AJ Lee's Return Dominates WWE Raw as Styles Faces El Grande Americano

The wrestling world got what it had been waiting for on Monday night. After a decade away from the ring, AJ Lee returned to WWE Raw, stepping back into the spotlight that had defined her career before she walked away in 2015. Her reappearance came on the heels of a shocking moment the previous Friday on SmackDown, where she had emerged from the crowd to attack Becky Lynch, signaling that her absence was over and her story was far from finished.

The September 8 broadcast from Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum carried the weight of that return. The arena was nearly full—8,785 tickets distributed out of 9,450 available—a sign that fans understood they were witnessing something significant. The card itself reflected the momentum: AJ Styles was set to face El Grande Americano, a wrestler who had recently cost Styles the WWE Intercontinental Championship, turning their encounter into something with real stakes. Lyra Valkyria would also compete against Raquel Rodriguez, adding another layer to the evening's drama.

But the real story threading through the night was Lee's presence. WWE had already announced that she and CM Punk would face Lynch and Seth Rollins at Wrestlepalooza, the next major event on the calendar. That match represented a full circle moment—Lee returning not just to compete, but to anchor a main event program with one of wrestling's biggest names. The ten-year gap made the return feel less like a routine comeback and more like a reckoning, a moment where unfinished business was being settled.

The broadcast streamed exclusively on Netflix, continuing WWE's partnership with the platform. Recent episodes had drawn between 2.6 and 3.0 million global viewers, with the August 25 episode pulling 2.6 million—a respectable number that ranked sixth in its week. The viewership had remained steady through the summer, suggesting that the Netflix audience was engaged and consistent, even if the numbers fluctuated slightly week to week. The August 4 broadcast had peaked at 3.0 million, indicating the audience's appetite for major storylines and surprise moments.

What made Lee's return particularly resonant was the timing. She had been absent long enough that an entire generation of wrestling fans had come of age without seeing her perform. Her SmackDown attack on Lynch wasn't just a physical confrontation—it was a statement that she was reclaiming her place in a company that had moved on without her. The fact that WWE was building toward a tag team match at Wrestlepalooza suggested they saw her return as a cornerstone moment, not a one-off nostalgia play.

The Milwaukee crowd understood the significance. They had come to see what would happen next, to witness whether Lee could still perform at the level she once had, and to see how her presence would reshape the women's division. The near-capacity crowd reflected that anticipation. As the broadcast unfolded, all eyes were on whether the evening would deliver on the promise of her return, and what her presence meant for the months ahead.