Paul Heyman Breaks Silence on AJ Lee’s WWE Return
How does Paul Heyman feel about AJ Lee’s return to WWE?
AJ Lee wrestled her last match on March 30, 2015, on Monday Night Raw, teaming with Paige and Naomi to defeat the Bella Twins and Natalya in a six-woman tag team match. She left WWE shortly afterward, officially retiring from in-ring wrestling on April 3, 2015, less than a week after her last match.
Her retirement was due to serious injuries, as she suffered permanent cervical spine damage during her wrestling career. Doctors advised against competing, as it could have put her long-term health at risk. In interviews and her memoir, The Geek Goddess explained how heart-wrenching this decision was, as wrestling was her dream job.
After a decade away, AJ Lee made her much-anticipated return on the September 5, 2025, episode of SmackDown in Chicago. She confronted Lynch and attacked her for laying hands on her husband. The show ended with Lee in the ring, celebrating with CM Punk, while Rollins and Lynch retreated up the ramp. Off-air, she paraded around with The Man’s championship belt, suggesting she could be eyeing a run for the title herself.
On the following Raw episode (September 8), Lee and Punk threw down a challenge to “the power couple” Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, leading to a highly anticipated Mixed Tag Team Match at Wrestlepalooza, scheduled for September 20, 2025.
Then, on the September 15 episode of Raw, AJ Lee and CM Punk confronted Rollins and Lynch in the ring in a heated segment. Lynch and Rollins pretended to argue, only to distract The Black Widow. When CM Punk moved in on The Visionary, Becky Lynch seized the moment to hit AJ Lee with the Manhandle Slam, flooring her for the first time since her return.
AJ Lee is not on the same level as Becky Lynch
Days before the WWE’s inaugural Wrestlepalooza event, Rollins and his Oracle, Paul Heyman, sat down for an interview with ESPN’s First Take. During the interview, Heyman shared whether he’ll be ringside to support Rollins and Lynch at the PLE.
“Hell of a cliffhanger. I’m always comfortable ringside with Seth freaking Rollins. Maybe the strategy calls for me to be elsewhere at that moment. Maybe the strategy calls me to be ringside at the moment.
The ex-Wiseman also spoke about Lee’s return to WWE and what he thinks of her.
I actually think this is a complete misuse of CM Punk’s family, to be very honest with you. I don’t think AJ Lee is in the league of the greatest woman’s wrestler of all time, Becky Lynch, the first woman to ever main event WrestleMania and win, by the way. She won the match, didn’t just main event it, she won the match against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. I think it should simply be Seth Rollins versus CM Punk and the loser keeps AJ.”
H/T: Fightful