Celebrity Idols - CM PUNK and AJ Lee

There are very few individuals who have as much an impact on my life than CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) have had. Both individuals were professional wrestlers in the WWE and were celebrated for their contributions to the wrestling world. The characters they played while wrestling, CM Punk and AJ Lee, quickly became celetoids (fictional characters becoming their own celebrities). My general passion for professional wrestling amplified significantly when these two came into my life. Now, I am not only a fan of the CM Punk and AJ Lee characters, but have also become big fans of Phil Brooks and AJ Mendez, the faces behind the characters. These two highlight the motifs of a celebrity Jo Littler discusses in her article (2015); ordinariness, luck (although CM Punk doesn't believe in luck), extraordinariness, and hard work). In demonstrating these motifs, both Phil Brooks and AJ Mendez have had a huge impact on my life.

“All a women needs to succeed is the guts to kick the door of opportunity open. All she needs is to be brave enough to be herself. For years people tried to quantify whatever formula had led to my unlikely success.... But the answer was simple. I didn't try to be anything but me" (Mendez, 2017, p. 264).

These two are my parents outside of my parents, my OTP, and my idols. I relate to both of them and share a lot of the same values they do. One major example of how they have influenced my life is in my straight edge lifestyle. CM Punk/Phil Brooks is one of the most well-known Straight Edge celebrities. He is extremely passionate about being Straight Edge and used his wrestling platform to talk about the influence that lifestyle has had on his life. I have never really been a fan of drinking or doing any drugs; as a result, I've been trivialized by individuals for not indulging in drinking or drugs. In watching CM Punk on tv, YouTube, and other platforms, I was able to find an accepting community of individuals who not only share a passion for wrestling, but also share a passion for being straight edge.

In watching and following both CM Punk/Phil Brooks and AJ Lee/AJ Mendez all these years, I have adopted a more confident, assertive and driven mindset in life. Not only do these two act as great inspiration for my wrestling aspirations, but also act as great inspirations for becoming the best version of myself.