AJ Lee makes WWE return on SmackDown
After a week of speculation, AJ Lee has made her return to WWE.
The final segment of this week’s SmackDown saw Seth Rollins introduce his wife, Becky Lynch, who called out CM Punk. As Lynch became confrontational with Punk, he exited the ring and said he would never put his hands on a lady, but knew someone that would. That brought out Lee, who skipped to and around the ring to a massive reaction from the Chicago crowd. She soon confronted Lynch, taking her down with a Thesz press then sent her out of the ring with a slap. Punk and Lee hugged as the show came to a close.
After SmackDown had concluded, Lee grabbed the Women’s Intercontinental title that Lynch had left and posed with it.
Friday marked the first time in over ten years that Lee had stepped foot in a WWE ring, choosing to retire following WrestleMania 31 due to a neck injury. During her time away from wrestling, she began a writing career and also became an advocate for mental health awareness. She made a brief return in 2021 to join Women of Wrestling as an executive producer and color commentator before departing in 2023.
The build to Lee’s return began at Clash in Paris when Lynch cost Punk the World Heavyweight title to help her husband, Seth Rollins. On the following Raw, Lynch confronted Punk and slapped him repeatedly until he exited the ring and left. However, he made it clear backstage that he would be in Chicago for SmackDown.
