AJ Lee's WrestleMania Diary

[Richard]

[gl83]

[Richard]

AJ & DOLPH TAKE MANHATTAN, 6:48 p.m.

The continuous frenzy surrounding The Showcase of the Immortals has kept AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler apart for much of the week, but a trip to Midtown Manhattan to meet WrestleMania Reading Challenge finalists grants the burgeoning power couple some necessary “we” time.

“I’m hoping we get caught in traffic so we can catch up a little bit, because texting isn’t the same,” The Showoff tells WWE.com en route to the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel for the event. Yet despite Dolph’s preference for analog interactions as his girlfriend nestled beside him, both he and AJ can’t seem to put their phones down, perhaps sending one another covert digital messages not meant for the prying eyes and ears of others in the car.

Upon their arrival at the hotel, AJ and Dolph gaze out the window at the New York City streets below, contemplating grandiose plans for WrestleMania and beyond.



FATHER MATERIAL, 7:31 p.m.

Intently observing her “Ziggy” at tonight’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge signing and other events tailored for young WWE Universe, AJ has come to appreciate Dolph Ziggler in new, eye-opening and, in this case, bewildering ways.

“Like any of the [WrestleMania] Reading Challenge events, my favorite part is seeing what Dolph will be like as a dad,” AJ says, glancing sidelong at The Showoff, who lends his signature to a book-loving child’s copy of the latest WWE Encyclopedia. “He’s really great with kids.”



COMFORT ZONE, 10:06 p.m.

Returning to her hotel room at the tail-end of an 18-hour day, AJ Lee is tired, but sleep is the last thing on her mind. Instead, clad in sweatpants, zebra-print socks and a Pikachu-emblazoned top, AJ lounges in her hotel room with her blond beau, who has since replaced his ostentatious blazer with a simple gray hoodie.

The scene is oddly low-key for this show-stealing pair, AJ face-deep in a comic book while Dolph thumbs through his Twitter backlog. The time for bombast, it seems, will come in less than 48 hours.

End of Day 3.

[CrazySting]

Those two have to be dating legit now. Or they're just amazing actors.

[Deleted]

Apr 5, 2013 11:17:57 GMT -5 Richard said:

INSIDE AXXESS, 7:46 p.m.

Garbed in a polka-dotted dress, leather jacket and her Gotham City-approved Poison Ivy Converses, AJ Lee arrives for her first signing session at WWE Axxess, a WWE fan experience that unites WWE Universe members from around the world. But before meeting the throngs filing into IZOD Center, the always unique Diva briefly slips away from the chaos for a quiet convo with Lita, the Attitude Era icon that served as inspiration when she herself fantasized about one day stepping through the ropes.

The pair originally crossed paths more than a decade earlier, when AJ waited in line to meet one of her heroes at WWE New York in Times Square.

Following this clandestine Axxess exchange — the latest in a series of past-meets-present moments that have defined her Garden State homecoming — AJ is ushered to her signing table, an arsenal of Sharpies at her disposal. Ms. Lee, your public awaits.





WHEN I GROW UP, 9:35 p.m.

Lending her two-letter insignia to hundreds of AJ Lee aficionados, the New Jersey native meets Axxess attendees who traveled from far-off lands like Belfast, Ireland, to see their favorite Diva. However, it was a fellow New Jersey girl from East Orange donning knee-high Chucks that brought one of the biggest smiles to AJ’s face.

“The most amazing part of any autograph session is when there’s somebody wearing the tall Chucks or Converse in general,” AJ says of the homage. “It’s something that’s kind of tomboy-ish, but it’s also something that’s cool now for a certain type of girl. I’m super proud to be creating this army of wonderful weirdos.”

This particular so-called “wonderful weirdo” is Crista Christian, who bought her tributary lace-ups one month earlier and vowed not to wear them until she met her role model. In addition to a common fashion sense, the 15-year-old shares the same dream AJ cultivated as a teenager when she herself met Lita: Someday, she wants to be a Diva.

“For anyone that looks up to me, I really hope they’d want to better than me and are better than me,” AJ says in response to Crista’s proclamation. “I hope they blow me out of the water and that they’re their own person—not ‘AJ No. 2.’ But if this is it, hey, come kick my butt.”



