AJ Lee looks set to return to WWE for the first time in a decade, but she thought her career was over during her first run with the company.
AJ Lee looks set to team with CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at WWE’s Wrestlepalooza on September 20.
Lynch referenced AJ Lee’s WWE return on Raw, while Punk teased an announcement during his appearance on SmackDown in Chicago on September 5.
Lee thought her WWE career was over after a ‘scary slip-up’ led to the star thinking she was paralysed.
AJ Lee was nearly paralysed inside a WWE ring
Lee stepped away from professional wrestling in 2015 for a multitude of reasons, one of which was a string of injury troubles.
The star spent several months on the shelf due to neck and back issues, including a scary slip-up where she feared for her career.
“I thought I was paralysed, which was the scariest thing ever,” Lee revealed in a 2022 interview on The Sessions with Renee Paquette.
The moment happened during a match with Paige on WWE Raw in 2014, which saw Lee land on the top of her head. “I f—– up her move,” the three-time Divas Champion explained. I couldn’t feel my legs.”
The in-ring mistake led to multiple problems for the WWE icon, and she still suffers from the long-term effects.
“My hands just go numb randomly,” explained Lee, whose professional wrestling return looks all-but-confirmed.
AJ Lee could stay in WWE long after Wrestlepalooza
Lee’s first match in a decade might not be her last, as there have been reports that the star could stick around in WWE.
Sean Ross Sapp, of Fightful Select, said sources have told him that “AJ Lee’s return could end up being more than a one off.”
Lee’s match alongside Punk against Lynch and Rollins will be her first WWE match since a WWE Raw episode on March 30, 2015.
The star teamed with Paige and Naomi to take on The Bella Twins and Natalya, which saw Lee pick up the win.