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Who is CM Punk's wife AJ Lee? Ex-WWE champ's wrestler spouse rumored to have dated John Cena

Aside from being a retired WWE wrestler, AJ Lee is also a bestselling writer, entrepreneur and mental health advocate

"I'm back," former wrestling icon CM Punk said as he made a comeback to the ring after a hiatus of over 7 long years, as he joined the All Elite Wrestling amid massive fanfare. The 42-year-old wrestler, actor, and MMA fighter, whose real name is Philip Jack Brooks, marked his debut at the AEW with a stirring speech. The entire crowd at the stadium chanted his name as soon as a visibly emotional CM Punk set foot on the AEW Rampage stage. The five-time WWE champion shocked the world in 2014 when he left the wrestling federation following a creative dispute with Chairman Vince McMahon after the Royal Rumble that year. 

The wrestler recently celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary with his wife AJ Lee aka April Jeanette Mendez, a celebrity writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. More interestingly, she had been a former wrestler with the WWE, where she performed under the ring name AJ Lee. The powerhouse couple has been married since 2014 and has been hailed as 'Relationship Goals' by CM Punk fans. 

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Who is CM Punk's wife AJ Lee? 

Any fan of professional wrestling would be acquainted with AJ Lee's name as much as CM Punk's. Born on March 19, 1987, in New Jersey, Lee comes of Puerto Rican descent. She had revealed that her childhood was riddled with poverty, drug addiction, and mental illness in the family. 

It was her brother's fascination with WWE which inspired Lee to become a professional wrestler. In fact, she was determined about her goal from the age of 12, when she saw Lita and other female wrestlers of WWE. After graduating high school, she joined NYU to pursue film and TV production but had to drop out midway due to financial constraints. Thereafter, she put her entire focus on training for professional wrestling. 

Her tryst with the WWE started with winning the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) title, often dubbed as WWE's developmental territory. Though she initially debuted under the ring name April Lee, it was changed to AJ Lee shortly afterward. In September 2010, Lee participated in NXT third season, followed by her roster debut on WWE SmackDown in May 2011. 

After being dumped by her on-screen romantic partner Daniel Bryan, Lee turned her affections to Bryan's wrestling rival CM Punk. Following a dramatic storyline of romantic pursuits, where she was involved with John Cena as well, Lee started establishing her supremacy in the ring. On June 13, 2014, she got married to CM Punk and the couple settled in Chicago, Illinois. Eventually, she retired from WWE following a permanent cervical spine injury and also her husband's controversial departure. Her on-screen persona as a wrestler was associated with being 'mentally unstable', which she later admitted to being a facet of her real-life bipolar disorder, which WWE was unaware of. 

After retirement, Lee focussed on writing and her memoir 'Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules' was ranked in top 10 of New York Times Best Seller List. She also is a noted advocate of mental health and animal welfare. Her Instagram bio shows her as the co-founder of Scrappy Heart Productions, which represents American Latinx storytellers. 

Though Lee is yet to comment on her husband's return to the wrestling ring via AEW, overwhelmed fan brigade of the wrestling star has already flooded social media with congratulatory messages and celebration posts.