AJ Lee IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

WWE May Have Spoiled AJ Lee's Upcoming Return

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 6:45 AM ET

One of WWE's most popular women's wrestlers of all time is seemingly ready to return to the ring after a decade away, and the company isn't exactly hiding that it is set to happen.

At the end of WWE Clash in Paris, CM Punk was hit with a low blow by Becky Lynch. This allowed Seth Rollins to capitalize and retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The angle was done to set up a major match for the upcoming WWE WrestlePalooza show in Indianapolis on Sept. 20, a show that will go head-to-head with AEW All Out.

An interaction between Lynch and Punk on Monday Night Raw only further teased a mixed-tag match between the two sides, with the internet speculating that AJ Lee, Punk's real-life wife, could be on her way back to the ring. A report on Tuesday night would confirm she was set to return to WWE imminently.

X/@WWEShop

Responding to a fan asking for AJ Lee merch, the official WWE Shop X handle appeared to signal Lee would be coming back to WWE, referencing her upcoming "return to the ring."

WWE's official main account has not commented on this so far, and later Wednesday morning, the post from the WWE Shop account was deleted.

A Long-Awaited Return

WWE

Lee was one of the faces of WWE television from 2012 through 2015, as she broke out of obscurity and became a critical piece of helping WWE's women's division acquire more television time.

Her affiliation with Daniel Bryan as he became one of WWE's hottest acts led to her receiving more face time on-screen, and she made the most of it by adopting an unpredictable character who would go on to align with other top WWE stars like John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, and of course, CM Punk.

Lee would also enjoy a tenure as the general manager of Monday Night Raw, before retiring from ring action in 2015. Notably, after Punk left WWE in 2014, he claims he was fired officially by the company on the day he married her.

The 38-year-old last wrestled the weekend of WrestleMania 31, teaming with Paige against The Bella Twins in a winning effort on the main show and then participating in a six-woman tag the next night. She would make a brief return to wrestling in 2021, serving as an executive producer for the Women of Wrestling series for two years before stepping away.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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