AJ Lee Spills on Hollywood Empire: ‘From WWE Chaos to Netflix Glory’ – Must-See Scoop from Stephanie McMahon Chat!
Fresh off her electrifying AJ Lee WWE return 2025, the trailblazing former Divas Champion is turning heads with candid revelations about her AJ Lee work outside WWE, as shared in a riveting sit-down on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast. Fans across the U.S. are devouring every word, with Scrapyard Productions AJ Lee trending alongside buzz from her Heels Netflix role and Blade of the 47 Ronin smash-hit, proving the Jersey girl once dubbed “The Queen of Crazy” has built an unstoppable creative force beyond the squared circle.
It was just months ago, in September 2025, when AJ Lee—real name April Jeanette Mendez—stormed back into WWE after a decade-long absence, teaming with hubby CM Punk to topple Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in a mixed-tag thriller at Wrestlepalooza. The crowd in Philadelphia erupted, but for Lee, this wasn’t a full-circle moment—it was a victory lap after years of grinding in Hollywood’s unforgiving trenches. “I didn’t even think about wrestling again until Comic-Con, seeing that love from fans,” she confessed on the podcast, her voice laced with that signature mix of vulnerability and fire. Now 39, the Puerto Rican powerhouse who retired in 2015 amid neck injuries and burnout is owning her multifaceted glow-up, one script at a time.
Diving deep into her post-WWE playbook, Lee lit up about her writing chops first. “I wrote my first movie… that was on the top three on Netflix for like a month,” she beamed, nodding to Blade of the 47 Ronin, the 2022 action flick she co-penned with Lucifer star Tom Ellis—a sequel to the 2013 Keanu Reeves epic that blended samurai lore with supernatural edge. But she didn’t stop at ink: Lee’s popped up on screens big and small, including a gritty turn in the indie dramedy Sacramento opposite A-listers Kristen Stewart and Michael Cera, where she traded suplexes for sharp dialogue on road-trip regrets. Then there’s her fan-favorite stint as Christine in Starz’s wrestling drama Heels, now streaming on Netflix, where she channeled her ring savvy into a no-nonsense promoter’s wife—irony not lost on anyone who’s followed her career arc.
The crown jewel? Scrapyard Productions, Lee’s 2023-launched shingle that’s equal parts scrappy underdog tale and mogul manifesto. “It’s about the scrapping I had to do in this industry, especially as a Latina,” she explained, her words a nod to the barriers she bulldozed from WWE’s Divas era to Tinseltown’s boys’ club. Under the banner, she’s cooking up a solo feature film that might debut as a comic book—think graphic-novel origins with blockbuster potential—and a hush-hush animated project for Japan’s Toei Animation. “We’re writing a movie… I think that’s all I can say,” she teased, leaving listeners salivating for more.
This isn’t just chit-chat; it’s a masterclass in reinvention, and the wrestling world is eating it up. Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s Chief Brand Officer and podcast host, gushed post-episode on X: “AJ’s journey is pure inspiration—raw, real, and relentlessly creative.” CM Punk echoed the pride on the What’s For Lunch YouTube show, calling her comeback “the time of her life” while he cheers from ringside, fresh off mentoring John Cena’s swan song. Fan reactions? Electric. Reddit’s r/SquaredCircle lit up with threads hailing her as the “OG Women’s Revolution spark,” with one viral post racking up 5K upvotes: “AJ proving wrestlers can evolve—Heels slaps harder than her Black Widow!” Critics like Wrestling Inc.’s Nick Hausman praise her pivot as “a blueprint for ex-athletes eyeing entertainment,” spotlighting how her mental health advocacy—detailed in her 2017 memoir Crazy Is My Superpower—fuels authentic storytelling that resonates beyond kayfabe.
For U.S. audiences, Lee’s saga hits like a time capsule of grit and glamour. In a nation where WWE draws 10 million weekly viewers and Netflix boasts 80 million subscribers, her crossovers bridge blue-collar arenas and streaming binges, inspiring Latinx creators from L.A. lofts to Miami studios. Economically, it’s a win: Blade of the 47 Ronin boosted Netflix’s global action slate, while Heels Season 3 (dropping 2026) eyes Emmy nods, funneling jobs to Atlanta’s booming film hub. Lifestyle-wise, Lee’s unapologetic hustle—balancing family with Punk, advocacy for women’s mental health, and now WWE cameos—empowers everyday hustlers chasing side gigs in a gig economy. Politically neutral but culturally seismic, she spotlights diversity in sports-entertainment, where Latinas like Roxanne Perez (her real-life “wrestling daughter”) credit Lee as the size-defying trailblazer who made “too small” a myth.
As Raw and SmackDown rumble toward Royal Rumble 2026, whispers of Lee-Punk tag runs or dream matches against Bayley (her IRL bestie) or Alexa Bliss (a self-proclaimed disciple) swirl. Yet, her heart’s clearly split: ring for the rush, Hollywood for the legacy. “This is me scrapping forward,” she summed up, a mantra that’s got America rooting for the underdog queen all over again. With AJ Lee WWE return 2025 still echoing and AJ Lee work outside WWE inspiring scripts nationwide, the Stephanie McMahon AJ Lee podcast isn’t just talk—it’s the spark for her next chapter, proving crazy was always her superpower.
Mark Smith
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