AJ Lee Arrives at WrestleMania 42 as Women's Intercontinental Champion
After more than ten years away from professional wrestling, AJ Lee is back — and this weekend, she will compete on the grandest stage the sport has to offer. Lee, one of the most beloved figures of the early 2010s WWE era, enters WrestleMania 42 as the Women's Intercontinental Champion, set to defend her title against Becky Lynch on Night 1 of the two-night event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18 and 19, 2026.
Lee has been direct about what this moment means to her. "For me, this is a very special WrestleMania because I have come out of retirement after a decade away," she told OK! Magazine. "The last time I had a title match at WrestleMania, I walked in and out as Divas Champion and beat the entire roster." Now, nearly ten years on, she is aiming to replicate that achievement — this time against a rival who has become one of the defining figures of the very revolution Lee helped spark.
A Rivalry With Personal and Historical Weight
The match with Lynch is not merely a championship contest. It carries a significant personal dimension. Lee defeated Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship just last month, and the two have been engaged in what Lee herself describes as a "long saga." "Becky started a fight with me and my family — I didn't start this, but I've finished it a few times," Lee told OK!. "I've made her tap out before, but she keeps coming back. I think I need to make her tap on the grandest stage of them all."
The animosity between the two women is also rooted in the dynamics of their respective households. Lee's husband, CM Punk, and Lynch's husband, Seth Rollins, have been entangled in a long-running feud on WWE television. Lee's return last September was directly tied to that rivalry, when she appeared on SmackDown in her adopted hometown of Chicago to team with Punk against Lynch and Rollins — a moment that had been partially foreshadowed by a social media slip but nonetheless generated enormous buzz among fans.
The Road Back: A Return More Than a Decade in the Making
Lee left WWE in 2015 following a string of injuries and after her husband's acrimonious departure from the company in 2014. Her exit was, in many ways, complete. She has spoken openly about removing herself entirely from the wrestling world during those years. "When I left, I did not keep in touch at all with wrestling," she told Uncrowned. "I was retired and that was it. When my husband came back was when I sort of started to see it on TV again."
That re-entry into the wrestling landscape, she says, gave her a unique vantage point. After years away, she was able to witness the transformation of the women's division — a transformation she had a direct hand in setting in motion. In February 2015, a tweet directed at Stephanie McMahon calling out the inequalities facing female talent in WWE sparked the #GiveDivasAChance movement, effectively accelerating what would become known as the Women's Revolution. The beneficiaries of that shift include Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Becky Lynch herself.
"They have grown into my wildest dreams," Lee told Uncrowned, reflecting on the current generation of women's wrestlers. "I knew what it was during mine and now to see what the women are doing now, it was like 'Woah, that is what evolution is all about.'" That sense of pride — and perhaps unfinished business — appears to have played a part in her decision to return. WrestleMania 42 marks what Lee calls a new chapter in a pattern she has come to embrace: "Ten years before that, I was just a kid in the nosebleed section knowing I was going to make it there one day. Every decade, I try to have a really cool WrestleMania moment."
The renewed spotlight on women's wrestling at this year's event also coincides with other high-profile storylines involving female talent — including Rhea Ripley, who has spoken publicly about personal struggles ahead of her own WrestleMania 42 appearance, underscoring the depth of the women's division heading into the event.
A 'Divas Era' Renaissance and What It Signals for WWE's Women's Division
Calls for Paige and Kaitlyn to Return
Lee's comeback appears to be part of a broader wave of nostalgia and renewed interest in wrestlers from the so-called Divas Era. During an interview with The Takedown on SI, Lee made an explicit call for two other former stars to join her. "I loved Paige. I think she's so talented. If I could bring somebody back, it would be her and Kaitlyn. Let's get them back," she said.
The timing of those remarks appears prescient. Reports have since emerged indicating that Saraya — the wrestler formerly known in WWE as Paige — has re-signed with the company and is expected to return alongside Brie Bella to challenge for the Women's Tag Team Championship, stepping in after Nikki Bella was ruled out with an injury.
What This Moment Could Mean for WWE's Long-Term Storytelling
Lee's presence at WrestleMania 42 is more than a feel-good comeback story. It represents a deliberate effort to bridge wrestling generations — connecting the passionate fanbase of the early 2010s with a current product that has grown significantly in production quality and storytelling ambition. "Divas are built different and we can stand the test of time," Lee said. "Our fan base from back then were so passionate about fighting for us to get more, and have very much changed the world with us."
For WWE, the return of figures like Lee, and potentially Saraya and Kaitlyn, offers both a commercial opportunity and a narrative thread that ties the company's present success to its recent past. Whether Lee leaves Las Vegas as champion or not, her WrestleMania 42 moment has already confirmed one thing: the appetite for Divas Era talent, when brought back at the right moment and in the right context, remains as strong as ever.
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