not, having the right image is far more important than any other attribute for success in the WWE.

The mixture of appearance, actions, mic skills, natural aura.  You could call it the "X-Factor," if you're into TV talent shows.  A wrestler either has it, or they don't—and no matter how good they are, if they lack that spark, they'll never truly make it.

AJ has a huge spark, and unless my hearing is failing me, good crowd reactions—and that's before she's really done anything achievement-wise to justify it.  Push her, and I don't doubt she'd get a bigger pop than any other currently active diva.

You just want to support her—she exudes a happiness and bouncy nature which is difficult to dislike.

AJ is also—perhaps unique among the current roster—saleable to kids, who make up a fair and impossible to ignore percentage of WWE's audience.  As CM Punk said recently, the Divas are like superheroes to little girls.

If I had a kid—and I do need one as an excuse to buy PPVs—I'm sure he or she would adore her, and I'd certainly buy them an AJ cape.

And So...

AJ—known at varying points in her career as AJ Lee, Miss April, April Jeanette and April Lee—was a childhood wrestling fanatic, and has found her way into the WWE by training as a wrestler, doing indie promotions, and spending some time honing her talent in FCW. 

She wasn't dug out of a fitness model directory.  When the WWE audition guy mentioned a clothesline she didn't try to pick an outfit from it.  While I'd stick her up there with the most attractive divas, a "model-diva" she most certainly isn't.

AJ is the Diva you could drop on her head from the second rope, and after landing with a quite resounding thud, she'd get up and ask you to drop her from the top rope next time.

There's a place in the Divas Division for all sorts—powerhouses, beauties, models, technicians.  Even novelties—I'd love a female version of Santino, who was actually female.  And of course, there's an AJ-shaped place for someone Booker T calls a spark plug.

She has everything the Divas Division is crying out for right now, and hopefully it won't be long before she's given a chance to shine.