As WWE wrestlers continue to break into mainstream acting roles, with the organization itself looking to expand into more programming, wrestlers new and old are popping up in projects everywhere. In this case, it's former WWE star AJ Lee that is capitalizing on the trend with a show of her own. AJ Mendez Brooks, whose name-change followed her marriage to former WWE superstar Phil Brooks (CM Punk), is teaming up with a production company to spin a potential television series out of her bestselling biography Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules.
AJ Mendez Brooks is partnering with producer Jeff Fisher and EUE/Sokolow, which produced the Nat Geo limited series Genius, _to make this crazy project happen. As mentioned, it will be based off Brooks' New York Times bestselling novel. which chronicles the former wrestler's upbringing through poverty, a history of abuse, and struggles with mental illness. While _Crazy Is my Superpower tackles some very heavy subject matter, it also chronicles how Brooks triumphed over her struggles and became a successful wrestler and author, turning AJ Lee into a name known to millions. She will serve as an executive producer on the untitled project, as well as a writer.
With AJ Mendez Brooks looking to bring the biographical story of her career to a new medium, it will be interesting to see how much is said about her career in the WWE, assuming the project gets to that point. Mendez Brooks retired from the WWE in the midst of a legal dispute between the company and her husband over several issues. That battle has been raging since CM Punk left the company in 2014, and court proceedings between the two parties are expected to continue in 2018. Given those difficulties, it's likely the WWE will not allow Mendez Brooks to use its likeness in the project, or anything else that might allude to the company if it can be helped. Not that a fictional wrestling federation couldn't be used as an alternative.
However it goes, it's probably not so big an issue to anyone involved in the project, as both sides almost definitely went into this deal knowing that could be a barrier. While she's been out of the WWE since 2015, AJ Mendez Brooks still has quite the following in the wrestling community. With around 4.86 million Twitter followers, she should have no problem getting the word out about the potential new series to fans without ever appearing in a WWE wrestling ring.
AJ Mendez Brooks' untitled project does not have a release date or network attached at this time. For more on upcoming programming before the year ends, head on over to CinemaBlend's fall premiere guide. For a glance into the future of television, our midseason premiere guide is a great source to bookmark for those who can't wait to see their favorite shows return. Finally, anyone curious as to which shows were cancelled in 2017 can find out by visiting our cancellation guide.
