AJ Lee says her WWE return contract reflects just how much the industry has changed since her first run with the company.
Lee returned to WWE in September 2025, ending a decade-long absence after retiring in 2015. The newly released third season of WWE: Unreal on Netflix takes fans behind the scenes of her comeback, with Lee revealing that her new deal puts her on equal financial footing with WWE’s top male stars—something she spent years advocating for during her original run.
Reflecting on signing the contract, Lee admitted it was a milestone moment in her career.
“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 also acknowledged that she never expected to wrestle for WWE again after stepping away in 2015 to prioritize her physical and mental health before building a successful career as a writer. However, she said a phone call from Paul “Triple H” Levesque changed everything, giving her an opportunity to return and thank the fans who had supported her throughout her career.
Looking back on her first WWE run, Lee explained that she broke through during an era that wasn’t designed for someone like her, making the bond she formed with fans even more meaningful.
“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.”
Also during season three of WWE Unreal on Netflix, John Cena revealed why he told AJ Styles not to do a certain WWE legends move during their memorable bout with multiple tributes to wrestling legends.
WWE Unreal season three premiered on Netflix on July 21.
