AJ Lee, who returned to WWE in September 2025 after more than 10 years away from the ring, says she rarely watched wrestling during that long stretch.
In a recent interview, Lee explained that she tried to keep her distance from pro wrestling, since part of her first run in the business had not been a healthy time.
A lot of her heart was in wrestling, Lee said, but that period also came with problems, and she was not in a good place. That is why she did not want to keep up with the shows.
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3:32 PM · Sep 10, 2026The one time she did decide to watch a show CM Punk wrestled on, Lee really liked what she saw from the women’s division. Punk got hurt on that show, though, and she went back to avoiding wrestling.
Since her return last September, Lee has had one title run in WWE. She won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber this past February, then lost the title to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42 in April.
Lee is away from WWE programming again, but she said recently that she’s still open to another return if there’s a story that really interests her. Until then, she plans to keep working as a writer and stay ready.