The AJ Lee and Big E dynamic was one of the most fascinating narratives in the WWE in 2013. I was simply crestfallen when they silently went their separate ways following a mixed tag team loss to Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn at Summerslam. I know why it was done, so that Big E could break out on his own and AJ could get herself a bodyguard that could be physical with the female wrestlers she would defend her Divas title against, but I just feel that there was so much potential for great storytelling with AJ and Big E. He's the only guy that she had ever been associated with that she hadn't made out with. For all intents and purposes he was probably her most emotionally stable and true relationship. Big E knew how to deal with her craziness and was more than willing to put up with abuse from and for her. She was happy to have his presence as her friend, and Big E, well I always assumed he wanted more. If they hadn't quietly split after Summerslam 2013, Big E still could have turned babyface and climbed the ranks of the WWE, winning the Intercontinental Championship in the same time frame that he did. It would have been very intriguing to see the heel AJ on one hand be happy that her only real friend was successful, but bristle because Big E was too occupied with his own success to devote all his time to doting on her. Big E on the other hand would always reluctantly do what he could to help heel AJ because he was in love with her, and desperately wanted to escape the friend-zone he found himself in. Now this kind of relationship wouldn't work with just anybody, but AJ and Big E have chemistry on and off screen that draws you in. Their friendship is adorable, whether portraying heels or babyfaces, and that combined with their charisma would have made this angle a hit. Simply put, it could have been the most fascinating pairing in modern WWE history, and not to mention one of the most relatable and human narratives they could produce. Now both have found great success since their split, AJ has becoming the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time and Big E being the current reigning and defending Intercontinental Champion. All's well that ends well I guess, but I would have really loved to watch Big E and AJ's on screen relationship play out rather than seeing it silently dissolve.
Matthew J. Douglas is an emerging screenwriter born in Toronto. A lifelong fascination with what makes a compelling story and the Toni Morrison quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." led the often opinionated Matthew to the life of writer. Matthew is also a lifelong WWE fan, and a self diagnosed Reality TV Junkie.
