What’s the story?
Former WWE Diva AJ Lee confirmed in a recent blog entry that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young adult. In her latest entry, she reflects on her lifelong battle with the mental condition and the effect it has had on her and her family members.
In case you didn’t know...
The 29-year-old April Mendez Brooks has always been open about her personal struggles and family dynamics since joining WWE back in 2009. She has frequently told a story about her family living out of motels, and even their car while she was growing up, and cites professional wrestling, video games and comic books as her primary escape from a difficult childhood.
In June of 2014 she married former WWE Champion and pro wrestling veteran Phil “CM Punk” Brooks. After winning the WWE Divas Championship three times, and even a run as Monday Night Raw general manager, Lee retired from wrestling in 2015, just days after defeating the Bella Twins at WrestleMania 31.
The heart of the matter
On her official blog at ajmendezbrooks.com, AJ Lee revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was “barely out of her teens”, having spent a lifetime watching family members struggle with the illness.
“When I was diagnosed I believed my illness would be my great, lifelong weakness. Bipolar Disorder was to be my impenetrable prison, and I would be locked up with it in a castle Princess Toadstool style. Thinking there was no way out, I let it consume me. After witnessing how powerfully it had ravished those I loved, I had assumed that was my only choice. To give in. To give up. I used it as a patsy for embarrassingly bad behavior and dangerous decision-making. I let it take everything until I had almost nothing left to give. I let it be my fatal flaw.”
Lee noted that her experience with bipolar disorder has not been all that bad, despite the sobering look inside her emotional state seen above. She has credited the illness with an increased level of empathy that has empowered her work with charitable organisations, as well as her career in wrestling. It is also the inspiration for her new book, which will “shine a light on mental illness” and encourage others to embrace their inner struggles.
What’s next?
AJ’s autobiography Crazy Is My Superpower will be available this April. It will go into detail on her childhood struggles, her family’s personal demons and her slow rise through the professional wrestling industry to become a WWE Superstar.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Lee has always been outspoken and open about her life, so her autobiography is definitely one to be excited about if you’re interested in her life or behind-the-scenes stories in wrestling. As a full-time writer diagnosed with bipolar disorder myself, I’m excited for the chance to read her story.
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