AJ Lee says WWE contract pays her the way CM Punk is being paid
When AJ Lee returned to WWE last year, she signed a contract that showed just how much things have changed since her first stint with the company.
Lee made her WWE return in September 2025, coming back to the promotion a decade after her 2015 retirement. The new season of WWE: Unreal debuted on Netflix today and delves into Lee’s return. She said the contract she received pays her in the same way top male stars in WWE are being paid, which is something Lee always fought for.
“One of the things I fought for back in the day wasn’t just for equal footing,” Lee said. “It was, ‘Let’s get paid the way the men get paid.’ To know I’m signing this contract where I am getting paid the way my husband [CM Punk is] getting paid, where I’m being treated like an equal, it was a boss-ass moment, I’m not going to lie.”
Lee said coming back to WWE is something she never expected to happen. She stepped away in 2015 due to her physical and mental health and found success outside of WWE as a writer. But when she received a call from Paul “Triple H” Levesque about returning, she thought this would be the perfect time to pay homage to the fans that have always had her back.
“To understand what my character was back in the day, you kid of have to understand the landscape. I came into a world that was bikini battle royals,” Lee said about her initial run. “There was no place for anyone who wasn’t a perfect 10 super model, and I was not bringing that. And I knew that coming in, and I’m proud to be a ‘Jersey 6,’ you know? I really had to fight and scratch and claw and prove myself to sort of get noticed. Unexpectedly, through that, the fans connected to me.”
AJ Lee’s WWE status —
Lee took a cautious approach to her WWE schedule after returning, making sure to protect her mental health. She had a reign as Women’s Intercontinental Champion before dropping the title to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42 this April. Since then, Lee has taken some time away from WWE but remains with the company ahead of an eventual return to the ring. She was at Fanatics Fest over the weekend and took part in a podcast recording on The Nikki & Brie Show.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.