No matter if it took her over 3800 long days to finally make the call on reverting back to the squared circle, AJ Lee is back! The New Jersey native lit up the sold-out Allstate Arena last night on SmackDown by making over 16,000 people dance to her battle hymn. How did everything unfold? It started with Seth Rollins making his way out, but confining himself to one of the skyboxes.
‘The Architect’ claimed amidst a sea of Chi-Town fanatics that the legend of their hero CM Punk would die in front of every one of them. To do the honors, Rollins introduced Becky Lynch. As soon as her music fizzled out, the fans came beating down on ‘The Man’ with numerous AJ Lee chants.
The women’s IC champion called out the people of Chicago for their classic behavior and started disrespecting the city’s various sports teams, viz., the Blackhawks, the Cubs, and even the Bulls etc. After Lynch said that Punk also does suck, the latter interrupted the ‘Irish Lass Kicker’. She was wondering why the former AEW star was even there after the embarrassment he endured on this week’s Raw at the hands of Lynch.
AJ LEE IS BACK!!!!! pic.twitter.com/UPsT7EcVdE
— WWE (@WWE) September 6, 2025
Pretty much like she did on Monday, ‘Big Time Becks’ eventually unleashed a barrage of slaps on Punk. ‘The Cookie Master’ exited the ring in the same fashion as on Raw, but he had something up his sleeve this time around. Punk asserted that he would never put his hands on ladies. However, he had brought someone who very well could. And just as he said it, Lee’s music hit, and the place went absolutely bonkers.
The aforementioned appearance from AJ Lee was her first in WWE since March 2015. But what did she do on SmackDown? After soaking in the vociferous crowd reaction, ‘The Black Widow’ entered the ring with CM Punk looking at her like one proud husband. Becky Lynch seemed like she’d seen a ghost and was even begging for dear life. But Lee wasn’t buying any of that.
In fact, the ‘Crazy Chick’ made a beeline for ‘The Man’ and took her down. Lee unloaded a series of heavy punches on the Irishwoman. The former Divas Champion ultimately landed a smack across Lynch’s face. It avenged the amount of disrespect she’d hurled at her husband over the last week.
Mess with @cmpunk, you mess with AJ Lee! pic.twitter.com/VVKqL73BMx
— WWE (@WWE) September 6, 2025
On Raw, Punk promised to Lynch that he would make her pay for putting her hands on him, and that’s exactly what happened last night. With Lee now back in the fold to even up the odds for Punk against Rollins and Lynch, a mixed tag team match featuring these stars seems all but inevitable for Wrestlepalooza on September 20.
For those wondering if AJ Lee is back for a one-off program, there is some good news on that front. In a video clip posted by WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque on X, he could be seen greeting Lee backstage and taking her initials on a brand-new WWE contract. What else does one need to know apart from the fact that she has indeed put pen to paper?
The 38-year-old thanked ‘The Game’ for having her back after the latter expressed gratitude for Lee showing her trust in WWE once again. One could easily draw the excitement from the bliss oozing out of her face in the following interaction with the 14-time world champion. But as the latter phrased it, their conversation was merely the calm before the storm.
Ink to paper…the calm before the storm. pic.twitter.com/4fSMOwoUMm
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 6, 2025
What happened at the end of SmackDown is now etched in the history books and will be remembered as one of the greatest endings to a WWE show ever. The real-life AJ Mendez also got herself clicked with Punk and Levesque, with both men pointing their fingers at her in what’s referred to as Triple H’s signature finger-point gesture.
You can always come home…Welcome back @TheAJMendez! pic.twitter.com/NDPNKQVCj4
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 6, 2025
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