For years, fans held onto hope that former Divas Champion AJ Lee would return to WWE. That “someday” finally became last Friday, when Lee emerged before an electric crowd on “WWE SmackDown” to side with her husband CM Punk in his ongoing feud with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. According to former WWE star Tommy Dreamer, this move not only benefited fans, but also Lee herself.

“How WWE did that entire show, it was like, here’s one [return], and then, oh my God, here’s another. I loved it. But with AJ, we waited, waited, waited. Once she returned, and I say this all the time, not only do wrestlers need closure, but wrestling fans need closure,” Dreamer said on “Busted Open Radio.” “She was one of the most beloved WWE Superstars of all time and left under, I don’t want to say controversy, but obviously left with a bad taste in her mouth for the WWE. All that is washed under the bridge.

“CM Punk has had an amazing run,” he continued. “They have not fumbled him. It was the perfect setup. I’ve never seen a more perfect setup of a build to bring somebody in. And I said it before AJ Lee, forget about that she’s CM Punk’s wife. AJ Lee’s return is as important or more than CM Punk’s return, because she was such a big star within the WWE.”

Prior to her recent return, WWE fans last saw Lee in March 2015 as she, Paige, and Naomi defeated The Bella Twins and Natalya on “WWE Raw.” Due to lingering damage in her neck, Lee retired from in-ring competition shortly after. As Dreamer alluded to, Lee’s retirement also came a year after Punk famously walked out of WWE due to alleged medical negligence and other reasons. Punk and WWE have since smoothed things over, as evidenced by Punk’s own comeback in 2023.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.