Bleacher Report: There's still almost like a glass ceiling. You've come a long way true. But if you had 20 minutes on pay-per-view and 10 minutes on Raw every week, in one of those matches that comes back from a commercial break to continue. How far do you think you could go? Is there a place for women at the top of the card?
AJ Lee: I do 100 percent think we could close the show. We're good enough to do that. Could all of us do it? Probably not. But there's a lot of us who could do that.
I think of our match at Payback, which was the closest I came to a dream match, and maybe the closest I ever will. For there to be this really long, involved story that people cared about and watched on Raw— and then to have the 20-minute pay-per-view match was about as cool as it can get.
The chance to see a Divas match go 20 minutes is so rare, but we proved that we could do it. And, if you take me and Kaitlyn out of the picture, there are other girls who can also do that. Right now we're putting that faith in Brie to do it too.
And after that? I don't know? Is it Naomi?
There are girls who are so capable. It just takes a long time. It took me a year and a half. We just slowly kind of build people, to make you care. Hopefully soon you will care about every single girl in our division. To know their personalities. That's when we could close a show and people would be invested in it and care.
Bleacher Report: Historically, outside the WWE, the women in Japan were the first to really outshine the men inside the ring. The high flying and the nonstop action was amazing. Do you think it would benefit WWE Divas to take on some of that style? Is that the route you take, the go-go-go kind of action match? Is that the Divas future? Or are you better off sticking with the classic WWE style match?
AJ Lee: I think trying to be flashy and doing things that are out of your realm of comfort is the problem with the Divas. You have amazing acrobats like Naomi who should be doing that. She's like a little Rey Misterio to me. But that's not for everyone.
The trick is for Divas to find what works for them. I've done some ridiculous stuff in my career, but there's still nothing that's gotten a reaction as big as me skipping around the ring.
Bleacher Report: (Laughs).
AJ Lee: You have to kind of learn from that. Oh there is this element that people are reacting to? How do we incorporate that into a match? Instead of trying to be something you're not or trying to compare to the guys.
The key is to be a personality outside of the ring and then bring that personality with you inside the ring. Like,
Randy Orton is Randy Orton in the ring. He knows how to do that. Some of the guys are really good at that and we're slowly jumping on board and understanding that.
That's what we need. Not to see flips and tricks and stuff like that. Unless they can really do it. But we all have are strengths and something really interesting about us. That's what we need to figure out—how to show that during matches.
Bleacher Report: Unlike some of the other Divas, which you pointed out in your interview, you're a long time wrestling fan. There's this video of you meeting Lita when you were a little girl. This is it for you isn't it? This is something you've been thinking about for a long time. How long have you known this is what you need to be doing with your life?
AJ Lee: I was 12 when I told my mom this is what I'm going to do. Nobody really believed me, but I took a bunch of steps to get here. I took drama classes and writing and gymnastics classes and stuff like that. All these little elements I thought would help me.
This is all I ever wanted. I don't mean to judge people. You can be here and this isn't your end game. And thats' okay. But I think it works for the character to kind of judge people for that.
I think it's okay if people want things outside of this. But I know I don't. I don't want to walk any red carpets. I don't want to be anywhere but here. I don't want anyone outside of our little world to know my name. I just want to be in the ring, in our company. I don't need anything else. Nothing else can capture my heart that way.
Our fans are like that too. They live in this world and they love this world. So they can get on board with my argument against people using it as a stepping stone. They can relate to that. But I like to convey that message in as douchey a way as possible.
Bleacher Report: Well, you do it very well. Wait, did that come out wrong?
AJ Lee: (Laughs)
Bleacher Report: It's that attitude that led you to get the date of your first title win tattooed on your neck I'd imagine. Is that real? You sure that's not henna? What happens if your career goes the way of Crash Holley who won the Hardcore title like 100 times? Are you going to do it every time you win the title?You're going to run out of real estate.
AJ Lee: (Laughs). To me it wasn't just about winning the title. I lived in a car. I live on the street, I lived in a motel. My whole life I always believed I wouldn't be in this situation any more. I'm going to be in WWE and I'm going to be the champion.
That was the light at the end of the tunnel. That made me not lose my mind and not give up. To achieve those goals was all kind of dream sequency. To have the opportunity Kaitlyn and I did, a 20-minute match and everything so absolutely perfect. I had imagined it as a kid and it all came true in real life.
I kind of made the tattoo look like a prison tattoo. I was like a prisoner serving time. To me it was like I finally accomplished something and it was time served. Fourteen years of trying to get here. I made it out of a dark past. That's what it means to me. It just happens to be the date I won the title. That was the ultimate goal.
I think that's the only tattoo I'll ever get. I probably won't get a matching one the day I lose it. (Laughs).
Bleacher Report: With that story behind it, anything else would be diminishing returns. What could possibly mean more than that? That's amazing.
AJ Lee: Exactly.
