Thought certainly tied to CM Punk’s monumental exit, and a touchstone moment for fans frustrated with the WWE product in the late aughts and much of the 2010s, AJ Lee’s 2015 WWE departure wasn’t as quite as earth-shaking as her husband’s. Especially after learning that her retirement was driven by a spine injury, Lee’s absence was more bittersweet — especially compared to the frustration and anger that seemed to be part of any discussion of Punk’s time on the sidelines.
So while Punk’s returns to wrestling in 2021 and to WWE in 2023 were heavy on catharsis, Lee’s return last night (Sept. 5) on SmackDown was mostly a celebration.
That continued after the cameras stopped rolling for USA Network and Netflix, with Chicago chanting “welcome back” as Lee skipped around with Becky Lynch’s Intercontinental title while Punk looked on in pride, love, and admiration as he sat in his signature cross-legged pose atop an announce desk.
That vibe was also present backstage, as she signed a contract during a meeting with her new boss…
Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque then got a couple versions of his signature pic with the latest star to come “home” to WWE: one with her hubby (and mixed tag partner) and one without:
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