WWE should bring back 33-year-old star after 3 years to face AJ Lee, says Vince Russo (Exclusive)

According to ex-WWE writer Vince Russo, the state of the women's division is a bit unfavorable for AJ Lee's return. However, he has an idea that involves a 33-year-old star returning to the company to face Lee.

On the latest episode of Sportskeeda Writing with Russo, host Dr. Chris Featherstone spoke to Vince Russo about the situation involving Lee in the fallout of Wrestlepalooza 2025.

Russo said that because there is no defined direction for any woman on the roster, it makes it hard to set up AJ Lee's return. He pitched the idea of the 33-year-old Paige returning after three years to face her old rival:

"It's just such a mess, man, because none of the girls mean anything. I don't know, bro. I did not see AJ's first run. I saw a little bit of it at the very end, with Paige. That's where I would start. Paige is a free agent, and she makes it clear that she wants to come back. I hate to say this, but it's so 50/50 with the women that nobody means anything. So, who are you going to book her against for it to mean something? I'm going to start her fresh, and I'm going to start something new. That would be a great place to start."

You can watch the full video below:

Paige's WWE contract expired in 2022, following which she joined AEW and had decent success before departing Tony Khan's company earlier this year.

When is AJ Lee expected to return?

AJ Lee hasn't been back since Wrestlepalooza 2025, and her absence had a huge impact. The direction was clear - she will inevitably face Becky Lynch at some point, presumably for the Women's Intercontinental Championship. Ever since winning the title from Lyra Valkyria, Lynch has defended her title, but she now finds her confidence rocked in the face of a tapout at Wrestlepalooza.

With CM Punk being advertised for the upcoming October 6 edition of RAW, it has raised some questions about whether he could bring his wife with him. However, with Becky Lynch not addressing the situation much on the September 29 episode of RAW, it may have been WWE subtly confirming that AJ Lee won't be back for a little while.

We'll see in a week, but it wouldn't be surprising if Triple H decided to give the former Divas Champion some time off to recover from her first match in over a decade. If she is available, there's no reason for WWE not to go ahead with the feud against Becky Lynch.

As of now, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, it's happening.

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