AJ Lee made her long-awaited return to WWE on the September 5 edition of SmackDown, instantly igniting fan excitement and headlines. While her real-life husband CM Punk shared the moment on screen, he later emphasized that the comeback, and the spotlight, belonged entirely to Lee.
“She’s on a pedestal for a reason, and the spotlight when she came back was 100% hers,” Punk said on Sam Roberts’ Show. “This is you coming back to sit under the shade of trees that you planted 12 years ago.”
Lee’s return matters because it validates the long-term impact of her original run, during which she became a three-time Divas Champion and a two-time Slammy Award winner for Divas of the Year, inspiring a generation that now fills WWE’s women’s division. Since resurfacing, Lee has already delivered marquee performances, teaming with Punk to defeat Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins at Wrestlepalooza, then winning Women’s WarGames at Survivor Series alongside Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair.
With her third match yet to be announced, the anticipation now centers on how WWE will build next on Lee’s momentum, and whether the platform she helped create will continue to elevate her legacy in the months ahead.
