AJ Lee Knew WWE Return Was The Right Decision Because Of Her Fans, Giving Them A Title Run & WrestleMania Match Is ‘Incredibly Meaningful’

AJ Lee has addressed the reasoning behind her WWE return last year, saying that the decision was motivated by her fans.

For the first time since WrestleMania 31 in 2015, AJ Lee will compete at WWE’s “Grandest Stage of Them All,” with the 39-year-old set to defend the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42.

This milestone comes seven months after AJ made her return to WWE on the September 5 episode of SmackDown, where she began her still ongoing feud with Becky Lynch.

Speaking with Rick Ucchino of The Takedown on SI, AJ Lee explained that it was her fans’ loyalty and dedication to her over the years that swayed her to make her return to WWE.

AJ said:

“I knew that coming back was the right decision because of my fans.

“I was getting these lines that were legitimately seven hours long and that’s when I realized, oh, they’re still here. There’s still this hunger here. This support that only comes with wrestling.

It only comes with this really loyal fanbase who watched me from day one, were a part of the mission statement of underdogs for the win and stuck with me, and were waiting for me to come back. And… to be able to give them a title run and a Mania match, has been incredibly meaningful.”

AJ Lee Can “Feel” The Fans’ Investment In Becky Lynch Rivalry Heading Into WrestleMania 42

Having feuded since her aforementioned WWE return in early September, AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch stands out as one of the longest builds to a match on the WrestleMania 42 card, with the pair previously facing off in a mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza, inside WarGames and one-on-one at Elimination Chamber in Chicago.

Given WWE’s investment in the storyline, and the company’s commitment to putting on longer matches than was common during AJ Lee’s first run in WWE, fans will be expecting a longer match than Lee’s last match at WrestleMania 31, where she and Paige teamed up to take on The Bella Twins.

However, AJ explained that, to her, the story is more important than the length of the match, and she “feels” as if the fans have been invested in her feud with Lynch.

AJ said:

“It’s all about telling the best story that keeps people captivated the entire time. And there’s a lot of it you cannot plan for.

“It has to feel organic, it has to feel like you are communicating with the audience in real time. And that [is] something I feel has always been something I’m in tune with and is probably a big part of my success.

“Making sure their hearts are with us. And so far, they’ve just been so into this rivalry with me and Becky, and to feel that passion, you can feel like heat when you’re in the ring. You feel it in your skin. So that’s exciting. I just want people to continue that sort of ravenous hunger for this match-up.”

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