AJ Lee def. Divas Champion Kaitlyn

CHICAGO — In the end, AJ Lee’s plan worked to perfection.

After successfully concluding a sinister plot against her former friend just six days ago, AJ Lee defeated Kaitlyn to win the Divas Championship before a capacity crowd during WWE Payback. AJ capitalized on a rare mental lapse by Kaitlyn that allowed the challenger to apply her Black Widow submission maneuver for the title-clinching victory Sunday evening inside Chicago’s Allstate Center.

Though AJ Lee officially earned the right to challenge for the Divas Title by winning a Battle Royal on Raw, the diabolical Diva tilted the odds in her favor by playing mind games with Kaitlyn in the weeks that followed. One week after AJ became the new No. 1 contender, Kaitlyn started receiving a series of gifts and texts from a secret admirer that, unfortunately for the powerhouse Diva, turned out to be a cruel hoax perpetrated by AJ Lee herself.

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The effects of AJ’s plot were immediate, as an emotional Kaitlyn promptly attacked her former Chickbuster partner and later struck a referee during a SmackDown TV taping, earning herself a $10,000 fine in the process. Kaitlyn would also carry that anguish into her match at WWE Payback.

Both Divas played to their strengths in the contest, with Kaitlyn calling upon her arsenal of power moves and AJ using her speed and agility to wear down the champion. AJ delivered several well-timed dropkicks, which were answered with a forceful clothesline or splash by the titleholder.

Momentum appeared to swing AJ’s way when Kaitlyn inadvertently removed the challenger’s studded belt from her tights. With the referee distracted, AJ nailed her former friend with the belt, but even that couldn’t clinch a win as Kaitlyn continued to power through the pain.

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Yet it was a rare moment of overconfidence by Kaitlyn that proved to be her undoing. After connecting her signature spear on AJ, the blonde grappler crawled over the challenger and blew her a kiss, which allowed her opponent enough time to recover and kick out of the ensuing pinfall. A second spear attempt left Kaitlyn barreling into the turnbuckle, enabling her rival to apply the Black Widow. Unable to find the strength, the powerhouse Diva succumbed to her rival’s submission maneuver by tapping out, conceding defeat and the Divas Title as a result.

With the victory, AJ Lee becomes the 15th Divas Champion in WWE history and the third to win the coveted title in Chicago. Kaitlyn, who was consoled after her heart-wrenching loss by former Divas Champions Layla, Natalya and Alicia Fox, officially concludes a championship reign of 153 days, which currently stands as the fourth longest Divas Title reign of all time.