The day after WrestleMania 31 saw one of the most shocking things for a wrestling fan in recent memory. While still at the top of her game, AJ Lee would retire from WWE. A multiple-time Divas Champion, a woman who carried the division on her back for half a decade. 11 years later, AJ Lee did it again at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 in Chicago, taking down bitter rival Becky Lynch.
At the beginning of the match, it’s extremely clear that AJ Lee was rusty, with the only match under her belt since returning being at Wrestlepalooza, and it was a tag team match with her husband CM Punk, against Lynch and her husband Seth Rollins.
The tides would turn when Lee hit a Running Bulldog on Lynch, knocking the wind out of her. It was followed up by her signature Shining Wizard, which led to a near-fall. Unfortunately, WWE referee Jessika Carr, whom Lynch has had problems with, would get knocked out by Becky herself inadvertently.
AJ Lee would catch Lynch in a Black Widow, with Becky tapping out to the hold. But since Jessika Carr was still out, the match would not end, leading to Lee trying to revive the referee. “The Man” would try to capitalize on this, battering AJ in and out of the ring, even introducing a chair into the situation. Lynch would expose the top buckle of the ring ropes, only for it to lead to her own downfall.
Lynch would try to Irish Whip AJ Lee into the exposed buckle, only for Lee to reverse it, leading to Lynch smashing head-first into the steel. AJ would constrict around Lynch, locking in the Black Widow one final time to become the #AndNEW WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion. It was June 30th, 2014, when AJ Lee last held a title in WWE, with the Divas Championship still being active.
Now, Lee finds herself on the Road to WrestleMania as the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, in her first singles and title match in over ten years.
