AJ Lee And Stephanie McMahon Bury Hatchet Over WWE Women's Division Issues

At the height of her career, AJ Lee was one of the most popular women in WWE, but she was never booked as strongly as many of her fans felt she should've been. Around that time, Lee and Stephanie McMahon had a public exchange where she criticized her and the women's division's handling, and in an appearance on McMahon's "What's Your Story?" podcast, the two looked back at their differences and the way forward.

"I feel like, in a weird way, we're both kind of proud of how far we've come," Lee said after noting that she wasn't going to brush past the "elephant in the room" of the past between her and McMahon. "A long time ago, the women's division was in a different spot and it felt like an uphill battle a lot of the time and I was one of the first people really fighting for it quite vocally." She then added that usually being the first to stand up against something means you end up getting hurt while going head-on against the establishment.

Following this, Lee addressed the social media spat, recalling that McMahon had posted a Patricia Arquette quote about equal pay. "Then, I retweeted it and I said 'Well, like, now we're talking about 'use your voice,' we don't get equal pay, essentially, yet we're bringing in more eyeballs than a lot of men?'" she recalled. "It was probably pretty feisty."

Lee then explained that she's a fairly direct person, even though she tries not to be rude. At the same time, she criticized people who claim they have "no filter" but are just rude. "I think you can be direct, but very practical. And so, I felt it was coming from a practical place; very direct," she explained. "I also was a bit like, 'I ain't got nothing to lose right now.'"

McMahon then praised Lee for having the courage to speak out against her and noted how her character was different compared to the characters on television at the time. "They just connected with you in such a special and unique way," she admitted. "I appreciate your directness – I'm a direct person as well. I'm sure some people think I'm rude!"

McMahon further recalled the atmosphere backstage and how Lee's post affected things. "I was actually happy that you posted that. I wasn't happy that it was directed at me, because it wasn't anything I had direct control over," she explained, adding that the women's evolution in WWE didn't happen because of executives, but the women in the history of pro wrestling who spoke up. "For our audience? When they started the hashtag 'Give Divas A Chance' at that time? That's what couldn't be ignored. And the audience would never have gotten behind the movement if it weren't for people like [Lee]."

Lee then briefly thanked McMahon for her compliment and acknowledging her role in the "women's evolution" in pro wrestling, expressing that change doesn't happen unless there's sacrifice. "You have to be willing to lose everything to get what you want," she said. "And I feel like that, in every aspect of life, like you playing it safe doesn't work. Playing it safe might get you a safe life, but I don't know if it gives you an exceptional life."

She further expressed that she felt that her actions would ultimately be worth it, despite any of the backlash she knew she'd face afterwards. "But I thought you were cool after," Lee added in regard to McMahon. "Everyone was pretty chill, like it was like business, and I appreciated that. But you know? It was a rough time."

"I'm sure everyone can read into it however they wanted, but it was so important," McMahon said. "It was a really important public-facing step."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story?" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.