WICKS AND KICKS, 10:57 p.m.

After Axxess, her arms filled with fan-gifted “My Little Pony” trinkets and assorted cookies, AJ is greeted in the lobby by WWE fans hoping for a chance to have their picture taken with a former Raw General Manager. Posing for tweet-worthy snapshots with the WWE Universe and signing AJ Lee action figures — her first of many Mattel-crafted miniatures — AJ finally bids the WWE Universe farewell for the night and vanishes into the elevator for the sanctity of her room.

There, a dressed-down AJ reunites with her childhood friend, who has long gone by the name “KDQ.” First meeting in third grade, the two have a lot to catch up on, but that doesn’t stop the conversation from lingering momentarily on the subject of AJ’s recently acquired Japanese cherry blossom scented candles. Although long since separated by time and distance, the pair clearly has little difficulty picking up where they left off last time.

“Everyone grows up with a dream, but who actually does it?” KDQ asks as AJ looks on, perched at the corner of the bed. “You turn the TV on and she’s there. This is a girl I grew up with and went to school with, someone I kicked and got kicked by, and now look at her. She’s out there kicking all kinds of people. It’s amazing.”

End of Day 2.

No.

[Richard]

Day 4 photos: www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/29/wrestlemania-diary-aj-lee/day-four-photos



PAPER VIEW, 10:55 a.m.

If AJ Lee’s home were somehow set ablaze, there are two things she would scoop up before fleeing out the nearest exit: her blond Chihuahua and what she calls her “fire box,” a compact collection of her most treasured personal trinkets and professional mementos.

The inaugural contents of that sentimental repository, which also houses the wrist tape from her in-ring debut, were her WrestleMania XX tickets that granted AJ and her father access to the Diva-to-be’s first live WWE experience. She’s even kept their original envelope.

The seats weren’t the best in the house, placing AJ and her dad high in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. The distance to the ring mattered little to the aspiring Diva, though, as she witnessed first-hand the reborn Undertaker square off with his brother Kane — a confrontation between two of AJ’s favorite Superstars growing up.

“That was the most important day in my life up until that point, and also the happiest,” AJ says. “I needed to hold on to that.”





GARDEN GROWN, 11:31 a.m.

The World’s Most Famous Arena has transformed considerably since it last played host to The Show of Shows nine years ago, but if anyone’s familiar with metamorphoses, it’s AJ Lee. Due to ongoing renovations throughout Madison Square Garden, her and her father’s WrestleMania XX seats — Sec. 426, Row E, Seats 17 and 18 — technically no longer exist. Nevertheless, the determined Diva climbs the Garden stairs to find a view matching that of her seminal Show of Shows experience.

Satisfied that she has found a reasonable facsimile of her WrestleMania XX vantage point, AJ leans back, her legs propped up on the seat in front of her as she curiously gazes down — ever the WWE fan — at construction for the night’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

“I don’t think there’s a place I have more of a connection to than the Garden,” AJ says, who last did some MSG seat-searching prior to Survivor Series 2011. “And that connection is to WrestleMania, and we’re going to personalize it even more tomorrow when it’s going to be in New Jersey, 10 minutes from my hometown. And I’m going to be there. It’s making it all real, and connecting the dots. I can’t wait for it to be 7 p.m. tomorrow night.”

Apr 6, 2013 13:24:08 GMT -5 CrazySting said:

Those two have to be dating legit now. Or they're just amazing actors.

They had an interview together 2 months ago where AJ said Dolph was already taken. Who knows if anything has changed since then.

[Richard]

SHOWOFF SHOWN UP, 6:34, p.m.

Two months before AJ and “Ziggy” spent their first romantic Christmas together — Dolph likely forgoing egg nog for protein shakes — one young AJ Lee devotee beat The Showoff to the punch, professing his love for the then-Raw GM at Ringside Fest 2012 in Times Square, N.Y. with a bended-knee marriage proposal.

We all know about AJ’s history with weddings, so it’s probably for the best that Matthew Hale, age 9, didn’t get a definitive answer. The ambiguity of the situation fails to discourage the Staten Island native from reminding his would-be fiancée about his intentions right in front of Dolph.

