WWE Almost Confirms AJ Lee’s Return On The Upcoming SmackDown

Everyone is waiting for the September 5 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, which will take place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago. After all, fans are anticipating AJ Lee’s return, after 10 years of staying out of the business.

In the past, many have wondered about the idea of Lee returning for one more run. At that time, these were nothing but speculations. But things are different now. There are actually solid reasons to believe AJ Lee is finally returning to WWE.

And the company might have spoiled her return themselves on social media.

AJ Lee Is Reportedly Returning To WWE This Year

At Clash in Paris, CM Punk wrestled Seth Rollins, LA Knight, and Jey Uso in a fatal four-way match for Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship. Towards the end of this match, something shocking happened.

A masked person came to Rollins’ rescue, and it was quickly revealed to be his wife, Becky Lynch. Of course, Punk can’t take revenge on Lynch himself for costing him the World Title opportunity. That’s when fans started thinking: what if this leads to AJ Lee’s return?

Even after his defeat, as Punk was walking up the ramp, a fan poster that said “Punk bring back AJ Lee” caught his attention. It seemed like he was actually thinking about it. On the next Raw, Becky Lynch even slapped Punk which fueled the rumors even more.

Now, the stage is already set for Lee’s return, and the rumor mill also suggests she’s coming soon. CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch seems to be the plan for WWE’s Wrestlepalooza PLE, according to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live.

And according to Fightful Select, this probably wouldn’t be a one-time deal for Lee.

“WWE is planning an AJ Lee return to the ring at WrestlePalooza, and a return on-screen imminently. It was heavily implied by WWE sources that AJ would be appearing or referenced on this week’s Smackdown, which seems like a forgone conclusion at this point.

We were told this isn’t necessarily a one-off, and that WWE hopes that they can do more with her, but even if that’s it, they’re happy to have her involved again. There are many staff and talent who spoke to us about Lee, and said that they hadn’t spoken to her or seen her since she left, but that she maintained very pleasant exchanges with them over the years.

There were a number of women’s wrestlers specifically who grew up on AJ Lee who were very excited. One veteran that actually never got to work with AJ said that they were shocked it happened, because CM Punk would usually dismiss when he would be needled about it, but they felt like that was more of him being respectful and supportive of whatever his wife wanted.”

WWE Shop Almost Confirmed AJ Lee’s Return On SmackDown

The WWE Shop account responded to an inquiry regarding AJ Lee merchandise:

“With AJ Lee’s return to the ring, we are looking to have some 🔥 gear hopefully in time for Wrestlepalooza.”

Uhhhh 😭 pic.twitter.com/2H9t3VcGOd

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) September 3, 2025

To add more fuel to the rumors, WWEShop on Twitter all but confirmed Lee’s upcoming return on SmackDown. A fan asked for Lee’s merch for the Friday event, and WWEShop responded:

 “Hey there! Of course, we wouldn’t expect that. With AJ Lee’s return to the ring, we are looking to have some gear hopefully in time for Wrestlepalooza. Be sure you’re signed up for emails and get the latest updates on new live inventory. Happy shopping!”

This response was later deleted by their social media staff, but fans were quick enough to save screenshots of it and share online. So far, many wrestling insiders have confirmed Lee’s return, and WWEShop’s tweet simply put the final seal on it. Fans are now eagerly waiting for SmackDown to see if Lee actually returns. 

Main image credit: IMAGO / Dreamstime