In an interview with USA Today, AJ “Lee” Brooks spoke more about her career in WWE to promote her new book Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts and Breaking the Rules. Here are highlights:
On not embracing the term ‘diva’: “It was sort of the opposite with the word ‘diva.’ There was an embracing of something that was not, I think, truthful to everyone that was on the roster. There weren’t divas. I think the connotations for that just weren’t true to who our girls were. When you enter that world and you say, ‘This is just how the business is now, but we will be different. We will show that we have layers.’ I actually have the quote in one of my speeches that I wanted to redefine the term ‘diva.’ You can call me that, but it’s going to mean something new. I think my generation definitely did that and I’m really proud of that. To know that the girls after me have kind of taken that ball and run with it and are evolving, it warms my heart. There’s nothing else I could have wanted more for the future than for it to be so redefined that the word was abolished.”
On WWE serving CM Punk his release papers on his wedding day: “Right now there is ongoing litigation so I actually can’t talk about that. I’m sorry.”
On how much of herself was her in-ring character: “I think every breath between the structured words. So much of it is a script, so it’s everything that’s behind the script — your mannerisms, your voice, your temperament. You have to put your soul into it because people see through it when you don’t. I think that’s what connected me the most to the fans was this sort of unspoken honesty. I also touch on this a little bit in the book that it was reaching deep down to things I felt could be the worst traits of a person, or the most embarrassing traits of a person, or the most embarrassing moments in your life, and just saying, “Hey, let’s just put this on television and be so open and proud of it and just see how people react.” People embraced that, so I feel she’s a lot of me. She’s probably a lot meaner than I am, though (laughs).”