AJ Mendez, formerly AJ Lee in WWE, shared who she thinks the best wrestlers in AEW are and they don’t include CM Punk.
Mendez’s husband, CM Punk, has found his love for pro wrestling again when he debuted in AEW in August of last year. However, Punk’s return to wrestling may have rekindled her love for pro wrestling as well.
AJ Mendez On CM Punk’s Return
On The Sessions with Renee Paquette, AJ Mendez went into what her husband’s return to wrestling means to her and what her favorite part about him wrestling in AEW is.
“I just wanted him to be like, emotionally safe and protected and that’s been the coolest thing about his experience here is that he feels like he’s always in a safe place and has a good group of people around him at AEW,” AJ Mendez said. “So, that makes me very happy.” H/T To Wrestling Inc. For Transcription
AJ Mendez and her husband left the WWE in 2015 and 2014 respectively on bad terms. Since leaving WWE she has stayed away from wrestling and has focused on writing and advocacy for mental health awareness and animal welfare.
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However, before leaving WWE AJ Mendez amassed a very good run in WWE. She became one of the top women in the company and one of its most popular. She also is tied for the most wins of the Divas Championship at three. However, one of her most important contributions is probably to help to open the door for women’s wrestling being taken more seriously. Unfortunately she had left before it had fully opened in WWE.
AJ Mendez admitted she has been watching and enjoying AEW. While on the podcast she revealed who she thinks the best wrestler in AEW is.
“I think the best wrestler they have is Serena [Deeb],” AJ Mendez said. “… I was in FCW and I was the first indie wrestler, the [first] female indie wrestler they had signed in like, a decade and it was this huge deal. And I only had two years of experience, so it was kind of like this label. When [Deeb] came in, it was like I was drowning and this wonderful person came in to save me.”
The Professor Teaches AEW Wresters A Lesson
Deeb wrestled against the AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa for the championship at AEW: Double or Nothing on May 29. Deeb came out on the losing end after a very tough match with a tough champion.
Deeb made her Florida Championship Wrestling debut on July 15, 2009. FCW was a developmental territory for WWE and later became what is now known as NXT. While working with WWE Deeb became a part of Punk’s The Straight Edge Society. She would leave WWE in 2010.
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However, Deeb would make her return to WWE during the Mae Young Classic Tournament in 2017. She eventually became a trainer at the WWE Performance Center, but was released in April 2020 due to budget cuts. She is currently a wrestler and backstage employee for AEW.
Deeb isn’t the only women’s wrestler AJ Mendez loves and she named another dominant wrestler.
“I love Britt [Baker], that’s my girl. I love a promo, you know I love a promo,” AJ Mendez said. “Oh my God, there’s like a confidence, there’s something that you can’t teach people. It’s just like if you love yourself and you know who you are, you speak a different way and I can just see that in her.”
Baker Gains Yet Another Fan
Baker recently won the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament at Double or Nothing. She is also a former AEW Women’s champion and is undoubtedly one of AEW’s top women’s wrestlers.
With AJ Mendez’s rekindling her love for wrestling she took on a role working with WOW (Women of Wrestling) as executive producer in October 2021. She will also provide color commentary for the promotion starting late 2022.
It is exciting to see Mendez get involved in wrestling again. With this love of pro wrestling again the question of returning to the ring comes up. Perhaps even some matches with Deeb or Baker at some point in the future.
Would you like to see AJ Mendez return to the ring? Who would you like to see her face in the ring if she does return? Now that she has taken on a role with WOW do you think she will ever take on a similar role in AEW or even WWE? Leave a comment over on Twitter on if you agree that Deeb and Baker are the two best wrestlers in AEW or who you would say is the best in AEW.
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