It didn’t take long for somebody to take a shot at the recently departed AJ Lee, as NXT commentator and superstar Alex Riley took to Twitter to poke fun at the former WWE Divas champion.
I just got 4-3-15 tattooed on my neck
— Alex Riley (@AlexRileyWWE) April 5, 2015
What the 33-year-old Riley is allegedly referring to is a tattoo that Lee got after winning her first Divas championship with the WWE. The tattoo is written in tally marks to commemorate the date of her triumph. The date in the aforementioned tweet is the date of Lee’s retirement from WWE being announced.
Lee, whose real name is April Mendez, spoke to WWE about the tattoo and the meaning it has to her after her first title win.
“When I was really young, my entire family was covered in tattoos, so it was okay to get one. But I knew, when I did get one, that I wanted it to be something important and special. So, at a very young age, I decided that I would get it when I won the title. I’m not a girly girl. And I didn’t want fancy script or a butterfly or anything like that on me. I wanted something surreal; something that showed time served. That’s why it’s in the style that it’s in. [The Divas Championship is] something that I worked for and spent a great deal of my time trying to get. It’s 14 years in the making, so, it’s supposed to be really cold. Just a mark of an accomplishment and now I move on.”
With the obvious meaning behind the tattoo and her loyal legion of fans, Riley has become a target of criticism on Twitter. The tweet earned the former “Apprentice” for The Miz to be one of the top trends on Twitter. The attention could turn out to be a positive for the former Boston College football player as he recently returned to the ring.
Having spent a majority of the past two years in a commentators role, Riley began an online movement by using the hashtag “#FreeRiley.” He continually voiced his displeasure with his position in the company and made it clear that he wanted to resume his in-ring career.
Riley’s return came on an edition of NXT in mid-March where he faced off against the also recently departed CJ Parker in a victorious outing. His next bout came against current NXT champion Kevin Owens in a losing effort. Riley was also one of the 30 entrants in this past Sunday’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 31 before being eliminated by Damien Mizdow.
Considering the fact that Lee is no longer a part of the roster after her retirement was announced, Riley’s comments will likely not put his job with the WWE in danger. However, he did himself no favors with the Twitter community, and AJ Lee fans, as critical response to his tweet continues.
[Image via WWE]
