AJ Lee and Stephanie McMahon revisited one of the most talked-about moments of the Women’s Evolution during a heartfelt and candid conversation on Stephanie’s podcast. The two discussed AJ’s high-profile 2015 tweet calling out WWE’s treatment of its women’s roster — a moment many fans credit as a turning point in WWE history.
AJ’s original message, posted during a time when women were receiving drastically less TV time and significantly lower pay than male performers, read:
“Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times, @StephMcMahon And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster. #UseYourVoice”
During their conversation, AJ explained her mindset at the time, noting her natural directness and the sense that she had nothing left to lose.
AJ: “That to me felt, A, in general, I’m fairly direct. I try not to be rude. I think a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, I have no filter. It’s just an excuse for being rude.’ But I think you can be direct but very practical. And so I felt like it was coming from a practical place, very direct. But I also was a bit like, ‘I ain’t got nothing to lose right now.’”
Stephanie responded with praise for AJ’s courage and authenticity, acknowledging the role AJ played in sparking change — even if the tweet was directed at her.
Stephanie: “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. 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. To your point, I hate all the BS. Let’s just have the conversation.
“It’s funny because I was preparing for the interview and I was looking that up. That’s how I knew what it was. And I read all the backstage gossip about what happened. 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 I had direct control over. But I was really happy that you did because that movement I think 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… But then for our audience, when they started the hashtag ‘give divas a chance’ at that time, that’s what couldn’t be ignored. The audience would never have gotten behind the movement if it weren’t for people like you who actually stood up for women publicly. I mean, take on the machine a little bit. Great. You know?”
AJ closed the topic by emphasizing the belief that meaningful change requires sacrifice and risk.
AJ: “I appreciate that. I feel like change doesn’t happen unless there’s sacrifice, unless you have to be willing to everything to get what you want. I feel like that in every aspect of life, you playing it safe doesn’t work. Playing it safe might give you a safe life, but I don’t know if it gives you an exceptional life.
“I felt like that was worth it, whatever backlash was going to be. But I thought you were cool after. Everyone was pretty chill. It was business, and I appreciate that.”
AJ’s tweet — and the fan-led #GiveDivasAChance movement that followed — is widely remembered as a catalyst for WWE’s Women’s Evolution, leading to longer matches, more meaningful storylines, and eventually women headlining WrestleMania.
