AJ Lee has opened up on several major topics ahead of WrestleMania 42, touching on her bond with Paige, the emotional pull of her WWE return, and how her mindset has completely evolved since her original run.

Speaking with Rick Ucchino for Sports Illustrated, AJ made it clear that her connection with Paige remains strong and deeply personal. When asked about the possibility of Paige returning to WWE, AJ didn’t hesitate to show her support and admiration.

“It would be great. She’s so talented and I knew it from from day one and we we always joke that I was her fairy godmother. And I just like took her under my wing and tried to protect her.”

She went on to explain that a return wouldn’t just be exciting from a fan perspective, but meaningful on a personal level too.

“And just to see her now would be just kind of heartwarming and healing and she’d be a great addition to the locker room, I think.”

AJ also highlighted how much the women’s division has changed, pointing to a more supportive and united environment compared to the past.

“This place has really come a long way and the women work together so beautifully and they’re so supportive and I would love for her to experience just like how fun it is now.”

Beyond that, AJ revealed what ultimately brought her back to wrestling after nearly a decade away. While she had been focused on writing, producing, and mental health advocacy, it was the fans who pulled her back in.

“I mean, I knew that coming back was the right decision because of my fans. So, I very much took like a decade sort of out of the spotlight and have been sort of enjoying just being a mental health advocate and a writer and producer behind the scenes. No one’s looking at me.”

That changed when she reconnected with the wrestling audience through appearances and signings.

“Um and so, when I went back into sort of the fandom world and I started to do signings again, I was getting these lines that were like legitimately 7 hours long. And that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, they’re still here.’ Like, there’s still this hunger here, this support and that only comes with wrestling.”

AJ emphasized how that loyalty made her return feel not only right, but necessary.

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

Now heading into WrestleMania 42, AJ says she’s approaching things with a completely different mindset than before. No longer driven by the need to prove herself, she’s entering with confidence and perspective.

“I know who I am. I know what I’ve done. I can walk into this place with a new kind of confidence and a calmness of just being a grown-ass woman. And there is a different level to performing that way, with that mindset of, yeah, I know what I can do. And so it makes it a little bit more fun. I get to really just enjoy and soak up the moments versus feeling like you were scrapping every day back then.”

With a major match against Becky Lynch looming, AJ Lee isn’t chasing validation anymore. Instead, she’s embracing the moment, backed by experience, growth, and a fanbase that never stopped believing in her.