Few WWE exits have sparked as many questions as AJ Lee’s 2015 retirement, but on September 5, 2025, she walked out on SmackDown in Chicago for her first WWE appearance in over ten years, prompting a reexamination of her health, family, and post-wrestling career as a writer. Here are the verified facts behind the headlines.
Full name: Jeanette Mendez · Born: March 19, 1987 · WWE status: Signed to WWE since September 2025 · WWE titles: Four-time WWE champion
Quick snapshot
- AJ Lee’s birth name is Jeanette Mendez (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- She was born on March 19, 1987 (WWE (official company profile)).
- She is a four-time WWE champion (WWE (official company profile)).
- She is married to CM Punk (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)).
- Exact terms of the 2025 WWE agreement are not specified in available profiles.
- Whether AJ Lee has a child is not publicly confirmed.
- A full list of pre-marriage relationships, if any, has not been publicly confirmed.
- The specific storyline conditions that led to her return have not been detailed by WWE.
- Her involvement in WWE 2K26 as a playable character is confirmed via her Instagram but not officially announced by 2K.
- The co-writing credit for Blade of the 47 Ronin comes from a secondary source (Sportskeeda) and hasn’t been independently verified by major trades.
- Whether AJ Lee will wrestle regular matches or appear only in non-wrestling segments is not disclosed in any contract summary.
- 1987: AJ Lee is born as Jeanette Mendez (WWE (official company profile)).
- 2015: AJ Lee steps away from in-ring WWE competition (Fightful (wrestling news outlet)).
- 2017: Publishes New York Times bestseller Crazy Is My Superpower (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)). (WWE (official company profile))
- September 2025: Returns to WWE on SmackDown (WWE (official company profile)).
- AJ Lee is signed to a multi-year full-time WWE deal (Yahoo Sports (sports news outlet)).
- She appears in WWE 2K26 playable roster (Instagram @theajmendez (official account)).
- Storyline involvement with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins is ongoing (WWE (official company profile)).
Six key facts about AJ Lee, drawn from verified sources:
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Real name | Jeanette Mendez |
| Born | March 19, 1987 |
| Role | Professional wrestler, author, screenwriter |
| WWE status | Signed to WWE since September 2025 |
| Husband | CM Punk |
| Notable work | Crazy Is My Superpower |
Why did AJ Lee retire from WWE?
What did AJ Lee say about her retirement?
AJ Lee’s in-ring career ended in 2015. Her final match took place on the March 30, 2015 episode of SmackDown, according to Fightful (wrestling news outlet). In her memoir Crazy Is My Superpower, she detailed the health pressures that drove the decision — specifically cervical spine damage that made continuing physically dangerous. USA Today (major U.S. news outlet) confirms that the memoir discusses the spine condition as a significant factor.
What did AJ Lee do after leaving WWE?
After stepping away, AJ Lee built a career outside wrestling. She wrote Crazy Is My Superpower, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2017 (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)). She also co-wrote the Netflix feature Blade of the 47 Ronin (Sportskeeda (wrestling commentary site)) and served as an executive producer for Women of Wrestling from 2021 to 2023 (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)). Her return to WWE in 2025 does not erase the earlier retirement — she came back on a new, full-time contract, but the reason for her original exit remains the same.
The implication: her return is not a reversal of retirement but a new chapter built on a different body and career stage.
Does AJ Lee have a baby?
What has AJ Lee shared about her family?
No credible public source confirms that AJ Lee has a child. The confusion often comes from fans mixing WWE storylines (where she played a love-interest character) with real-life family questions. USA Today (major U.S. news outlet) notes that she and husband CM Punk share their home with their dog Larry. Public posts on Instagram @theajmendez (official account) show the two of them and Larry, with no indication of children.
What is known about AJ Lee’s private life?
AJ Lee keeps her personal life largely private. Her marriage to CM Punk is the relationship she has publicly acknowledged. Her social media profiles mention her family unit with Punk and Larry, but she does not discuss children.
Fans who follow wrestling storylines may assume on-screen relationships extend to real life. In AJ Lee’s case, the data is clear: no public evidence of a child exists, and her private life is intentionally guarded.
The pattern: when public records are silent, the default should be absence of evidence, not speculation.
Is AJ Lee Puerto Rican?
What is AJ Lee’s ethnicity?
AJ Lee has Puerto Rican heritage. Her birth name is Jeanette Mendez, a detail confirmed by Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) and by her own public appearances. She was born in Union City, New Jersey, and has referenced her Puerto Rican background in interviews. However, public details about her family ancestry are limited — she has not provided a full breakdown of her ethnic lineage.
Her Puerto Rican heritage is verified through her name and statements, but the depth of her family history remains private. That’s consistent with her approach to personal life.
The catch: ethnicity is confirmed at the broad level, but specifics about her family tree are off the record.
Did John Cena date AJ Lee?
Was John Cena in a storyline with AJ Lee?
Yes, they were paired in a WWE storyline. AJ Lee’s character was involved in a romantic angle with John Cena on WWE television. But there is no public evidence of a real-life relationship between them. USA Today (major U.S. news outlet) and other reputable outlets note that AJ Lee is married to CM Punk, not John Cena.
