AJ Lee’s return on SmackDown has sent the pro wrestling world wild, and one of her longtime rivals has talked up two more former WWE stars re-joining the company. The 38-year-old had repeatedly said “never say never” when asked about returning to the squared circle, and she has now followed in her husband, CM Punk’s, footsteps.
Nikki Bella Teases Two More WWE Returns
AJ Lee’s return lit up Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, and remains the hottest topic of discussion among fans and WWE talent. CM Punk has posted an Instagram story of himself listening to her ‘Let’s Light It Up’ theme song while driving, and her past and present colleagues have been in a celebratory mood.
Cory Hays of BodySlam reported that “multiple returns to WWE TV are on the horizon”, shortly after the former three-time Divas Champion came to Punk’s rescue and sent Becky Lynch packing with a slap. This has stirred up curiosity from fans over who might decide to next rock up on RAW or SmackDown.
Another one of the most popular stars of the Divas era who returned in February is Nikki Bella, who appeared in the Royal Rumble before becoming a regular member of the roster this summer. She was asked by a fan on X about possibly facing AJ again and responded: “That would be so fun! We had a great and magical run! Loving 2025 so much!!!”
Nikki then added, “Goodness, imagine if Paige and Brie showed up!”
While Nikki may have just been dreaming of reliving the peak of the Divas era, it does lean into speculation over her sister Brie Bella and Paige returning. Brie hasn’t appeared in WWE since appearing in the Royal Rumble match back in October 2018.
The 41-year-old has spoken about a potential return and suggested that her marriage to AEW star Bryan Danielson (formerly Daniel Bryan in WWE) could be denying her the opportunity. Nikki recently spoke about the prospect and said she’s “pushing it” and that “spouses shouldn’t determine legacies”.
Nikki also wants to end her current run, having become tag champion with her twin once again. The Bella Twins are former one-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Paige was one of the first to congratulate AJ Lee on her return and WWE fans made clear they desperately wanted to see her back on their television screens. The 33-year-old left the promotion in July 2022 after being forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018 due to serious neck injuries.
The former two-time Divas Champion arrived in AEW later that year after getting cleared by a non-wrestling doctor. She became a free agent this month after her AEW contract but has suggested in a recent interview that she would ideally like to return to pro wrestling next year.
Eve Torres, Kaitlyn – What Other Divas Are Saying About WWE Returns
The Divas era, which dominated women’s wrestling in WWE’s PG programming, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. The response to AJ Lee’s return shows that fans cared for the talent back then and would have loved to have seen them positioned on par with the men, as Triple H’s regime has been accomplishing.
AJ Lee was the lead star, given that she broke barriers and became just as big a name as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan during the PG era. The Bella Twins and Paige were also huge hits with fans, and seeing all four back in the promotion would be a dream come true for many of the younger generation in WWE right now.
Other divas shone, though, including Eve Torres, who was used in a storyline with John Cena and Zack Ryder. A former three-time Divas Champion, she retired from in-ring competition in 2013 before becoming the leader of the Gracie Women Empowered self-defence program.
Eve, 41, hasn’t commented on a return since 2013, when she spoke about having a family. She did say, “Who knows… people who have families still come back”. She added, “I still have dreams about matches, I will tell you that.”
AJ got her break in WWE as a rookie on the gameshow version of NXT and grew close with Kaitlyn. The pair’s friendship was on display throughout their main roster runs and that included when she became a Divas Champion.
Kaitlyn, 38, initially left in January 2014 to focus on marriage before participating in the Mae Young Classic in 2018. She hasn’t been back with WWE since, but did say two years ago that she’s “not 100% against coming back” but that it wasn’t in her sights at that time.
Other stars from the Divas’ era include Kelly Kelly, 38, who has made sporadic appearances in recent years but was forced to miss the Evolution PLE earlier this summer.
Alicia Fox, 39, is currently competing in TNA under her real name, Victoria Crawford and Melina, 46, one of the most beloved women’s wrestlers whose main run came before the PG period, has made Rumble appearances and recently competed in Paris, France, for Drag Attack Wrestling.
