To answer the headline to this story,
no.
The worst General Manager in history is Mike Adamle by a long shot. In
the aftermath of AJ Lee’s shocking resignation on Monday Night Raw,
however, it’s worth wondering where the now-former authority figure
would rank among the most ineffective and eccentric leaders in the
history of Monday night’s hottest show, including the likes of Eric
Bischoff, “Mr. Excitement” John Laurinaitis and that notorious
aforementioned mangler of monikers.
The reign of a Raw General
Manager averages to about 205 days, and although that time period isn’t
lengthy by any means, AJ Lee bowed out at 92 days — less than half the
average. Granted, AJ’s all-too-brief tenure as GM has been fraught with
peril since taking on these new responsibilities in July, but how many
of those problems were the result of AJ’s own unhinged decision-making
process? From attacking Vickie Guerrero to forcing Kane and her fiancé
Daniel Bryan to undergo anger management therapy to slapping Paul Heyman
across the face, AJ has made business
very personal on Raw, and the WWE Board of Directors has been keeping a
very close eye on her for good reason.
It
was AJ’s notorious inability to separate her business and personal
lives that would ultimately spell the end of her reign as Raw GM. On
Monday night, the feisty Diva — whom the WWE Board placed on probation
in early October — announced that her self-ousting is due to allegations
of fraternizing with a Superstar on the roster. (
WATCH |
PHOTOS)
That
Superstar was later revealed to be John Cena, who recently had a
“business dinner” with the Raw GM. Both AJ and the Cenation leader
denied that anything salacious transpired during or after that meal, but
Mr. McMahon affirmed that there was “incriminating evidence” that left
the WWE Board with no choice but to ask AJ for her resignation. This
conspicuous turn of events put Guerrero in place to serve as Raw’s
Managing Supervisor, a role that will no doubt work in her favor when a
new General Manager is ultimately appointed.
Coincidences are rare
in WWE, especially when The Queen Diva is involved, but what if there
was more to that dinner than AJ and Cena are letting on? If AJ’s
fraternization with Cena went beyond a mere business dinner — while she
was on probation, no less — then the title of “Worst GM Ever” just might
have a new No. 1 contender. (
POLL: WAS AJ LEE SET UP?)
Although
it remains unclear exactly what transpired during that evening repast
with the 12-time World Champion, the unorthodox Diva noted on Raw that
she’s aware that she’s been on thin ice for quite some time. With AJ’s
admission of her shortcomings, it’s difficult to blame her too harshly
for not living up to the loftiest of expectations. She might not have
made a major impact as Raw GM, but at least she never subjected the WWE
Universe to so-called “People Power,” interrupted Raw broadcasts with
incessant emails or waxed poetic about the likes of “MC Punk” or “Randy
Norton.” Sorry, Mr. Adamle.
So what’s next for AJ? The
unpredictable Diva explained on Raw that she’s gone “from being homeless
to being the boss,” due in no small part to her lifelong tenacity. Now
that AJ is no longer running Raw, her schedule has certainly opened up,
and judging by her hair-pulling brawl with Raw’s new Managing
Supervisor, her buttoned-up lifestyle has hardly hindered her fighting
spirit. Perhaps the most exciting chapter of the AJ Lee saga is about to
begin.\
