Women's wrestling is going through somewhat of a revolution as of late.
For a long time, the WWE gave its female Superstars next to no screentime. Some matches would only last a few minutes — they basically served as intermissions between the "real" matches. It wasn't long before the WWE Universe became aware of this, and started the #GiveDivasAChance movement. Fans wanted actual matches — not two minutes of hair-flipping and a three-count.
Lately, it seems like things have started to turn around. The WWE (especially on NXT) is giving the Divas longer, better matches — the tag-team Divas match at WrestleMania 31 being a slight step in the right direction. Divas are also getting more screentime on the company's weekly shows, the extended matches providing the athletes with the time to really strut their stuff.
Unfortunately – just as everything was starting to look up – the Divas lost one of their best performers: WWE announced that former champion AJ Lee has retired from in-ring action.
BREAKING: AJ Lee (April Mendez) has decided to retire from in-ring competition with WWE. We wish AJ the very best.
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2015
The announcement came out of nowhere. Lee had just secured her second WrestleMania victory, and was easily the WWE's biggest female athlete. What's even more confusing is that the tweet above is the most explanation the WWE has given yet — almost no details regarding Lee's departure have been released, and fans only have a scant few clues to go on.
While it's easy to assume that the messy departure of Lee's husband CM Punk back in 2014 has something to do with it, it's far more likely that Lee has simply decided to pursue something else. Just a few days before WWE broke the news, Lee tweeted about an upcoming book deal with publisher Lisa Leshne. Yes, it's unlikely that a single book deal would cause Lee to retire, but it's evidence that the former Divas Champion is looking at a future outside of WWE.
Thank you @LeshneAgency. I hope our book inspires girls to become strong women & underdogs to make their dreams a reality. — A.J. (@WWEAJLee) March 31, 2015
It's a shame that WWE is losing such a talented performer — especially when the women's division is finally starting to pick up steam. That said, being able to retire from something as grueling as the WWE schedule at only 28 years old is a chance few get. If Lee wants out of WWE, it's better to do it sooner rather than later.
#ThankYouAJ — Coach (@CMPunk) April 3, 2015
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