AJ Lee Makes Shocking Reveal About Her WWE Contract
AJ Lee has been featured on Episode 1 of WWE: Unreal’s Season 3.
Lee made her shocking return to the Stamford promotion on the September 5, 2025, edition of SmackDown after witnessing then-Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch physically assault CM Punk on multiple occasions.
Lee, who is a former 3-time WWE Divas Champion, retired from in-ring competition on April 3, 2015. Writing in her memoir, she revealed that sustaining permanent damage to her cervical spine was one of the reasons behind her decision.
Between 2021 and 2023, she joined Women of Wrestling (WOW), a Los Angeles-based women’s wrestling promotion, as an executive producer alongside Jeanie Buss.
AJ Lee then pursued her other interests, including writing non-fiction books while also dipping her toes into writing for television and advocating for mental health awareness and animal welfare.
Speaking to the Bella Twins recently on their podcast, the 39-year-old admitted that she never expected to make a comeback to WWE.
Did I ever think I was gonna come back? Oh, no. I think I was kind of wrap stuff up in such a perfect bow, it just felt like I didn’t wanna tarnish that in a way and it felt so completed, I didn’t feel like I had anything left to do, and then seeing how the business evolved, I kind of saw it, like, when you’re a senior in high school and you graduate, you’re like, ‘I hope those freshmen have better teachers. I hope they get a field…’
You don’t expect it for you. So it was just an extra wonderful surprise and a treat to be like, ‘Oh! I get to hang out with this new class? That’s awesome.’
AJ Lee’s WWE return also saw her compete in her first WarGames match, where her team, spearheaded by Rhea Ripley, won against the Asuka-led group.
AJ Lee Got Paid The Same Amount As CM Punk After WWE Return
During her first stint with WWE, AJ Lee had criticized the company for its hesitance in featuring female wrestlers extensively as well as unequal pay.
She had even called out Stephanie McMahon on Twitter in 2015 after McMahon extended her support for Patricia Arquette’s speech about the pay gap in Hollywood.
Lee wrote that despite some women in WWE selling record merchandise, they received a fraction of the wages and screen time as their male counterparts.
Her tweet transitioned into a revolution of sorts when the fans created the #GiveDivasAChance movement on social media, prompting the company to bring in necessary changes.
On Episode 1 of WWE: Unreal Season 3, AJ Lee spoke about re-signing with WWE after a decade, claiming that when she reported at the arena for her appearance, she did not even have a contract.
She went on to say that the most satisfactory element about her new contract was that she was getting paid the same amount as her husband, CM Punk.
One of the things I fought for back in the day wasn’t just for equal footing. 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’s getting paid, where I’m being treated like an equal, it was a boss-a** moment, I’m not gonna lie. [30:59 onward]
Lee has been on a hiatus since losing the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 42.