Ranking All 15 WWE Debuts & Returns From 2025

5. AJ Lee

After CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, the questions almost immediately began in full: When would his wife AJ Lee return to the company?

Fans finally got their answer this summer when Lee came back after a decade absence to join her husband in opposing another married WWE power couple, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Their mixed tag was a major selling point for Wrestlepalooza (WWE’s first PLE on ESPN) , but she vanished immediately after winning that match.

AJ resurfaced in November to join the babyface WarGames team as a counterweight to Becky Lynch, who had just joined the heel squad. Lee also helped train Maxxine Dupri in the Alpha Babe’s quest to pry the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from Lynch.

It’s somewhat difficult to rate AJ’s return to WWE. On one hand, her reappearance after 10-plus years was a seismic event for fans who remember her initial run and was one of the last truly “never say never” returns remaining. It also potentially unlocks several “dream” matchups between wrestlers from different eras – Lee left WWE just months before the “women’s revolution” took over the company in 2015.

However, she’s had all of two matches, and her appearances can be counted on two hands. AJ still feels like a guest star on Raw rather than a cast member, lumping her into the dreaded category of part-timers.

Given the positive energy surrounding her return, AJ ranks high on this list, though it’s difficult to slot higher than the remaining superstars, who have been constant presences since their debuts and returns.