It's been over a decade since AJ Lee stepped foot in a WWE ring, but The Geek Goddess is finally back, returning to World Wrestling Entertainment on the September 5, 2025 edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
Lee's last match took place on the night after WrestleMania 31, where she teamed with Paige to beat The Bella Twins. On Raw, they ran that back, throwing Naomi onto their team and Natalya to team with Brie Bella and Nikki Bella.
Lee stepped away from in-ring wrestling, retiring in part due to damage to her cervical spine as well as her husband, CM Punk, having issues with WWE that led to his departure months prior.
After her retirement, Lee transitioned into writing as her next chapter of her life, during which time she published a memoir, Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules, and did a series of different comic books including GLOW vs. The Babyface, work on a Dungeons & Dragons limited series, the Netflix film Blade of the 47 Ronin, and Wonder Woman: Black and Gold. Lee also served as an ambassador for several organizations (including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Jed Foundation, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
Six years after her in-ring retirement, Lee became an executive producer for Women of Wrestling (WOW), also providing color commentary, eventually leaving that company in 2023.
Lee's return to SmackDown tonight was facilitated through Becky Lynch interfering in the Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Clash in Paris, wherein she directly cost CM Punk the title. As Punk has been feuding with Lynch's husband and champion Seth Rollins, and continued to put her hands on Punk on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw, Punk sought out his wife to settle the issue and fight on his behalf, as he would not put his hands on a lady.
Lee came out to a huge pop from the Chicago crowd in the Allstate Arena and took out The Man to celebrate with her husband in the ring to end the show.
As of this publication, no official match has been announced between the two couples, but it can be safe to assume WWE will eventually make it official that a mixed tag team match will take place at WWE Wrestlepalooza on September 20, 2025 on ESPN.
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