WWE gave AJ Lee the platform she required to build a future for herself. Inspired by stars such as Lita, Lee followed in her footsteps to leave her own mark in the world of professional wrestling. Despite being a three-time WWE Divas Champion, many fans wonder if AJ Lee hails from Mexico.
It must be noted that the former WWE star is not Mexican but has Puerto Rican descent. AJ Lee was born as April Jeanette Mendez on March 19, 1987, in New Jersey. Born to a homemaker mother and an automotive engineer father, Lee was the youngest of their three children. The early years of her life compelled her to go through poverty, drug abuse and mental illness.
im really grateful for how open people like AJ Mendez (FKA AJ Lee) are about their mental health. it helps hearing people i admire and look up to talking about going through similar struggles. check in on the people you care about, especially when it seems like everything is fine
— Rynge (@Rynge_) December 7, 2021
However, after establishing herself as a professional wrestler, things seemed to get better. She married her fellow WWE star, CM Punk, on June 13, 2014. Ever since then, the couple has been living in Chicago, Illinois and is quite happy. However, the questions about her descent did not stop here and she faced much racial discrimination for her skin tone.
AJ Lee went through racial discrimination on the streets
The life of AJ Lee hasn’t been a cakewalk at any point in time. One terrible incident happened to her in Milwaukee when she was with CM Punk. “A car goes driving by and this lady sticks her head out and yells, ‘Go home. Go where you came from,” said Punk, recalling the incident on Starrcast III.
The incident deeply impacted AJ Lee. Her husband, CM Punk, could clearly see that she was “bummed” with the lady’s comments. Punk, realising the gravity of the situation and advised her to make a bold move in case it ever happens again. “If we’re ever in that situation in public and somebody says that sh*t to you, I’m going to hand you my car keys in my wallet,” he said. CM Punk was also prepared to make it to the 9 o’clock news as a consequence of Lee’s probable action.
A moment ago, a woman driving by in her car shouted at me to go back to where I came from. Instead of being angry, I’m just going to sit at my computer and keep writing about strong, brilliant, Latina superheroes. That’d probably really piss her off. #RepresentationMatters
— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) July 21, 2019
However, instead of taking revenge on the lady, Lee decided to address the incident in a subtle manner. She took to X and wrote, “Instead of being angry, I’m just going to sit at my computer and keep writing about strong, brilliant, Latina superheroes. That’d probably really piss her off. #RepresentationMatters.” If this is the case with the stars, then it is indeed horrible to think of the plight that racial discrimination puts a common man into.