AJ Lee Says Paige Returning to WWE Would Be “Heartwarming and Healing” for Her Personally

AJ Lee’s desire to see Paige back in WWE goes well beyond wanting another talented performer on the roster — it is personal, emotional, and rooted in one of the most meaningful relationships of her first run with the company. Speaking with Rick Ucchino for Sports Illustrated, Lee was asked about the possibility of a Paige return and responded with a warmth that made clear exactly what such a reunion would mean to her.

“It would be great. She’s so talented and I knew it from day one, and we always joke that I was her fairy godmother. And I just like took her under my wing and tried to protect her,” Lee said. She then described what seeing Paige back in WWE would feel like today. “And just to see her now would be just kind of heartwarming and healing and she’d be a great addition to the locker room, I think.”

Lee also took the opportunity to highlight how dramatically the women’s division environment has changed since both she and Paige were last competing — suggesting that the locker room Paige would be walking into now is fundamentally different from the one either of them knew during their original runs.

AJ Lee Says Today’s WWE Women’s Division Is Supportive and Fun in Ways It Wasn’t During Her First Run

“This place has really come a long way and the women work together so beautifully and they’re so supportive and I would love for her to experience just like how fun it is now,” Lee said. The comment carries significant context given the well-documented challenges that existed in WWE’s women’s division during the earlier parts of both Lee’s and Paige’s careers — making the cultural shift Lee describes feel all the more meaningful as an endorsement of where the division currently stands.

Paige retired from in-ring competition in 2018 due to a neck injury and has remained one of the most popular figures in wrestling circles despite her lengthy absence from the ring. Lee defends the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42 Night One on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — a match that will be the centerpiece of her current run and a direct continuation of the story that began when she and Lynch were reunited on the same roster upon Lee’s return.