Roxanne Perez Says She's Trying To Get Retired Star To Return To WWE

Roxanne Perez may be primarily focused on her future in WWE, but she's also eager to bring back an element of the past, namely AJ Lee. During a recent interview with "The PWI Podcast," Perez was asked if she's been in contact with her "wrestling dad" CM Punk about the possibility of his seeing real-life wife, and Perez's "wrestling mom," return to WWE.

"Definitely, yeah," Perez said. "I try [to get Punk to tell AJ to come back to WWE], but he tells me that he's doing the same thing. He's trying to get her to come back, pulling her in, but I hope one day she decides to come back and have a match with me."

Lee, a former WWE Divas Champion, retired from professional wrestling in April 2015, citing serious cervical spinal damage as one of the contributing factors to the respective decision. Her last match, which took place on the March 30, 2015 episode of "WWE Raw," saw her, Naomi, and Paige defeated "The Queen of Harts" Natalya and WWE Hall of Famers The Bella Twins. Since then, Lee has dedicated much of her time to various writing projects, including her 2017 memoir titled "Crazy Is My Superpower." Lee made a brief return to the wrestling scene from 2021 until 2023 as an executive producer and commentator for WOW (Women of Wrestling).

Perez, the current WWE NXT Women's Champion, officially arrived to WWE in 2022. Most recently, she successfully defended her title against Thea Hail during night one of the 2024 "WWE NXT" Great American Bash.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The PWI Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.