CM Punk reveals private conversation with AJ Lee leading to her WWE return

CM Punk found the perfect partner in AJ Lee for his feud against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The Second City Saint has shared what he told his wife leading up to her WWE return on September 5.

Ever since Punk returned to WWE in November 2023, Lee has been rumored to be coming out of retirement. Once Lynch got involved in Rollins' heated rivalry against Punk, it was only a matter of time before The Geek Goddess showed up in WWE for the first time in more than 10 years.

In an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday to promote Wrestlepalooza, CM Punk revealed her conversation with AJ Lee on why she should return to WWE. Punk mentioned things being different backstage, and there are a lot of current stars who looked up to her as an inspiration.

"It was one of those things where I told her that place was 180 degrees, maybe 360, I don't know, different than when she left it. All these wrestlers that really grew up watching her, got into the business because of her, were inspired to follow their dreams because she followed hers on such a grand stage. Like they were all in the company now, and I just thought it would have been a great way for her to see and understand how great she is and how much she's loved. So that’s the other fun part of being around and witnessing it. And I just had to kind of explain like, 'You got to see it to believe it,'" Punk said.

AJ Lee reportedly signed a multi-year contract with WWE and will be a full-time performer. Lee's first match since 2015 will be a mixed tag team match with CM Punk against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza.

---

AJ Lee jokingly ranked CM Punk as the third love of her life

As part of the Wrestlepalooza promotion, AJ Lee was on ESPN's Vice Check on Wednesday. Lee played the game Tag Team or Throwdown, getting asked what she will do based on the name given.

One of the names for the game was Katana from Mortal Kombat, with Lee freaking out and saying that she's the "love of her life." She even joked that Katana ranks first ahead of Larry and CM Punk, who are second and third, respectively.

"Tag team forever. Love of my life. It's Katana, then my dog Larry and then Phil since I think I just bumped in his list as well," Lee said.

AJ Lee was called The Geek Goddess for a reason. She's a huge fan of comic books and video games, unlike Punk, who is more of a sports fan.

---

Please give credit to ESPN's SportsCenter and Vibe Check and give a H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the quotes from this article.

Edited by JP David