AJ Lee says her current WWE contract is paying her the same as her husband, CM Punk.
Speaking in the second episode of the third season of Netflix’s WWE Unreal, former Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee opened up about the moment she signed her current contract with the promotion when she returned in September 2025.
As someone who has advocated for equal pay for female superstars similar to their male counterparts before her first retirement in 2015, AJ Lee noted that signing a contract which treats her as an equal and grants her the same earnings as her husband, the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk, felt like a ‘boss moment’.
“One of the things I fought for back in the day wasn’t just for equal footing,” Lee said. “It was, ‘Let’s get paid the way the men get paid.’ To know I’m signing this contract where I am getting paid the way my husband [CM Punk is] getting paid, where I’m being treated like an equal, it was a boss-ass moment, I’m not going to lie.”
AJ Lee never expected to return to WWE
Lee also noted that she never expected to return to WWE after leaving the promotion in 2015 due to her physical and mental health issues (something which she made sure was protected when she re-signed). She found success as a writer outside the wrestling business, but when she received a call from Triple H, she believed it would be the perfect opportunity to pay homage to the fans who always had her back.
“To understand what my character was back in the day, you kind of have to understand the landscape. I came into a world that was bikini battle royals,” Lee said about her initial run. “There was no place for anyone who wasn’t a perfect 10 super model, and I was not bringing that. And I knew that coming in, and I’m proud to be a ‘Jersey 6,’ you know? I really had to fight and scratch and claw and prove myself to sort of get noticed. Unexpectedly, through that, the fans connected to me.” [H/T F4WOnline]
AJ Lee is currently on a hiatus after losing the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42. Recent reports indicated that there’s no specific timeline for her return to WWE television.
Read More: CM Punk and AJ Lee Open Up About The Loss Of Their Dog, Larry
