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AJ Lee has shared the reason for finally agreeing to return to WWE and come out of retirement after more than a decade. Lee also discussed Becky Lynch's role in her viral comeback on the September 5 episode of SmackDown. As part of WWE's promotion for Wrestlepalooza, several stars made appearances on ESPN shows throughout the week.
Lee was a guest on SportsCenter on Wednesday and was interviewed by Christine Williamson about her WWE return. Naturally, one of the questions was about the reason for coming out of retirement and returning to the squared circle for a personal feud.
AJ Lee explained that she only thought of coming back once there was a great story to tell, while also praising Becky Lynch as someone she wanted to work with.
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"When I retired, I was very comfortable staying retired, and I felt very complete in my career. So, I've always said, to do something, to embark on a new journey, it has to feel brand new. It has to feel like I'm needed. It has to feel exciting and, kind of, scary, and so starting this new chapter on ESPN feels like a whole new mountain the company needs to climb," she said.
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The Black Widow continued:
"And I was flattered that they believed that I could help sort of draw eyeballs in that way. Also, like, Becky is very interesting to me. I think that she's wonderful in the ring, and we have a lot of similarities, and she would not be an easy person to get back in the ring with. So, that was exciting."
AJ Lee is set to wrestle her first match in more than a decade on September 20 at Wrestlepalooza. She will team up with her husband, CM Punk, to take on Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in a Mixed Tag Team Match.
AJ Lee also credits her fans for her WWE return
In addition to adding another chapter to her career, AJ Lee always thought about returning because of her fans. Lee told in a separate interview on ESPN's Vibe Check on Wednesday how the WWE Universe played a part in her decision.
"I wrote my first original graphic novel and started to do signings, and I realized that there were so many fans still out there who were so loyal and, kind of, have been with me for a decade. To go to a Comic-Con and have, like, a seven-hour line of people, I realized, 'Oh, I owe them a little something,'" Lee said.
AJ Lee's return has made headlines over the past two weeks, and her fans have been very receptive about it. Wrestlepalooza is on September 20 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and will be the first premium live event as part of WWE's partnership with ESPN.
Please credit ESPN and give an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the quotes from this article.
