Stephanie McMahon appreciated the “courage” of AJ Lee in fighting for what she believed in.
In February 2015, AJ Lee was nearing the end of her first run in WWE and was a key part of the company’s “Divas” division, having held that title three times. However, many fans got behind her because she didn’t fit the mould of many women in the promotion at the time, and is widely thought of as one of the stars who kicked off the WWE women’s revolution, even though she left the company before it began in earnest.
One of the things that cemented her role in the revolution was a social media post made in 2015. After Patricia Arquette’s Oscars speech that year, criticizing the gender pay gap in Hollywood, Stephanie McMahon posted in support of the actor. This led Lee to respond by pointing out that the women of WWE at the time faced the same problem.
“Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times, and yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster.”
During an appearance on McMahon’s ‘What’s Your Story’ podcast, AJ Lee spoke about the incident, explaining why she did it.
“A long time ago, the women’s division was in a different spot. It felt like an uphill battle, a lot of the time. I was one of the first people really fighting for it, quite vocally. When you are the first to do something, you get hurt storming the gates. It’s a little rougher. I think it’s worth it because it opens the path for people that come behind you. There was an incident on Twitter in which you had posted about equal pay.
“I retweeted it and I was like, ‘We’re talking about Use Your Voice. We don’t get equal pay, essentially, yet we’re bringing in more eyeballs than a lot of the men.’ It was probably pretty fiesty. That to me felt fairly direct. I try not to be rude. I think a lot of people are like, ‘I have no filter,’ and that’s an excuse for being rude. I think you can be direct, but practical. I felt it was coming from a practical place, but direct. I was also a bit, ‘I ain’t got nothing to lose right now.’”
Stephanie McMahon Credits AJ Lee For Taking On The Machine
McMahon claimed she was actually happy about the post, saying it was thanks to people like Lee who “took on the machine” that the ‘Give Divas a Chance’ movement and ultimately the women’s revolution began.
“I was actually happy that you posted that. I wasn’t happy that it was directed at me because it wasn’t anything I had direct control over, but I was really happy that you did because the whole women’s evolution in the WWE, it didn’t happen because of executives — maybe along the way, people voicing their opinions — it really happened because of the women who paved the way, all the way back to the beginning of all of these incredible women who have been inside the squared circle no matter what promotion they were in.
“Then, for our audience, when they started Give Divas A Chance at that time, that’s what couldn’t be ignored. The audience would never have gotten behind the movement if it weren’t for people like you, who actually stood up for women publicly and took on the machine a little bit. It was a big deal, I thought.”
Lee appreciated McMahon’s words, explaining that she felt she had to make sacrifices to achieve change.
“I appreciate that. Change doesn’t happen unless there is sacrifice. You have to be willing to lose everything to get what you want. Playing it safe doesn’t work. It might give you a safe life, but I don’t know if it gives you an exceptional life.
“I felt like that was worth it, whatever the backlash was going to be. You were cool after. Everyone was pretty chill. It was business, and I appreciate that. It was a rough time.”
Back in September, AJ Lee returned to WWE after a decade to help her husband, CM Punk, in his feud with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Most recently, she helped Maxxine Dupri defeat Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.
