AJ Lee on WWE return: ‘It had to feel brand new’
AJ Lee shared new details on how long she’s been considering an in-ring comeback during a recent interview.
Lee will wrestle her first match in 10 years on Saturday when she teams with her husband CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at WWE Wrestlepalooza. She told ESPN SportsCenter on Wednesday that the response to her WWE return has been humbling.
Lee said:
“I was sort of imagining what that moment could be like and I in no way anticipated the response would be as humbling and amazing as it has been. So I still feel a little bit like I’ve disassociated, I’m just imagining all this, and it’s been pretty cool.”
When asked what brought her out of retirement after a decade away from the ring, she said:
“It’s sort of been something that was in the air for the past couple of years as an option. However, when I retired, I was very comfortable staying retired and I felt very complete in my career. So I’ve always said to do something, to embark on a new journey, it has to feel brand new, it has to feel like I’m needed, it has to feel exciting and kind of scary. And so starting this new chapter on ESPN feels like a whole new mountain the company needs to climb and I was flattered that they believed that I could help sort of draw eyeballs in that way.”
Lee also addressed what facing Becky Lynch means to her.
“Also, Becky is very interesting to me. I think that she’s wonderful in the ring and we have a lot of similarities and she would not be an easy person to get back in the ring with.”
Lee was asked if she’s concerned about having ring rust when she wrestles on Saturday.
“I mean, yes. It’s been 10 years. I try to stretch as much as I can, but you don’t really know what’s going to happen when you get out there.”
Lee returned to WWE on the September 5, 2025 edition of SmackDown, held in Chicago. On WWE Raw on Monday, Lee took a Man-handle slam from Becky Lynch to close their segment with Punk and Seth Rollins.
AJ Lee’s full appearance on ESPN SportsCenter is available below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.