A decade gone, a Chicago roar
AJ Lee picked the loudest room possible to say "I’m back." Ten years after retiring from WWE, the former Divas Champion walked onto Friday Night SmackDown at the Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago and went straight at Becky Lynch. The timing wasn’t random. Days earlier in Paris, Lynch cost CM Punk the World Heavyweight Championship, and then doubled down by taunting him on Raw. On Friday, Punk answered — and then handed the mic, and the moment, to his wife.
The setup was classic Punk. Standing across from Lynch, he told the crowd he wouldn’t lay hands on a woman. “Thankfully,” he added, “I got somebody who will.” The arena lights shifted, the familiar music hit, and the place detonated. Lee — absent from WWE since April 2015 — marched to the ring and threw the first shot. Lynch didn’t stand down long, but the Women’s Intercontinental Champion eventually bailed, pulled back by her husband, Seth Rollins, as security swarmed the ropes.
On paper, it’s a simple beat: a return, a staredown, a brawl. In practice, it’s a pivot point. Lee’s comeback doesn’t just add star power; it reframes WWE’s hottest feud as a two-couple collision with real-life relationships braided into the story. Punk versus Rollins already sells. Add Lee versus Lynch, and you’ve got a main-event program across multiple divisions headed into the fall.
For Chicago fans, the scene carried extra weight. Punk cut his teeth here, and Lee — whose last WWE run ended while Punk was on the outs with the company — never got the hometown welcome-back moment. She got it Friday. It was loud, cathartic, and immediate. No speeches. No sentimental montage. Just action and a clear signal: she isn’t back to wave from the ramp.
Why this return matters — and what comes next
Lee’s exit in 2015 left unfinished business. Before the “Four Horsewomen” era took full flight, she was one of the few talents openly pushing for the women’s division to get more time and better stories. Her 2013 “pipebombshell” promo calling out the status quo set a tone that WWE eventually embraced. She held the Divas Championship three times and was often the sharpest talker in any segment she touched. Then she walked away, later citing injuries and new creative work outside the ring.
In the decade since, Lee didn’t disappear. She became a best-selling author and joined Women of Wrestling, the Jeanie Buss–owned promotion, in a behind-the-scenes and on-air role. She didn’t return to in-ring competition there, which made Friday’s physicality land harder. WWE didn’t announce contract terms on SmackDown, and there was no immediate match graphic. But if she’s cleared and committed, the matchup options line up fast.
Top of the list: Lee vs. Lynch, one-on-one. The contrast writes itself. Lynch is a made woman in this era — multi-time world champion, big-fight aura, and now carrying the Women’s Intercontinental title. Lee built her legend in a different era with speed, timing, and biting promos. Watching those styles clash has “premium live event” written all over it.
The other obvious play is a mixed tag: CM Punk and Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Lynch. WWE loves a big tentpole match that pulls in casual viewers, and a couples’ showdown does that without sacrificing title pictures elsewhere on the card. It also gives WWE flexibility. If Lee’s first full match needs to be more controlled, a mixed tag lets her get reps without absorbing 20 minutes of singles-match wear in her first night back.
There’s also the question of alignment. None of the four involved are cartoon heroes or villains right now. Punk’s refusal to strike Lynch was a deliberate choice to keep heat focused on the couples dynamic rather than blur it with a heel turn. Rollins’ protective pull-back of Lynch humanized him without lowering the stakes. WWE can lean either way week to week — Chicago cheered Lee as a conquering hero, but in other cities, Lynch will own the crowd. That push and pull is good TV.
In-ring rust is part of the conversation. Ten years is a long layoff, even for a gifted performer. The first physical exchange Friday was short by design: quick strikes, separation, retreat. Expect WWE to stretch this out with promos, cheap shots, and a contract signing before Lee takes on a full-length singles match. The goal is obvious — get to a big-city premium live event with the audience fully invested, not just curious.
From a business angle, the timing tracks. WWE tends to kick off fall story arcs right after a major international show, and Paris served as that pivot this year. Bringing back a name who still trends on nostalgia lists is a ratings lever, a ticket lever, and a social lever. Chicago delivered the noise. The next two weeks will tell us if the bounce holds in markets that don’t have a built-in Punk-and-Lee connection.
History matters here, too. Lee left not long after Punk’s 2014 fallout with WWE, and for years the idea of both returning under the same roof felt impossible. That’s changed. Punk rejoined in late 2023 and slid back into a headline role. Lee following him back now signals a level of trust on both sides — talent and company — that wasn’t present a decade ago. If it sticks, WWE adds another veteran voice to a women’s roster that already runs deep.
Three big questions will drive the next chapter:
- How fast does WWE move to an official match announcement? If they wait, expect more pull-apart brawls and backstage ambushes to keep the temperature high.
- Is Lee working part-time or a short arc? A short, high-impact run through the fall would still shift the division’s pecking order.
- Where does the World Heavyweight Championship fit? Punk got derailed in Paris. He’ll want a path back, which could intersect — or collide — with whatever Rollins and Lynch have planned.
And don’t overlook the Women’s Intercontinental title note. WWE introduced the belt to add mid-card stakes for the women’s division. If Lynch holds it while feuding with Lee, the company can layer in title defenses on TV to keep her active and dangerous, even as the personal story with Lee takes center stage. That’s how you stretch a feud without burning out the main match too soon.
Friday’s closing image told you what you needed to know: Punk standing tall in his city, Lee by his side, Rollins and Lynch backing up the ramp with eyes still locked on the ring. Nobody looked weak. Nobody got cooled off. It was the first step in a story that WWE can spin in three or four directions depending on health, crowd response, and the calendar.
Ten years is a long time to wait for payback. Chicago got the first piece of it. The rest of the tour now gets to decide how loud the echo will be.
