AJ Lee’s WWE Contract and Future After Beating Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza

AJ Lee and CM Punk put up a great show at Wrestlepalooza as ‘The Black Widow’ won her comeback match. But will she wrestle after the PLE?

AJ Lee and CM PunkCredit:- WWE.

WWE Superstar AJ Lee teamed up with CM Punk to defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza.

Lee made ‘The Man’ tap out to her signature submission hold, The Black Widow, to win her first WWE match in over ten years.

But is this it for ‘AJ’ or will she wrestle more matches after tonight’s premium live event?

Fortunately for the WWE Universe, the answer is yes.

Moreover, AJ Lee won’t just be making appearances on a select few occasions.

As reported by Bodyslam, the 38-year-old has notably ended her pro wrestling retirement by signing a multi-year contract.

‘AJ’ will also be in WWE full-time, which means she can be a part of the active programming almost every week throughout the year.

Triple H had even posted a video of Lee signing her new contract on his official account.

Ink to paper…the calm before the storm.

pic.twitter.com/4fSMOwoUMm

— Triple H (@TripleH) September 6, 2025

The video was shot ahead of ‘The Black Widow’ ending her 10-year absence on the September 5, 2025, episode of SmackDown.

Interestingly, AJ Lee also seems to have acquired her next target in WWE after Wrestlepalooza.

AJ Lee Could Aim for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship

AJ Lee posing with the Women's Intercontinental Championship along with CM Punk (Smackdown, September 5, 2025)
AJ Lee speaks to the fans on WWE RAW (September 8, 2025)

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AJ Lee waving at Becky Lynch after making her return on SmackDown (September 5, 2025)

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AJ Lee with The Black Widow submission move on Becky Lynch and CM Punk with the Sharpshooter submission move on Seth Rollins at WWE Wrestlepalooza (September 20, 2025)

As mentioned earlier, AJ Lee made her return on SmackDown on September 5.

The blue-branded episode ended with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins fleeing the arena as the duo of Lee and CM Punk drove them out of the ring.

Interestingly, in her hurry to leave, ‘The Man’ forgot her Women’s Intercontinental Championship behind.

Not missing the chance, AJ Lee picked up the title and held it above her head before the roaring fans of Chicago.

The 38-year-old star paraded around with the belt and even ran back to the ring to pose with the belt a few more times.

The following week, the former three-time Divas Champion made an appearance on Monday Night RAW while wearing the Women’s IC title around her waist.

She gave her first address to the WWE Universe while wearing the belt before Becky Lynch interrupted her segment to demand the title back.

While AJ Lee did give the title back, she used it as leverage to make Lynch and Seth Rollins agree to a mixed tag team match for Wrestlepalooza.

Now that Lee has a win over the Irishwoman, she has strong chances of becoming the number one contender for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Since ‘AJ’ made ‘Big Time Becks’ tap out to her submission move at Wrestlepalooza, there is a chance that she could achieve the feat once again.

Thus, Lee stands a chance to dethrone Lynch and become the new Women’s IC Champ, becoming the title’s third holder.

AJ Lee Could Also Revisit an Old Rivalry

AJ Lee firing shots at Nikki Bella and the other members of the show Total Divas (RAW, August 26, 2013)

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AJ Lee and Paige interrupting Nikki Bella's interview (SmackDown, September 12, 2014)

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Nikki Bella versus AJ Lee for the Divas Championship at the 2014 WWE TLC

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AJ Lee makes Nikki Bella tap out to the Black Widow submission move at WrestleMania 31

Aside from Becky Lynch, AJ Lee could also end up locking horns with Nikki Bella.

The Bella Twin was a key rival in Lee’s career before the 38-year-old called it quits with WWE and pro wrestling ten years ago.

Lee’s last two matches saw her facing Bella at WrestleMania 31 and the RAW episode following WM31, winning both the tag team matches.

Bella even slighted Lee’s record for the longest Divas Championship run of 295 days via her own title run of 301 days.

S. no,
Timeline event in AJ Lee’s WWE career
Date/period

1
FCW debut
August 14, 2009

2
FCW Divas Championship
December 16, 2010 (112 days)

3
WWE main roster debut
May 27, 2011 (SmackDown)

4
Divas Championship
June 16, 2013 (295 days)

5
Divas Championship (2nd reign)
June 30, 2014 (47 days)

6
Divas Championship (3rd reign)
Sept 21, 2014 (63 days)

7
Slammy Award for Diva of the Year
2012 and 2014

8
Last WWE match before retirement
March 30, 2015 (RAW after WrestleMania 31)

9
Return to WWE
September 5, 2025 (SmackDown)

10
Mixed tag team match win (CM Punk and AJ Lee vs Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins
September 20, 2025 (Wrestlepalooza)

The two veterans have a long and storied history and have also spat several venomous words against each other during their rivalry.

It should also be noted that Nikki Bella is also after the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

However, she couldn’t capitalize on her title shot against Becky Lynch at the 2025 Clash in Paris.

Do you think the Women’s Intercontinental Championship is the next destination for AJ Lee?

Or will WWE make her compete against other superstars of the current era before giving her a title match against Becky Lynch, since Lee is a full-timer?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.