AJ Lee reveals the promise that finally made her say yes to a WWE return.
Conversations about a potential WWE return for the former Divas Champion started as soon as her husband CM Punk made his own return to the company back in 2023. It took almost 2 years before the wrestling veteran finally made her much-anticipated comeback, however.
During a recent interview with Mind Over Mountain, AJ Lee explained why she held off on the WWE return for so long despite the continuous buzz among fans. Lee said that she didn’t say yes immedietly because she didn’t want to mess up the wonderful career she had before:
I took a second. I took a minute. It wasn’t for me at first. I felt like I had such a wonderful career and I didn’t want to mess with that. I didn’t think that they needed me. It was kind of a ‘no’ for a while.
I Wasn’t Desperate For It: AJ Lee
AJ Lee made her WWE return in September 2025 and got involved in a rivalry with Becky Lynch and her husband Seth Rollins. She wrestled her first match in over 10 years at the WrestlePalooza PPV. The subsequent run included Lee competing in the Women’s WarGames match as well as holding the Women’s IC title before concluding things with one final encounter with Lynch at WrestleMania 42.
Revealing what finally made her say yes to the return run, the former Women’s IC Champion said that the officials assured her that her mental health was going to be a priority:
The more I talked to them…the biggest hesitation on my part was my mental health was so bad that last year. I was really afraid of backsliding because I had done ten years of work to get myself healthy and be happy in life.
Coming from a place of not having a list of things to check off and I wasn’t desperate for it, it was coming from a place that I’m so complete, whole, and happy. It was actually the perfect headspace to go in and feel healthy and safe. They very much told me that my mental health was going to be a priority.
The former champion also commented on the possibility of another WWE return. AJ said that she would consider coming back if there was a story that excited her or there was something new to do which she hadn’t done before.
