By Jay’Mi Vazquez
Managing Editor
After nearly a decade away from the ring, AJ Lee has made her highly-anticipated return to WWE. While nostalgia is a powerful drug, it is not always enough to carry a character frozen in time.
There is no denying that AJ Lee is one of the most influential women in modern wrestling history.
Her “crazy chick” persona, her anti-diva edge and her genuine love for wrestling helped bridge the gap between the Divas Era and the Women’s Evolution.
But wrestling and AJ have changed, and pretending otherwise does not do her or the product any favors.
To address the elephant in the room: AJ Lee is older now. That is not a knock on her age, as experience and maturity are strengths for in-ring performance abilities, but trying to recreate the same quirky, manic energy she had in 2013 would feel off.
The skipping, the pigtails, the exaggerated facial expressions all worked when she was in her mid-20s and the women’s division lacked depth.
But in today’s WWE, with characters like Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky and Becky Lynch commanding the spotlight with authenticity and grit, AJ’s return feels like a cosplay of her former self rather than an evolution of it.
Wrestling fans are smarter now. They crave character development, growth and realism. Seeing a 38-year-old AJ still leaning into the same youthful gimmick, without any noticeable emotional or psychological evolution, cheapens what could have been a powerful, mature return.
There is room for veterans in the women’s division, but that room demands reinvention, something Trish Stratus and Lita understood well in their comebacks.
AJ, unfortunately, seems stuck in a time capsule. That said, her return is not without an upside. AJ Lee is a name that still sells merch, draws eyes and sparks conversations.
Her presence alone adds depth to the roster, and she has the mic skills and in-ring talent to hang with today’s elite.
Dream matches practically write themselves. AJ vs. Bayley, AJ vs. Asuka or even AJ vs. Liv Morgan would be beyond exciting to see.
There is even the potential of an on-screen feud with CM Punk’s enemies, tying her return to a bigger narrative arc. They are rolling out the Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch feud, but I would love to see other feuds rather than the overpushed “power couple” of Rollins and Lynch.
Yet, to make any of that meaningful, WWE and AJ herself need to recognize that time has passed. Fans do not want the same AJ Lee. They want a better, evolved version of her.
Give us a character who has lived through a decade away from the ring, who has scars and wisdom, who skips less and speaks more. Let her voice carry the weight of her legacy, not a gimmick that belonged to a different era.
AJ Lee’s return can work, but only if they stop pretending it is 2013.