Who did AJ Lee marry after WWE storylines?
AJ Lee married CM Punk in 2014. The couple has been together for over a decade and are widely considered one of wrestling’s most stable marriages. Media coverage of her 2025 return frequently highlighted that she returned alongside her husband (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)).
The implication: confusing on-screen fiction with biography is a common error in wrestling coverage.
Who were AJ Lee’s ex-boyfriends?
Which AJ Lee relationships were real-life?
AJ Lee has kept her personal dating history private. Her marriage to CM Punk is the only relationship she has publicly confirmed. WWE on-screen romances — such as with John Cena or Daniel Bryan — were scripted and should not be listed as real-life ex-boyfriends. USA Today (major U.S. news outlet) notes that the couple’s relationship has been part of the public narrative, but no pre-marriage relationships have been acknowledged by AJ Lee herself.
How does AJ Lee handle personal questions?
In interviews and on social media, AJ Lee typically deflects questions about past relationships. Her memoir focuses on her career and health, not dating history. This privacy is consistent with her overall approach: she shares what serves her public work and keeps the rest guarded.
For anyone researching AJ Lee, the key pattern is that WWE storylines are often mistaken for biography. The only verifiable fact about her romantic life is her marriage to CM Punk. Everything else is either unclear or unconfirmed.
The catch: without direct confirmation from the individual, speculation about past relationships remains unsupported.
Timeline: AJ Lee’s career and life
- 1987 – AJ Lee is born as Jeanette Mendez (WWE (official company profile)).
- 2015 – AJ Lee steps away from in-ring WWE competition. Her final match was March 30, 2015 (Fightful (wrestling news outlet)).
- 2017 – Publishes Crazy Is My Superpower, a New York Times bestseller (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)).
- 2021–2023 – Serves as executive producer for Women of Wrestling (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)).
- September 5, 2025 – Returns to WWE on SmackDown in Chicago (WWE (official company profile)).
- September 8, 2025 – Appears on Raw, promoted by WWE as her first appearance in over a decade (WWE (official company profile)).
The timeline shows a clear arc: ten years away from active competition, during which she built a significant writing and producing career. Her 2025 return is a new chapter, not a resumption of the old one.
What this means: the gap between retirement and return is long enough to reframe her identity as a multi-career professional, not merely a wrestler who came back.
What’s confirmed and what’s not
Confirmed facts
- AJ Lee’s birth name is Jeanette Mendez.
- Born March 19, 1987.
- Four-time WWE champion.
- Married to CM Punk.
- Signed to WWE since September 2025.
- Author of Crazy Is My Superpower.
- Co-writer of Blade of the 47 Ronin (based on Sportskeeda reporting).
What’s unclear
- Exact terms of her 2025 WWE deal.
- Whether she has children.
- Full list of pre-marriage relationships.
- Specific storyline conditions that led to her return.
- Whether she will wrestle or appear only in promos.
- Duration of her multi-year contract.
- Official confirmation from 2K about her inclusion in WWE 2K26.
The pattern: the confirmed list is built on primary and high-tier secondary sources, while the unclear list reflects information that either hasn’t been disclosed or comes from lower-confidence reports. Readers should treat the unclear items as unverified until official confirmation emerges.
Quotes from AJ Lee and her network
“I walked away because my body was telling me I couldn’t go any further.”
— AJ Mendez, from Crazy Is My Superpower (USA Today (major U.S. news outlet))
“We have a new action figure set: me, Larry, and CM Punk.”
— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) on X, as reported by USA Today (major U.S. news outlet)
“I’m back in WWE 2K26!”
— AJ Mendez on Instagram (@theajmendez), via Instagram (official account)
“AJ Lee’s return on SmackDown was her first WWE appearance in over 10 years.”
— WWE.com, WWE (official company profile)
These quotes illustrate the three pillars of AJ Lee’s public identity: a career forced to change for health reasons, a creative life beyond wrestling, and a personal bond with CM Punk that remains central to her story.
sportskeeda.com, newsbreak.com, indiatoday.in, wwe.com, tribune.com.pk, marca.com, si.com
Frequently asked questions
What is AJ Lee’s real name?
Jeanette Mendez.
Who is AJ Lee married to?
CM Punk, married in 2014.
Is AJ Lee back in WWE?
Yes, she returned on September 5, 2025, and signed a multi-year contract.
What is AJ Lee’s Instagram handle?
@theajmendez.
What is Crazy Is My Superpower about?
A memoir covering her wrestling career, mental health, and the cervical spine injury that led to her retirement.
How many WWE titles did AJ Lee win?
Four WWE championships, including three Divas Championships.
Is AJ Lee a singer?
No, she is known as a wrestler, author, and screenwriter, not a singer.
Oliver Jack Carter Cooper is a staff writer for EveningLedger.uk, covering UK news, politics, business and culture. He works under Editor-in-Chief Edward Langley and Managing Editor Charlotte Reeves, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.