AJ Lee's Real Name: April Jeanette Mendez
AJ Lee → April Jeanette Mendez
Quick answer: She wrestles as AJ Lee, and her real name is April Jeanette Mendez. ESPN's WWE profile says "April Jeanette Mendez is an American professional wrestler and author" who performs under the ring name AJ Lee, and gives her date of birth as March 19, 1987. Hudson County Truth independently gives the same name and date and says she was born in Union City, New Jersey.
Real name and early life
ESPN's profile identifies her as April Jeanette Mendez, lists "D.O.B.: March 19, 1987," and says she is billed from Union City, New Jersey. Hudson County Truth, a local New Jersey outlet, wrote in September 2025 that "April Jeanette Mendez—better known by her ring name AJ Lee—was born on March 19, 1987, in Union City." WWE's own superstar page lists her hometown as Union City and her height as 5 feet 2.
Hudson County Truth says she was the youngest of three children, grew up amid financial struggles, and was drawn to wrestling by age 12, encouraged by her brother's interest in WWE and inspired by Lita. It says she attended Memorial High School in West New York, New Jersey, and briefly studied film and television production at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts before leaving for family and financial reasons.
Career highlights
Hudson County Truth says she began wrestling in March 2007, trained under Jay Lethal, and worked New Jersey's independent circuit as "Miss April," winning tag team gold in Women Superstars Uncensored. ESPN also lists a WSU tag title and an FCW Divas Championship. The paper says she signed with WWE in May 2009, trained in Florida Championship Wrestling, and debuted on the third season of NXT in 2010, finishing third, which WWE's bio also notes.
ESPN and Hudson County Truth both say she won the WWE Divas Championship three times. Hudson County Truth says her reigns totalled 406 days and that she was named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Woman of the Year from 2012 to 2014. WWE's superstar page lists her career highlights as three Divas Championships and the Women's Intercontinental Championship.
Hudson County Truth says she retired in April 2015, citing lasting cervical spine injuries, and published the memoir Crazy Is My Superpower in 2017, which became a New York Times bestseller. It says she co-wrote the Netflix film Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022).
The paper says she returned to WWE on September 5, 2025, on Friday Night SmackDown, alongside her husband, CM Punk. ESPN says the pair defeated Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch by submission at Wrestlepalooza 2025.
Name notes for searchers
People looking up AJ Lee, April Mendez, April Jeanette Mendez, or "Miss April" are looking for the same wrestler. CM Punk is her husband's ring name.
FAQ
What is AJ Lee's real name?
April Jeanette Mendez, per ESPN and Hudson County Truth.
When and where was she born?
March 19, 1987, in Union City, New Jersey.
How many times was she Divas Champion?
Three times.
Did she come back to WWE?
Yes. She returned in September 2025.