I've known AJ due to her popularity during her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). I enjoyed her performances and I related to her character and her personality since she made sure it was a reflection of herself: a total nerd.
Reading her story, I related to her on another level. First, being that we have a Puerto Rican background, also our love for wrestling more specifically her passion for women's wrestling.
I enjoyed reading the story of a young woman finding a future for herself despite the circumstances she lived through and experienced. I liked being able to get a different point of view when it came to her wrestling career and how hard she worked to earn her spot in WWE. I came to the realization of how much women in WWE had to work for the matches and storylines they currently have, a lot of progress has been made. "Suddenly, sexiness was not an option, it was a prerequisite." She describes a lot of her experience as woman to work in a sport dominated by men. "We already have so many obstacles to overcome just trying to be seen and treated as equal to men that it seems laughable that women would further try to tear one another down, instead of of unite to make the uphill club a little bit easier."
"All a woman needs to succeed is the guts to kick the door of opportunity open. All she needs is to be brave enough to be herself." AJ was not afraid to be herself on TV and work towards opening doors for other women in the wrestling industry. She credits Beth Phoenix, Layla, Michelle McCool, Eve Torres and Kaitlyn as women that made her feel welcome within WWE and were willing to work to create a new and different path for women while making a new for themselves as well. " It wasn't long ago classmates called me a 'nerd' in an attempt to hurt my feelings, and now that term is audaciously emblazoned on the front of t-shirts at Hot Topic. It is now a popular culture and it's suddenly cool to be a fan of all things 'geek'."
I was able to learn about her career, her marriage and her friendships that helped her along the way. She truly was able to work in the wrestling world and give fans a different and unique wrestler to cheer for. AJ came during a time when female fans were able to find someone they could relate to and find genuine. Herself and Paige (Saraya) were women that gave fans a different aspect of the word diva.
Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable and one I can relate to. I was able to understand the experiences women had to experience to be in the position they are currently in within the company. AJ and the women that have been in WWE have worked very hard for women to be highlighted within the sport and to show that women's wrestling should be recognized more often. Very glad I was able to pick up this book. Thank you for sharing your story, AJ!
Here is one of my favorite AJ matches - AJ Lee vs. Paige - Divas Championship
