AJ Lee reflected on the viral tweet she posted in 2015 about equal pay for female WWE Superstars.
Speaking to Stephanie McMahon on her What’s Your Story? podcast, AJ Lee recounted the time she called out McMahon and WWE over female stars not getting equal pay despite bringing in more eyes to the product than most male stars.
AJ Lee stated that she wanted to send a direct message without fearing the consequences. Stephanie McMahon admired Lee’s brave approach in fighting for what she believed in.
AJ Lee: “There was an incident on Twitter in which you had posted about equal pay.”
Stephanie McMahon: “Yeah, I think it was Patricia Arquette on one of the award shows had talked about equal pay, and I did a hashtag ‘Use your voice.'”
AJ Lee: “And then I retweeted it, and I said, ‘Well, we’re talking about use your voice, we don’t get equal pay, essentially, yet we’re bringing in more eyeballs than a lot of the men.’ It was probably pretty fiesty.
“That, to me, felt, in general, fairly direct. I try not to be rude. I think a lot of people were like, ‘I have no filter,’ and it’s an excuse for being rude. But I think you can be direct, but very practical. I felt it was coming from a practical phase, very direct, but I also was a bit like, ‘I ain’t got nothing to lose right now.'”
Stephanie McMahon: “And you were champ at the time, so actually you did have a lot to lose. But the courage that it took to fight for what you believed in, and the fact that you really were a different character than any type of stereotype, like, you came out of nowhere, and the audience loved you from the start.
“I mean, they really did. They just connected with you in such a special and unique way. I appreciate your directness. I’m a direct person as well. I’m sure some people think I’m rude, but I don’t mean to be. I just hate all the BS let’s just have the conversation.”
Stephanie McMahon Said The Women’s Revolution Wouldn’t Have Happened If It Weren’t For People Like AJ Lee
Stephanie McMahon: “I was preparing for the interviews, and I was looking that up, that’s how I knew what it was. I read all the backstage gossip about what happened, and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ I don’t even think I knew that at the time. It’s just so interesting because people never really know, right?
“But I was actually happy that you posted that. I wasn’t happy that it was directed at me because it wasn’t anything that I had direct control over. But I was really happy that you did, because that movement, the whole Women’s Evolution in WWE, it didn’t happen because of executives. Maybe along the way, people voicing their opinions, but it really happened because of the women who paved the way, all the way back to the beginning of all of these incredible women who have been inside the squared circle, no matter what promotion they were in.
“But then, for our audience, when they started the hashtag ‘Give divas a chance,’ at that time, that’s what couldn’t be ignored. And the audience would never have gotten behind the movement if it weren’t for people like you, who actually stood up for women publicly and take on the machine a little bit. It was a big deal.”
AJ Lee: “I appreciate that, and I feel like change doesn’t happen unless there’s sacrifice. You have to be willing to lose everything to get what you want, and I feel like that in every aspect of life, like, you playing it safe doesn’t work. Playing it safe might give you a safe life, but I don’t think it gives you an exceptional life. So, I felt like that was worth it, whatever the backlash was going to be. But I thought you were cool after, like, everyone was pretty chill. It was business, and I appreciate that. It was a rough time.”
Stephanie McMahon: “There were a lot of things happening at the time. So, I’m sure everyone can read into it however they wanted, but it was so important. It was a very important public-facing step.”
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If you use the quotes from this article, please credit What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon and give an H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription.
