Last time, I talked about what impact Daniel Bryan has had on the status quo. Time to talk about the diva division. Of all the divas on the current roster, if any of them may have had any impact on the way things are in the diva division, it would be AJ Lee.
AJ Lee did drop a pipe bomb last year. Problem is, her target was Total Divas, not the actual diva division. She didn't actually sting the status quo as much as CM Punk's words did. Did AJ motivate the fans to let their voices be heard as well as Daniel Bryan did? She was copying Daniel Bryan's "Yes!" chant for a while, but her story isn't one of energizing the fans to force the WWE to give her what she earned. Mickie James took the career of a credible jobber and beat the status quo to become more over than those women the WWE was trying to develop to be the top stars. AJ Lee got over as a periphery diva, not as a credible jobber. I wouldn't say AJ Lee is really an "anti-status quo" figure. She didn't speak out against the diva division, she didn't motivate fans to scream out against what is going on in the diva division, and she didn't really overcome what is going on in the diva division to succeed.
The diva division has become so bad, not being an "anti-status quo" figure isn't necessarily a bad thing. I will give credit to a diva that can even help the WWE get the status quo back on its feet. Yes, I hate that status quo, but it working efficiently would be better than the mess you have had in the last few years. Has AJ Lee had any kind of positive impact on the status quo working again?
First, how was it even possible that AJ Lee was able to have the career she has had? From 2007 to 2011, the WWE was not developing any female wrestlers to be top stars as periphery divas. Their top priority was making a new centerpiece. And all attempts failed to succeed. That is the era of failed centerpieces, which led into the second dark age you have right now. What did the WWE do? They reset. They slowed things down. I want to make a basketball analogy. A player might try to make a shot, it hits the rim, doesn't go in, and his team manages a rebound. That's an offensive rebound. The shot clock resets. Instead of immediately trying to take the shot again, the team might slow things down and reset themselves. If you watch basketball, you hear the commentators say it all the time. Why rush the play? You have time. Draw it out. After so many rushed attempts to create a new centerpiece failed, they slowed things down. They developed Eve Torres in the periphery before trying to push her as the centerpiece. While that was going on, you also had the rise of AJ Lee. Eve left. AJ remained.
What the WWE did with AJ Lee is kind of like the WWE getting an offensive rebound. And she did score for them. She did get over. She did bring back some momentum to the diva division. Problem is, the WWE could not get it to last. That run she was getting with the title was getting very stale. And the whole diva division around her was becoming one-dimensional. You didn't have many angles going on in the diva division. I am not blaming her for that. Things have gotten a little better since then in terms of creative depth, but the WWE still lacks focus with their diva division. How would you describe that title reign AJ got? There are a few ways to put it. She was the interim centerpiece. She was the centerpiece during a dark age. It's a dark age and the WWE is just making do with what they have. However you put it, I wouldn't say she was a true centerpiece, like someone like Sable or Trish Stratus has been pushed. And it isn't just that AJ doesn't have the look those women had. She wasn't being pushed like a true centerpiece. It was very dry. They were not developing credible jobbers in the same way they would to put over the centerpiece. They were just going through the face challengers on the roster. In the end, they had her go over the entire division at Wrestlemania. Giving her the record for longest reign is a big piece of hype, but the lack of creative development throughout her reign, combined with the fact that she was a clear periphery diva prior to that title reign, make me say that she was not the centerpiece. One push or one title reign does not determine what type of career a diva is getting. How she is being pushed over time does. And it helps to keep track of what the WWE has a history of doing to help you understand what is going on now. It doesn't look like the WWE was ready to end the status quo with AJ Lee.
She is currently on a hiatus. Will she lose her spot? I have seen some fans bring that up. I don't think so at all. The WWE isn't interested in developing Paige to be a star. Alicia Fox seems to be getting a "flavor of the month" push with her gimmick, benefiting from the dark age. Brie Bella is getting a great periphery angle. Thing is, I doubt AJ would have been in that spot had she not left. She's not married to Daniel Bryan. The WWE did not put all that development in AJ Lee just to put some other diva over and toss her aside. Will her relationship with CM Punk screw her? That is another issue. Leaving that out, if that is even possible, she is a star the WWE produced and they will push her well.
Even without her, is the momentum the WWE created with her still there? Has she paved the way for better opportunities for more women? I have seen some talk like what she did in the previous two years would benefit more women. Female wrestlers aren't currently benefiting that much. Emma is lost in the shuffle. Paige is not being pushed too well. All the other female wrestlers aren't even worth mentioning. Oh, Natalya is on Total Divas. I should mention that. That matters so much, right? Has she paved the way for more crazy gimmicks? Alicia Fox has one. Problem is, there is no direction for her. No storylines. No proper feuds. Just a gimmick. It is a gimmick that takes a lot. I cannot picture them continuing it forever. If the WWE was interested in creating a fad with Emma's dance, they will probably gladly settle for the buzz Alicia Fox's gimmick is bringing. Short-term buzz. All that momentum they had with AJ isn't there anymore. And it really shouldn't be shocking. If they didn't have the drive to keep the division interesting during her title reign, it is believable that they would lack that drive to even start creating their next centerpiece. And a half-assed attempt may result in another failed centerpiece.
Back to the main question. What impact has AJ Lee had on the status quo of the diva division? I have already said why I don't feel she is an "anti-status quo" figure. But has she helped the status quo get back on its feet? Her success has only brought short-term momentum back to the WWE and their women's division. They could not sustain it. And yet, that minimal impact AJ has had is better than that of any other diva currently in the division.
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