20 Ways WWE Killed CM Punk And AJ Lee's Passion For Wrestling
20. All Demand (By The Company), (But) No Supply (Of Competition)
On some level, one of the great developments in pro wrestling of late is WWE's desire to present the in-ring product with a more competitive edge. On one level, that's terrific. However, if you were CM Punk or AJ Lee over the past decade, you - as a performer that lives for "competition" - just weren't getting that from the WWE product. CM Punk's dissection of Ryback from Colt Cabana's podcast has already been oft-discussed. However, what about AJ? AJ was developed as a wrestler in an era where women's wrestling was valued more than "bra and panties matches," the type of wrestling that many of the divas hired during her run in the company were best prepared to handle. Intriguingly with similar-in-style Paige being called up, as well as the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Bayley in developmental, AJ is likely burnt out before her time to get fired up for in-ring competition had truly arrived.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
