While talking about the greatest women in WWE, Stephanie McMahon always finds a spot for herself. For her bold and blunt personality she often makes it to the headlines of the company. Despite being quite vocal herself, she was once called out by CM Punk’s wife, for being a hypocrite.
It all began in 2015, when Stephanie supported Patricia Arquette in her speech demanding equal pay for women. “Thank You @PattyArquette for having the courage to fight for #WomensRights on such a grand platform,” she wrote. AJ’s eye caught the tweet and she called out Stephanie McMahon for doing the same.
Thank You @PattyArquette for having the courage to fight for #WomensRights on such a grand platform. #UseYourVoice pic.twitter.com/q71acxMExU
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 23, 2015
“Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times,” wrote AJ Lee. Immediately after, she dropped another tweet that read, “And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster.” Her comments invited a lot of support from the females in the industry.
Many women, including Paige (now Saraya), Nikki Bella, Emma and Brie Bella, joined hands in supporting the three-time WWE Divas Champion. Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon later acknowledged Lee’s concern for the division on X. Looking at the past decade, WWE has seen immense growth in the women’s roster. Thanks to AJ Lee for being one of the most primal causes of the change.
How is the relationship between Stephanie McMahon and AJ Lee now?
The online beef that began between Stephanie McMahon and AJ Lee seemed to stain the relationship between the two. Fans also started speculating that Lee’s exit from the company was largely based on the unequal treatment given to female stars. While she wasn’t spotted in another major brawl with WWE executives, she went out of the company.
Break the rules. Be a fighter. Any dream is possible if you are brave enough to do it YOUR way. Thank you all. pic.twitter.com/qu7bBOMFdu
— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) April 5, 2015
Back in December 2019, Stephanie McMahon spoke her heart out about AJ Lee. “I think AJ Lee was an incredibly compelling character,” she said in a call with Metro.co. Her comments also hinted at the keen desire she had to get WWE’s ‘Black Widow’ back to the company. However, this wasn’t all. Stephanie had other great words for CM Punk’s wife.
“Some of our most interesting and intriguing storylines were with AJ, and I think she deserves as much credit as every other woman on our roster,” she added. Her words subtly reveal that the callouts that took place in 2015 have settled down and the two are now on good terms with each other.