Impressed by the bravado of the tenacious lothario, Ziggler had little choice but to challenge his rival in romance to a match.

“I think he should just watch his back, ‘cuz he doesn’t know what’s coming in that match,” Hale tells WWE.com, taking Dolph’s playful dare 100 percent seriously. When asked about his strategy if he were to clash with “Mr. Money in the Bank,” his answer comes quickly.

“Easy,” Hale says. “I’m going to knock out the referee and hit Dolph Ziggler with a chair."



TOP-TEAR DEVOTION, 7:10, p.m.

It’s not uncommon for WWE Universe members to go above and beyond when they meet their heroes, but the girls and young women who await the chance to convene with the diminutive Diva during an Axxess autograph signing are faithful to a tee.

Whether gifting AJ packages of cookies, 12-inch “Metal Gear Solid” action figures or unicorn-doodled hand-written letters, the Diva’s most passionate female fans are not dissimilar from the teenaged Union City girl whose emotions took over when she met Lita back in 2001. AJ can relate.

One fellow Jersey native, Taylor from Weehawken, lets the tears come as AJ offers an embrace and, later, encouraging tweets visible to 757,169 followers. AJ might not be perceived as the most balanced or kind Diva in WWE — just ask John Cena, Kaitlyn, Daniel Bryan, Kane and countless others — but she hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be on the other end of the autograph table.





JUST DESSERTS, 7:23 p.m.

Perhaps no moment over the last year quite defined AJ Lee as her ladder-toppling betrayal of John Cena at WWE TLC 2012, and what better way to immortalize this defection to Dolph Ziggler’s side than with a chocolate cake? At WrestleMania Axxess, a pair of girls presents a photo of the delicious desert that makes the sometimes-sinister Diva’s mouth water, but it’s not because she’s famished.

With a scene involving AJ Lee’s action figure sending the Cenation leader’s Mattel totem plummeting from a plastic ladder into the whipped frosting below, the fan-made confection screams devil’s food.

“I like any girl who can appreciate pushing a dude off a ladder,” AJ says with a wicked smirk.



HIS FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT … , 7:29 p.m.

When a WWE fan presents AJ with a pair of bizarre novelty sunglasses, its lenses adorned with smooch-tastic lipstick insignias, AJ does the only thing that feels natural to her at the moment: She leans over, places the over-the-top eyewear on Big E Langston’s face, and struggles to restrain her laughter … but not too hard.

There are few who would dare make Big E Langston look foolish, and even fewer who would get away with it. Yet, AJ shares a unique bond with the tank-like 290-pounder making his WrestleMania debut just 24 hours later.

It’s probable AJ’s just blowing off steam with her gargantuan guy friend, but she could very well be sending a pointed message to ex-boyfriend Daniel Bryan, whose post-WrestleMania nightmares last year were filled with similarly haunting images of reign-slaying puckered lips, kissing the prize goodbye.



IT’S ‘VATOR TIME, 8:07 p.m.

On the Axxess floor in the IZOD Center concourse, AJ Lee, Big E Langston and Dolph Ziggler pass by such relics as Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania XII entrance garb and Triple H’s “Skull King” mask en route to a private arena elevator.

As the floor numbers count down during the descent, so do the minutes to April 7, when this single-minded triumvirate will craft its own WrestleMania moment in front of millions of WWE Universe members watching around the globe. Dolph Ziggler’s “here to show the world” entrance theme lyrics have never been more appropriate.

During the brief ride, AJ positions herself between her future champions, the calculating Diva’s uneasy silence hinting at massive problems for Team Hell No at MetLife Stadium.

“I don’t think the match will necessarily come down to Big E Langston or Dolph Ziggler,” claims AJ aficionado Dana Ghazzawi, who traveled four hours from Maryland to meet her unorthodox idol at Axxess. “It will come down to what AJ can do.”

End of Day 4.

[Richard]

Day 5 photos: www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/29/wrestlemania-diary-aj-lee/day-five-photos



SHOOTS AND LADDERS, 12:04 p.m.

WrestleMania is upon us. Before an SUV transports AJ Lee and her closest confidants from the frenetic atmosphere of Axxess to the impending grandeur of The Showcase of the Immortals at nearby MetLife Stadium, a Money in the Bank photo op exhibit catches the trio’s eye.

