AJ Lee 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 Lee (real name, AJ Mendez) hasn't stepped back into the ring since.
She didn't join the Second City Saint in AEW and has yet to show up in WWE since Punk returned to the company at Survivor Series: WarGames at the end of 2023.
WWE, however, has sent speculation into overdrive with a post on its WWE Vault YouTube channel this week. The channel is dedicated to sharing "classic matches, hidden gems and never-before-seen footage," and ahead of Sunday's Evolution 2 PLE, they posted a video titled "Story of the rise of AJ Lee."
This comes shortly after a Divas Championship match pitting Lee against Paige was also published by WWE on the platform.
Meanwhile, in an interview with WWE Español, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Roxanne Perez said she's actively campaigning for a match with Lee (who had a WWE Hall of Fame-worthy career).
"That would have to be Roxanne Perez – The Prodigy – versus AJ Lee," Perez said of her dream bout. "I’m gonna keep trying until she gets back over here. I know someone who knows someone, but I’m still trying, I’m still trying."
Here's what Punk said about Lee's possible return during last summer's San Diego Comic-Con:
"I’m the wrong guy to ask those questions about. My stance—I know there’s a lot out there of that—but I certainly am not pushing her to do anything. I think she knows that there’s options. I think she sees how happy I am and how things are different."
"But if the right situation presented itself, it would have to be a discussion between her and certain people. I don’t necessarily want to be in the middle of that; just because it could get kind of weird. Selfishly, yes, I would love to make out with my wife on television again."
We'll see what happens, but these social media hints are undeniably intriguing and all eyes will be on Evolution 2 this weekend to see what happens. As always, you'll want to keep checking back here for updates.