From battling bipolar disorder to finding strength through therapy, WWE Superstar AJ Lee opened up on Raw about why she stepped away from wrestling at the height of her career. Read about her battle with mental health.
The atmosphere at WWE Raw was filled with chants of “Therapy! Therapy!” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It wasn’t about storylines or championships, but AJ Lee courageously opening up about her mental health. “I felt like I had accomplished all of my dreams in wrestling,” AJ admitted. She hung up her Chuck Taylors, certain her time in the ring was over. “There was no way I was going to step back in a ring again, wearing jean shorts that are two sizes too small.” Beyond wrestling, AJ pursued new goals. But the most important was personal: “I wasn’t healthy. I needed to take care of myself, get right. I went to therapy. I got treatment.” AJ Lee revealed how therapy reshaped her journey. “I found a way to turn all of this mental chaos into my superpower. And man, the fight is not easy. Every day is a fight. But… that fight is worth it. You are worth it.”
After CM Punk was slapped and mocked by Becky Lynch, AJ Lee seized the moment, outsmarting both Becky and Seth Rollins into accepting a mixed tag team battle, with Punk standing at her side. AJ Lee said that she would return the Intercontinental Title back to Becky only if she accepts the match, which will now take place at Wrestlepalooza.
On the outside, life looked perfect for AJ Lee: Championships, marriage, dream career. But behind the scenes, her bipolar disorder made it overwhelming. In one year, AJ faced surgeries, injuries, family issues, and legal troubles. At her lowest, AJ planned to end her life. A failed hotline call almost pushed her over the edge, until she tried again. Calling 3-1-1, she found an unexpected savior. From that night, AJ realized the importance of speaking out. “Big life changes throw you off. And if it’s a high, you’re going to hit a low. My bipolar disorder couldn’t handle it. I wasn’t in therapy consistently. I was playing fast and loose with my medication. I needed to talk about my diagnosis. The world didn’t know at the time that I was bipolar. So I needed to come out of hiding," she would say in an interview.
AJ also confronted the cultural challenges in her Latinx identity. “I’m not brown enough for Puerto Ricans, and I’m too brown for white people. None of the fun, all of the racism. I suffered in silence. That’s why I’m very loud about it now. I’ll never shut up about my mental health—because somebody needs to hear it. Somebody needs a second of kindness—it might save their life," she had told in the same interview.