The attraction, inviting WWE fans to participate in a ladder-ascending duel with a life-sized cardboard Showoff, is an all-too-appropriate pre-WrestleMania pit stop for “Ziggy,” Big E and Ms. Lee. Ziggler’s show-stealing victory at Money in the Bank 2012 still grants him a World Heavyweight Championship at the time and place of his choosing, and AJ capped off her 2012 by shoving then–pseudo boyfriend John Cena off a ladder. For Langston, the connection is more symbolic: With a WWE Tag Team Championship victory tonight, Big E’s climb to WWE’s highest rungs truly begins.

Before joining the rest of his tight-knit triumvirate, Ziggler grabs his battle-damaged briefcase, its contents all the more potent as the eyes of the world turn to The Grandest Stage of Them All.



YEAR IN REVIEW, 12:17 p.m.

It’s a cool 48 degrees as AJ Lee arrives at MetLife Stadium, where WWE Universe members are already arriving — and grilling — in a nearby parking lot. Although skies are blue, the brisk temperature is yet another factor that further distances the Jersey native’s hometown WrestleMania from her Show of Shows debut in Miami last year.

“This has been the longest week ever, yet somehow this has been the shortest year of my life,” AJ remarks, lugging bags through the backstage area to the Divas locker room. “I feel like it was just yesterday that I was kissing [Daniel Bryan’s] ‘goat face’ at WrestleMania, so I’m excited and hoping tonight goes a lot better than that. I mean, there’s no ‘goat face’ I’ll be kissing, so it’s already better.”

[BigWill]

Damn, 48 degrees? And it'll probably get even colder at night. I do not envy those wrestling in trunks tonight.

[The Doctor]

I love her reaction to the WrestleMania set. That is probably exactly how I'd react to it.

[Richard]

[turkeysandwich]

A) Big E is so damn funny.
B) AJ acts really different around Big E, you can tell they're buddies.

[gl83]

Apr 7, 2013 16:13:29 GMT -5 turkeysandwich said:

A) Big E is so damn funny.
B) AJ acts really different around Big E, you can tell they're buddies.

Instead of wasting time on recaps and Tout, I demand we get at least one segment a week with Big E/AJ. Those two are a hoot.

[Richard]

SET IN MOTION, 3:39 p.m.

Two days after sneaking a peek at WrestleMania’s under-construction homage to the Big Apple, AJ passes through MetLife Stadium’s cavernous corridors to meet the open New Jersey air within the arena itself. The sight of the massive recreations of New York’s most celebrated landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, loses none of its luster the second time around.

Amid the artificial New York landscape that has overtaken the stadium, AJ wears WWE’s more personal tribute to the Garden State underneath her black warm-up jacket.

“It’s everything altogether in one,” AJ says of WWE’s New Jersey twist on the iconic “I Heart N.Y.” shirt. “It’s giving New Jersey the love New York gets a lot of the time.”



U CAN’T SEAT ME, 3:52 p.m.

Less than four hours before the WrestleMania Interactive Pre-Show begins streaming on WWE.com, YouTube, Facebook and the WWE App, AJ gets a fan’s-eye view of things from ringside.

Seated in a commemorative WrestleMania chair adorned with the face of a jean-shorted former romantic entanglement and a certain People’s Champion — identical seats on all sides — AJ is pensive as crewmembers, sound technicians and TV personnel buzz around her. Onstage, in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his Show of Shows performance, Sean “Diddy” Combs shouts out to Ryback.

“It’s terrifying,” New Jersey’s prodigal daughter tells WWE.com. “There’s still so much to do. I don’t even have an outfit yet, so I’m getting a little nervous. I’ve been so emotional just standing out here, and I hope I can keep it together for the match and not just be randomly crying in the middle of it.”



LOVE IS BLOND, 4:06 p.m.

Nearing the end of her reflective tour of MetLife Stadium, AJ feels a buzz in her pocket, removes her phone and is greeted by a screensaver image of her beloved Chihuahua “Cheese” and an unexpected text message from “Ziggy.” Dolph has briefly parted ways with his “babycakes” this afternoon for a last-minute WrestleMania workout, yet still feels compelled to check in. No one multi-tasks like The Showoff.

