From to , she won the FCW Women's Championship, emerged victorious at WrestleMania in back-to-back years, captured the Divas Championship on three separate occasions and held it longer than anyone else. However, AJ's absence has left a major void in the Divas division that has yet to be filled. Furthermore, despite achieving every accolade imaginable, there were still a handful of fresh feuds waiting for her participation.
Keep in mind while reading that a number of the following feuds don't involve currently contracted members of the roster, but rather alumni who could have realistically been brought in at various points to work with AJ. As Lee mentioned in her acceptance speech at the Slammy Awards, there are many women waiting in the wings at NXT to be heiresses to her throne.
All of them are due to make major impacts when they're eventually called up, especially current reigning NXT women's champion Sasha Banks. Although she has been under contract to WWE for the last three years, it wasn't until a few months ago that she really started coming into her own. Breaking away from Summer Rae and Charlotte was the best thing to happen to her, as it has allowed her to develop her own personality and pave her own path to superstardom.
Since then, she's run rampant over the division, and no one has been able to put an end to her reign. However, it's a shame we were never able to see them feud. It's been six years since we last saw Victoria in a WWE ring, but even at the age of 44, she could have had one heck of a feud with AJ Lee. Victoria's WWE career was akin to AJ's in the time she was there from to , having won the Women's Championship on two separate occasions.
In early , she walked away from the ring to pursue other endeavors, only to jump ship to TNA Wrestling. Although TNA never used Victoria there known as Tara to her full potential, she contested several solid matches during her tenure. Victoria left the company in mid and has been mostly quiet since then, popping up at WWE live events from time to time or being invited to WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies.
The master of the Widow's Peak wouldn't have had needed to be a full-time wrestler at WWE, but bringing her in to work a program with AJ would have wonderful. Their similarly psychotic personae would have made for an interesting dynamic, to say the least. Her time in developmental has lasted less than two years, but she's already set to be called up to the main roster any day now. Her incredible outing against the fellow second-generation star was only the beginning of a great, lengthy reign she'd have as NXT women's champion.
Now that she's no longer holding the gold, it's essentially guaranteed that she will be bound for the main roster before long. The world won't end because a Charlotte-AJ Lee feud never happened, but it surely would have been must-see. First off, Stevens was a beast who could bring instant credibility to the Divas roster. Secondly, this is where Steven always dreamed of ending up once she started her career in wrestling back in Instead, Kia did it the hard way…by training in various schools and competing all over the world.
So when the WWE finally made the call for her to come in…she was more than ready for the opportunity. A series of creepy, yet intriguing vignettes began airing of a woman ripping off the heads of Barbie dolls and the woman laughing maniacally. The vignettes were extremely symbolic of what her arrival would mean for the very watered down version of the Divas division. Kharma was born and she was coming to destroy everyone in her path.
Kharma made her debut on May 1st, at the Extreme Rules pay per view by viciously attacking Michelle McCool after her match. That storyline would continue on various WWE programs for weeks where Kharma would attack divas.
It seemed to be only a matter of time before the Divas title would be around her waist. That is until an episode of Monday Night Raw on May 23rd, Just a little over 3 weeks from her impressive debut…Kharma made her way down to the ring in what looked to be another attack on the Divas division…but instead of destroying anyone…she fell to her knees in tears.
The moment was very bizarre considering the female monster she was being portrayed as leading up to this night. Fans were perplexed and confused to see this once large monster break down and cry for absolutely no reason. Some, including myself assumed it was an angle that would lead the Kharma character to add a bizarre dimension to the gimmick….
Some performers are even known to take an early retirement if they are ready for their career to be finished. If retirement is the route that they take, there is still one looming question - are these released wrestlers happy with how their career turned out in the end? There's always a chance wrestlers can come out of retirement.
While this has been the case for some former Superstars, many of those listed never returned to the ring after announcing that they're stepping away from professional wrestling.
As the winner of the Diva Search , Ashley Massaro was granted a WWE contract despite not having any previous wrestling experience. However, her charisma and personality helped propel her into popularity regardless, and she enjoyed a three-year stint with the company.
In , Massaro asked for her release from the company to spend time with her young daughter and quietly transitioned out of the wrestling industry.
Not including some brief independent wrestling appearances and autograph signings, Massaro never returned to a wrestling ring on a big stage and seemed content away from the business. Unfortunately, Massaro did pass away in , depriving the wrestling world of her presence.
When Ted DiBiase Jr. Following this high-profile feud, he moved on to singles wrestling where he re-introduced the Million Dollar Championship as an homage to his father, but he was never able to fully reach the main event level as a singles star.
After several years on the main roster, DiBiase made the decision to step away from the ring to focus on his own mental health. As a result, he retired from wrestling at a young age in comparison to others he shared the ring with. DiBiase is not the first WWE wrestler to put up their hand regarding mental health treatment , and thankfully he took care of himself when he recognized he needed to.
However, a very unfortunate situation developed regarding merchandise made for Myles, which led to allegations of racism and him departing WWE shortly afterward.
While he returned for another stint, he announced his retirement again afterward. ACH has once again come out of retirement, but he is still someone who retired twice after being released.
Kaitlyn was spotted training inside a wrestling ring near her home in Florida back in September, fueling speculation a return to WWE might not be far off. She has opened up about past addictions to drugs and alcohol and stated she is doing better and is in a much better place nowadays. The fitness buff was popular among WWE executives and rumors surfaced back in November they were interested in bringing her back.
The upcoming Women's Royal Rumble sounds like a perfect place for a return. EC3 was under contract to WWE for four years between till He competed in NXT and trained in developmental but never could crack the main roster. After making a name for himself in Impact Wrestling from to , rumors are indicating that WWE is ready to admit they made a mistake by overlooking and then releasing him.
It is believed EC3 is done with Impact Wrestling. As with Bobby Lashley, the company is looking to get rid of high-paying contracts signed under the Dixie Carter regime. Oddly enough, his real name provides an interesting option. EC3's real name is Michael Hunter Hutten. Lita could possibly be a surprise entrant in the Women's Royal Rumble, though a full-time return to the ring is doubtful for the year-old.
Lita made her first in-ring appearance in five years during March at an indie show in Maryland. It was as part of an eight-person tag match. Lita has made few comments regarding ever returning to the ring, which possibly means the idea doesn't sound too appealing to her.
She could certainly make a one-time appearance in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match, if only to pop the crowd by playing her music and having her do her entrance giving the audience the nostalgia feel. Lita is one of the most influential female WWE performers of all-time. While Trish Stratus often gets credited as the woman who influenced today's female Superstars, Lita's impact on the current generation shouldn't be understated either.
It is entirely possible Daniel Bryan makes his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble. Bryan has been vocal about his desire to return to the ring. So vocal in fact, it raises the suspicion that WWE has already approved his return. Bryan has been undergoing advanced treatment and testing in regards to his head trauma and his own doctors have cleared him for a return. WWE doctors are more hesitant, however, but the current rumors suggest they are open to the idea.
Bryan himself said he believes there's a chance of him wrestling in WWE again. If WWE doctors really were adamant they would never clear him again, Bryan would have listed no shot of a return. That he didn't means there are ongoing discussions regarding the subject. WWE needs to make a decision on Bryan before his contract is up. If he is cleared to return, the Royal Rumble is the perfect place to make it happen. WWE would probably rather Rousey not be a surprise entrant in the Rumble as they would want her WWE return to be something they can advertise and build up anticipation for.
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