Was CM Punk not the reason behind AJ Lee’s return? On September 18, 2025, the 3-time Divas Champion appeared as a guest on ESPN, talking about the primary factors that lured her into her WWE return. Many would expect that her husband’s intense rivalry with Seth Rollins would be the cause, but it was not.
On the contrary, it was Becky Lynch who convinced her to return inside the squared circle. During the interview, she discussed how she found ‘The Man’ to be “very interesting” and how he got her excited, forcing her to come out of retirement after a decade. She said,
Becky is very interesting to me. I think that she’s wonderful in the ring, and we have a lot of similarities. And she would not be an easy person to get back in the ring with. So that was exciting.
Nevertheless, this Sunday, fans will finally get to see her in action at Wrestlepalooza. After all, she will be part of the Mixed Tag Team Match with her husband, CM Punk, in her corner against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
Will WWE Feature AJ Lee in a Storyline Against Becky Lynch?
The return of AJ Lee in WWE was no less than phenomenal, making the crowd go wild on SmackDown. Her return meant that she would become a part of the Mixed Tag Team Match that fans have been anticipating for so long. Interestingly enough, reports soon started to emerge on how WWE had long-term plans for her and how the match at Wrestlepalooza
She said in the interview with ESPN that she was intrigued by Becky Lynch’s return for some in-ring action. Hence, we can expect that soon after their match at Wrestlepalooza, Lee will be coming for the Women’s IC title. Moreover, on this week’s RAW, we witnessed how ‘The Irish Lasskicker’ delivered a Manhandle Slam to her. Though this was part of their promo face-off segment, WWE tends to sow the seeds of rivalry early on.
To make it all the more possible, last week, she skipped her way to the ring, wearing the IC title, which she used as leverage to compel Seth Rollins to their match this Sunday. Now, if we connect the dots, we can expect that the company will switch the champions, with CM Punk becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion and Lee becoming the new Women’s IC Champion. Thus, making them the new power couple of WWE.
AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch: Who Had a Better Run in WWE?
The idea of AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch does have a ring to it, as both women are massive figures in women’s wrestling. However, both women have been part of different eras of women’s wrestling in WWE. This makes us wonder which one of the two women had a more successful time during their time in the wrestling promotion brand.
Here’s a table featuring the achievements of both women wrestlers. Check out the table below:
It is quite evident that Lynch has won a greater variety of women’s championships, and it is the result of different eras of women’s wrestling. Though ‘The Crazy Chick’ was forced to retire due to permanent damage to her cervical spine and suffering several concussions, otherwise, she would have been around to win several championships.
Lee has been part of several intense rivalries with some notable names like The Bella Twins (Nikki Bella and Brie Bella), Paige, and Natalya, and has come out on top. It should also be noted that the 3-time Divas Champion has helped in uplifting the women’s division with her Pipe Bombshell promo, making the fans genuinely interested in women’s matches rather than some raunchy scenes.
As a result, Becky Lynch’s success in WWE is indirectly a result of AJ Lee, making her time in the wrestling promotion brand more successful, all while winning fewer titles.
With AJ Lee finding Becky Lynch as an interesting wrestler, do you think WWE should bank on the idea of developing a rivalry between them? Let us know in the comments below!
Wrestlepalooza can be streamed live on September 20, 2025, at 7 ET/4 PT, exclusively on ESPN (USA) and Netflix globally.