Wrestling fans around the world got the shock of their lives when AJ Lee returned to WWE on September 5, 2025.
After ten long years away from the ring, the three-time Divas Champion came back to help her husband, CM Punk, in his feud with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The return sent shockwaves through social media and got over 89 million views in just 12 hours on WWE’s accounts. But one person was especially happy to see Lee back. Saraya, the former WWE Divas Champion known as Paige, sent a heartfelt message to her wrestling “sister” on X/Twitter.
F**k, my heart is so full watching @TheAJMendez come back. Love you sister. Go show ‘em why you’re the best in the world ❤️,” Saraya tweeted.
This tweet brought back memories of their incredible partnership from 2015. These two women have a special history together that spans over a decade. They started as bitter rivals in 2014 when Paige shocked the world by beating Lee for the Divas Championship on her main roster debut. The young English wrestler was just 21 years old and became the youngest Divas Champion in history.
The two continued their feud throughout 2014, trading wins and championship reigns. Lee won the title back, then Paige took it again at SummerSlam 2014 on her 22nd birthday. Their rivalry was fierce and personal, but everything changed in early 2015 when they decided to team up against a common enemy – The Bella Twins.
The Unlikely Partnership Between Paige and AJ Lee
Their partnership at WrestleMania 31 was pure magic. Over 70,000 fans watched as Lee and Paige put aside their differences to take on Nikki and Brie Bella. The unlikely duo worked perfectly together and won the match, showing that former rivals could become the strongest allies. The very next night on RAW, they had a six-woman tag team match that would sadly be Lee’s final wrestling match. Just days later, WWE announced that Lee was retiring from active competition due to neck injuries.
Now, with Lee back in WWE on a multi-year full-time contract, the timing seems perfect for Saraya to make her own return. The former AEW Women’s World Champion left Tony Khan’s company in March 2025. She won that title briefly in 2023 but lost it after just 44 days. As a three-time world champion with women’s titles in WWE and AEW, Saraya has proven herself as one of the best female wrestlers of her generation. Her return to WWE would complete a story that fans have waited ten years to see finished.