AJ Lee (now known as AJ Mendez) will go down as one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time and while it's a shame that her WWE run didn't last a little longer, her eventually going into the WWE Hall of Fame is a given.
She played a crucial role in changing the perception of female wrestlers in WWE, and fans were devastated when she left the company in 2015. Of course, given how they'd treated her husband, CM Punk, that wasn't overly surprising and Mendez hasn't stepped back into the ring since.
Earlier this week, an Instagram post (see below) shared by the former WWE Divas Champion wowed fans after showing off her incredible physique.
As you might expect, this led to speculation Mendez might be coming out of retirement, possibly joining CM Punk in AEW.
Unfortunately, she's already debunked that with a follow-up post (which can also be seen below) in which Mendez makes it clear she's a "retired athlete." If you're wondering why that is, back in 2021, Punk confirmed she has serious neck issues and to wrestle again could put her at serious risk.
Lee hasn't competed since the March 30, 2015 episode of RAW where she teamed with Paige and Naomi to defeat The Bella Twins and Natalya. That came the night after WrestleMania, a PPV that saw her and Paige beat Nikki and Brie in a tag team match.
Mendez has actually been busy with a writing career since leaving the world of pro wrestling behind, so there's no real need for her to step back into the ring unless she's desperate to. We will, however, see her in the upcoming second season of Starz's Heels!
A first look at her character in the show can also be found below.