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WWE was a wild place in 2012. An anonymous general manager was running Monday Night RAW, Michael Cole was the biggest heel in the company, and CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were involved in a love triangle for the affection of AJ Lee.
The July 9, 2012, episode of RAW put these three elements together in what was — looking back on it — one of the most quirkily prophetic segments in recent times.
AJ and Punk were in the ring, with the former professing her love for the latter. Nothing out of the ordinary here, given it was in tune with their storyline at the time. That is until the former Diva's Champion got down on one knee and asked for The Straight-Edge Superstar's hand in marriage.
Displeased by this, Daniel Bryan made his way to the ring and ruined the proceedings. After a few moments, he too got down on one knee and proposed to AJ, which Punk quickly halted.
The anonymous RAW general manager then chimed in, aided by the voice of Michael Cole. A mixed tag team match was scheduled for later in the night, which would see AJ Lee and CM Punk team up against Daniel Bryan and Eve Torres.
The perfect irony of this entire segment is that Punk and AJ would eventually go on to get married two years later. Perhaps this was spoken into existence by the words Lee said to close off this chaotic segment:
"Everything happens for a reason and I have a feeling that I am going to walk out of this arena with my future husband." [From 06:26 to 06:48]
What has AJ Lee been doing after WWE?
AJ Lee retired from in-ring competition in April 2015 and parted ways with WWE. She has since become a bestselling author and has worked on several film and television projects.
CM Punk's monumental return to wrestling in 2021 prompted many fans to believe that AJ could too be on her way back to a major American promotion. However, this has not yet come to fruition.
Rather, she joined the Women of Wrestling promotion as an executive producer. She has also picked up a role as a color commentator while there.
Although a return to the ring looks incredibly unlikely, fans will remember AJ's WWE run for the unique style she brought to her matches, her sublime character work, and her unmistakable commitment to everything she was involved in.
