CM Punk has revealed that WWE always had a place for AJ Lee, even if an in-ring return wasn’t possible. Speaking with ESPN ahead of tonight’s Wrestlepalooza event, Punk explained that the company was open to bringing her back in a non-wrestling role long before her official comeback was confirmed.
“There were question marks about her health, her past issues with management, and whether a return to the ring was even possible,” Punk admitted. “But I think even if the door was closed for her to come back and be a competitor or be an on-screen talent, the idea was, ‘Hey, if you wanna do anything here—if there’s anything you wanna promote, if you wanna come back and be an ambassador—there’s a spot for you.’ I think the genesis of everything was just a conversation.”
AJ Lee retired in 2015 after a celebrated WWE run, citing injuries and a sense that she had already achieved her goals. In the years since, she became a published author and mental health advocate, largely distancing herself from wrestling. Her surprise return on the September 5 episode of SmackDown had been heavily teased, but still made waves given her decade-long absence.
Now, AJ Lee is set to wrestle her first match in over ten years tonight at Wrestlepalooza. She will team with her husband CM Punk in a mixed tag team clash against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, a marquee bout that adds another layer of history to WWE’s newest premium live event.
Cm Punk talks about what the process of getting AJ Lee back into the ring and back in WWE was like. #WrestlePalooza
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) September 19, 2025
