My Problem with AJ & Daniel Bryan

For several weeks now, the story line between AJ and Daniel Bryan in WWE has bothered me. But I couldn't really put my finger on it until last night right when I was about to go to sleep. If you watched RAW from 5/21, you would've seen AJ come up to CM Punk and say that she really liked watching Bryan getting beaten up by Kane and then by Punk. To which, Punk replied, "So you're a sadist?" Then she proceeded to cry after being called crazy, Punk hugged her, asked her to stop crying, which she stopped immediately. He said, "I kinda dig crazy chicks." And as he walked away, she looked bewildered, confused and upset.

What came to me last night was what AJ should've said when he asked if she was a sadist. She should have replied, very calmly and reasonably, what any woman would have said.

"No. I just enjoy seeing the man who tore my heart out and upended my world get a fraction of the pain that he dealt me." Or something along those lines. Because let's face it, when the man or woman that we are in love with rejects us (be it gently or harshly) one of our gut reactions is to hope that he/she feels as much pain as we do. And since Bryan isn't feeling the emotional pain AJ is, why not take enjoyment that he's in physical pain?

But no, they didn't go that route. Instead they seem to be heading further down the "AJ is a psycho ex-girlfriend" route. And that route bothers me. Why? Because I see myself in that role. I've been there, along with a lot of other women I'd imagine. And although I've harped on this before, it's just another example of how little WWE thinks of the women that they employ. The women have to fit into neat little boxes - Eve is the hoeski evil boss. AJ is the psycho ex-girlfriend. Layla's the spunky babyface that's freshly returned from injury and determined to prove herself worthy of being Divas champ. ...Actually that's it. The other women are interchangeable wrestlers. That might be the saddest, most telling point of all. None of the other women have any kind of point to them. The faces are smiley, the heels are ultra-serious. They're just there.

For me, however, I would rather see AJ be another faceless name than regulated to a role that is all too easy for women to be given. One person asked me what the difference was between this and Mickie/Trish. Well, for starters, Mickie was an obsessive fan that became a stalker, came on to Trish, was rejected and wound up taking the title from her. They were never a couple. Trish tried to treat her nicely and make it clear they were just friends but after Mickie came onto her, she rejected James. AJ and Bryan were a couple, and even though Bryan treated her like crap, AJ remained loyal. Even after Bryan so brutally dumped her. We always knew that Mickie was a little "off" but it's only since being rejected that AJ has started to show signs of not being "all there." So whereas I was okay with Mickie/Trish, I'm not okay with AJ/Bryan.

The boyfriend that uses the lovesick girl for his own means. The boyfriend that dumps her after a mistake that wasn't her fault. The boyfriend that keeps treating her like shit despite the fact she still loves him. These roles aren't good for either Bryan or AJ, although Bryan is hugely over despite being the heel, so I doubt he's complaining much.

At the end of the day, we are still seeing the tired old routine that we've seen in dozens of movies, songs, plays, etc. Girl goes off the deep end after being rejected by the man she loves. Being in love, having your heart broken and your whole life go upside down...it makes for great drama, but I watch wrestling to escape my problems for awhile. And when one of the women I'm a fan of is playing out something that I am still going through...it just makes me sad and reminds me of how strong the stereotype of the "psychotic ex" is still firmly attached to women.

I'm not psychotic. Nor are any of the other women who go through so much turmoil after a breakup. We are simply trying to find our way through one of the most traumatic experiences of our lives. That's all. And I'm tired of seeing it on television, let alone in something like wrestling that still has so many stereotypes tied into it. For my sake and the sake of the other women and men who dislike this story line, I sincerely hope it comes to an end soon.