AJ Lee has already proved her financial worth to WWE without making a single appearance for the company.
WWE insiders said AJ Lee’s return was ‘on the table’ after Becky Lynch screwed CM Punk against Seth Rollins at Clash in Paris.
The rumours proved to be true after Monday Night Raw in Paris, when CM Punk dropped massive hints about Lee’s WWE status.
It’s been widely reported that Lee will return on WWE SmackDown and the speculation alone has helped the company shift thousands of tickets.
AJ Lee’s return hype has helped WWE shift 1706 tickets in four days
Before major AJ Lee hints were dropped on WWE Raw, 14,325 had been sold for the WWE SmackDown at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois according to WrestleTix.
After a genuine hope that Lee would return for the first time in a decade, tickets for the event have flown out.
As of September 4, one day before the event, the tickets distributed have rocketed up to over 16,000 tickets.
With just 15 available tickets for the event, the hype around Lee’s return has helped shift an extra 1706 tickets to a near-enough sell out.
For reference, the only true sell-out United States TV tapings this year have been the shows featuring John Cena or Roman Reigns.
Of course, Cena is also advertised for the show, which has no doubt helped the ticket flow, but it’s also proof fans are incredibly excited about Lee’s potential first appearance in WWE for a decade.
WWE SmackDown could be on track for a $2.3m gate
Cory Hays, of Bodyslam.net has predicted even bigger things for Lee’s return WWE SmackDown in Rosemont, Illinois.
The journalist has predicted WWE will open up the other seats, which could mean they’re in for a huge gate on September 5.
Hays has suggested they’ll reach a $2.3 million gate for the show, which will be bigger and more lucrative than the last Chicago tapings in 2023 and 2024.
Lee is already proving her star power to WWE, and it’s proof that professional wrestling fans never forget their favourites throughout the year.