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Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reported earlier today that there were a number of people within WWE upset with current WWE Divas champion AJ Lee for behavior backstage at this past Wednesday's Tribute to the Troops taping. Meltzer's report noted that Lee became unruly with NBC sports personality and WWE fan Michelle Beadle when she encountered Beadle and CM Punk (who Lee has been dating) talking backstage. Meltzer's report is that Lee allegedly became very irate and loud about the fact Beadle was speaking with Punk to the point that others backstage became distracted by the incident.
Beadle was at the event as the "official host" of the Tribute special, which will air in a few weeks on NBC and The USA Network.
PWInsider confirmed this afternoon that Meltzer's report was accurate in that the company was upset with Lee for several reasons, including "unprofessional conduct" with an invited guest of the company who works for WWE's NBC-Universal partner and because the incident took place at the Troops taping, which internally is considered one of the most important events of the year by Vince McMahon.
However, the word making the way among wrestlers backstage at TLC today was that Lee approached Beadle not out of jealousy but because Beadle had spoken to Punk in a disrespectful manner. The version wrestlers have been passing around is that Lee approached Beadle after Beadle had a conversation with CM Punk, not during a conversation between the two.
Beadle allegedly said something in a disrespectful manner that allegedly upset Punk, which led to Lee looking for her. That comment (we have heard several versions and can't confirm what it actually was) led to Lee telling Beadle that she was not to speak to Punk in such a manner again and if she did, there would be issues between the two. Beadle then reported the incident to WWE.
One wrestler who witnessed the incident "from ten feet away" denied that Lee ever raised her voice or cursed. "Anyone who said that is a liar," the wrestler, who spoke under condition of anonymity, commented.
However, since Beadle is a celebrity, there was (and may still be) heat on Lee over the situation since as the same wrestler commented, "Celebs are untouchable in the backstage scene. WWE wants them more than they need any wrestler, so automatically, the wrestler is going to be wrong here, even when [Lee] isn't really."
Beadle acknowledged the incident this afternoon on Twitter, writing in response to a pro-Lee fan, "Hon...it was done in front of company people. I didn't say a word. I thought it was a joke." She also made a reference to losing a "friend" due to "crazy girlfriend" syndrome.
CM Punk, while not acknowledging the situation directly, was apparently unhappy Lee ended up in hot water as well. He wrote on Twitter the day after the Troops taping, "It's difficult to always try to do business the proper way with a company that refuses to practice the same standards."
So, there's the entire story.
It should be interesting to see if there's any repercussions for Lee going forward. She is scheduled to defend the WWE Divas title against Natalya tonight.
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