AJ Lee to return as a surprise entrant in the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble? Exploring former WWE champion's prediction

AJ Lee is one of the stars who fans want to return to WWE Royal Rumble following CM Punk's return to the company in 2023. Interestingly, it looks like the audience is not the only one waiting for the former Divas Champion to return to action.

AJ was one of WWE's biggest divas in the 2010s and even one of the longest Divas Champions. She left the company in 2015 due to injuries and being caught between the company and her husband, CM Punk's, feud at the time. Many thought Lee's chances of returning were slim, but theories about her comeback began again after The Voice of the Voiceless returned in 2023. As this year's Royal Rumble nears, discussion about her comeback has begun again, with former superstar Layla El adding to the speculation.

While on Chairshot Sports, Layla predicted AJ Lee as her surprise and nostalgia entry for the Women's Royal Rumble. The LayCool member noted that since CM Punk is having a great time in WWE right now, there's a high chance that she will return and even predicted that they might end up in a "great" storyline at the end.

The former Divas Champion also noted that the Stamford-based promotion made a lot of references to her lately. There is Punk regularly referencing her on television and press conferences, then Michael Cole referring to the RAW star as "AJ Lee's husband."

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What did AJ Lee say about a potential WWE return in 2025?

Although the former Divas Champion hasn't wrestled since 2015, she has been involved in wrestling, such as serving as a producer and commentator for Women of Wrestling until 2023, and even starred as a wrestler in the TV series Heels. However, it seemed like the timing wasn't always right for the former star.

While talking with Freddie Prinze Jr. on Wrestling with Freddie, AJ said that although wrestling opportunities arose over the years, she felt like she had never been ready to grab them:

"Wrestling opportunities have popped up over the years and I've just never been ready for that," she addressed her return as an in-ring competitor. "I'm not sure like physically whether that fire is there. But the art of it has always been there."

It remains to be seen if fans will ever see the former superstar back on WWE television, especially with Royal Rumble approaching.