WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results and Recap: The Return of AJ Lee (September 5, 2025)

• Sami Zayn vs. John Cena ended in a no contest after interference by Brock Lesnar
• Aleister Black def. Damian Priest via pinfall
• Giulia def. Michin via pinfall to retain the Women's United States Championship

Here Are Your Key Moments From Friday Night SmackDown For September 5, 2025

• John Cena starts the show and the Chicago crowd goes crazy. Cena says he comes out and says he has nothing planned, and tonight he's just taking it in. He thanks the crowd for sticking with him through the entire run, roadblocks, and the pivots. Chicago cheers him again, and he says that he's not used to the cheers in Chicago, but the love is what makes the city special. Cena mentions his history with Chicago and how his career started there, famously smacking Kurt Angle in the face. He tells the fans to enjoy "one hell of a night" and before he leaves, Sami Zayn comes to the ring. Zayn says he started his career against John Cena in the U.S. Open Challenge, and he wants to pay it forward and carry on the tradition with the Sami Zayn U.S. Open Challenge and asks Cena for his permission to do so. Cena gives him his permission, but Zayn tells him not to leave too quickly. Zayn tells him if this is the last SmackDown Cena's ever on, he wants to wrestle him one last time in Chicago. Zayn tells him to fight right now, and Cena accepts.
• Following his interference in his match, Brock Lesnar is seen backstage and tells John Cena he'll see him at Wrestlepalooza, confirming their match at the event.
• Becky Lynch appears backstage, arriving at the arena, setting up another confrontation between her and CM Punk.
• Tiffany Stratton appears backstage to discuss her match next week against Jade Cargill. Stratton says Cargill loves to hear herself talk, but all the talk ends when the bell rings, and she won't have to worry about her foot up the ropes this time. Cargill is then seen backstage and confronted by Nia Jax, who Cargill promised a championship opportunity once she beat Stratton.
• Seth Rollins appears through the crowd and introduces his wife, the Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, after telling the Chicago crowd that the legend of CM Punk dies tonight. The crowd is loudly chanting for AJ Lee, and Becky Lynch scolds the crowd for doing so. Lynch insults all the Chicago sports teams and ends it by telling the crowd that "CM Punk sucks" which was followed by Punk's music. Punk says this isn't about her, it's about Rollins, but Lynch asks him if he's embarrassed for coming out. Punk calls Rollins a coward for hiding in a skybox, Paul Heyman, and The Vision. Punk says he'll give her a chance, but Lynch asks him how his face is feeling after she smacked him on Raw this past Monday. The crowd starts chanting AJ Lee again, to which Lynch tells the crowd to shut up. Punk tells her he has friends everywhere, including his sister in the crowd, Bayley, and Rhea Ripley. Lynch slaps him again and asks what he's going to do about it and says he has nobody to help him. Punk says he wanted to avoid this because he'd never put hands on a woman, but he has someone that would. AJ Lee appears and attacks Lynch before embracing Punk as the show ends.

AJ Lee Has Returned To WWE

AJ Lee has officially returned to WWE, ending a decade-long retirement, shocking the live Chicago crowd and thrilling the WWE Universe. She's now involved in the never-ending blood feud between CM Punk and Seth Rollins by smacking Becky Lynch across the face, and we could not be happier to see her back in WWE.

AJ Lee may be the final frontier of surprise wrestling returns, as fans have been consistently talking about her returning to a WWE ring since Punk returned in 2023. It's a much welcomed return for one of the most iconic women's wrestlers, and we're ready to see her pay back Lynch's transgressions against Punk at Monday NightRaw this week in the ring, presumably at the upcoming Wrestlepalooza.

John Cena vs. Sami Zayn Was An Absolute Banger And A Half

Not phoning it in on his last SmackDown appearance, John Cena put on another incredible match, this time with Sami Zayn. A pitch-perfect outing for Cena at a time when he had nothing left to prove, him and Zayn put on a banger and a half for the Chicago crowd, until Brock Lesnar interrupted the match. Lesnar quickly dispatched both the referee and Zayn, followed by two F5s to Cena and left him lying in the ring.

Cena and Zayn did an incredible job from both a technical and storytelling perspective, giving another installment in the second half of Cena's retirement run after his face turn prior to SummerSlam. Cena seems to be preparing for his Wrestlepalooza match with Lesnar, but we're really glad to see Cena give these flawless performances.