Even though he’s been separated from her only briefly, Dolph can’t resist making a digital connection with AJ, a gesture that elicits a smile from his nervous girlfriend and reiterates his ambitious dual missions at The Showcase of the Immortals.



GOING UNDERGROUND, 4:27 p.m.

It’s getting late. After touring MetLife Stadium for the better part of the afternoon, AJ realizes all there is to do before The Show of Shows begins. From wardrobe alterations to strategizing with Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston, the rest of AJ’s day is spoken for.

To expedite her retreat to the locker room, an anxious AJ finds a shortcut beneath the WrestleMania set, navigating the low-ceilinged corridor without ducking her head — just one of the advantages of being 5-foot-2.

[Richard]

[Sparkybob]

I'll say even thought I was disappointed that AJ didn't get a mania match, with the way Mania booked, I am almost glad she didn't get one. It would have either been a 2 min rush fest or even worst bump from the card completely.

[Richard]

A COMMON THREAD, 6:56 p.m.

As Titus O’Neil chats in the corner with WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons, Chris Jericho speeds by on the back of a golf cart, his thumbs vigorously tapping the conclusion of a pointed text message. A flock of sequined dancers floats by, preparing to herald the WrestleMania arrival of Fandango. There is nothing quite like the atmosphere backstage at The Showcase of the Immortals — especially in the moments before the show is about to begin.

AJ rushes from the Divas locker room to the seamstress station, requesting some late-in-the-game alterations to her custom T-shirt. It’s artfully ripped apart and pieced together in a crisscross pattern resembling a spider’s web, and for the young woman who was christened the “Black Widow” for her life-ruining relationship tendencies, the design is apropos. Ex-boyfriends beware.



RAMPED UP, 7:45 p.m.

AJ’s pre-WrestleMania jitters melt away as she joins Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston on the entrance ramp, a spring in her step all the way down to the ring. Just minutes away from Union City, where she could barely afford bus fare as a child, AJ has brought full-circle her Show of Shows saga that began with her father taking her to the uppermost level of Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania XX.

Now, nine years later, AJ has the best seat in the house as Dolph & Big E seize championship glory on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Before the match, Ziggler passes to the unhinged Diva his long-held Money in the Bank briefcase — an insurance policy for The Showoff that could pay dividends tonight in more ways than one.



ANGERED MANAGEMENT, 7:34 p.m.

WWE’s most unpredictable Diva is part Miss Elizabeth, part “Sensational” Sherri and 100 percent AJ Lee as she directs her boyfriend and platonic powerhouse in their WWE Tag Team Title clash with Kane & Daniel Bryan.

After a good luck kiss for “Ziggy” that salts any and all of Daniel Bryan’s lingering WrestleMania XXVIII wounds, it’s only a matter of time, it seems, until the pint-sized powder keg erupts in a major way.

Sliding Dolph’s battered blue briefcase into the ring, eliciting an uproarious reaction from more than 80,000 WrestleMania attendees, AJ orchestrates a referee distraction while Dolph lunges at Kane with his Money in the Bank prize. It backfires. The ring bell chimes, but not for Dolph & Big E.



DOWNBEAT DENOUMENT, 8:10 p.m.

AJ’s five-day WrestleMania journey comes to a close as she shuffles backstage — no skipping, this time — with the would-be WWE Tag Team Champions.

“It’s bittersweet,” AJ says dolefully following her home state defeat. She watches as Dolph & Big E retire to the Superstar locker room, the briefcase holding The Showoff’s Money in the Bank contract dangling loosely from Ziggler’s fingertips. “Everything kind of comes back all at once. It’s amazing how far I’ve come. It’s so much bigger than you think it’s going to be. But I wanted to come home happy, and that’s not the case right now.”

Perhaps AJ’s ideal New Jersey triumph will come tomorrow night at the IZOD Center on Raw, or maybe her Show of Shows odyssey was always meant to end this way. After all, hardship has long been this wily young woman’s strength; the fuel by which she has traversed even the most treacherous terrains.

End of Day 5. Diary complete.

That's all, folks.